Patient Compliance

A new guideline aimed at helping clinicians identify the difficult-to-diagnose acute aortic syndrome is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Acute aortic syndrome (AAS) is a life-threatening condition that underlies 1 in 2000 visits to the emergency department for severe chest or back pain. The rate of misdiagnosis is estimated to be as high as 38%, and the risk of death can increase 2% for every hour of delay in diagnosis.

Study reports significant delay in time to hospitalization compared to usual care when LAIAs are used in patients with early-phase schizophrenia

Another record for monthly overdose deaths related to illicit drugs has been set in British Columbia, prompting the former provincial health officer to call for radical steps to reduce fatalities including access to pharmaceutical-grade heroin produced in Canada. Dr. Perry Kendall, now interim director at the BC Centre on Substance Use, said access to injectable diacetylmorphine needs to be ramped up after a sharp rise in overdose deaths four years after he declared a public health emergency.

Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro is escalating his pay dispute with doctors, asking the College of Physician and Surgeons to make rules to stop doctors from withdrawing services en masse. Shandro, in a letter dated June 18, says patients—particularly those in rural areas—have a right to timely access to care and that the college has to do more to make sure that happens.

Eight COVID-19 cases have been identified among the several thousands of people who attended rallies in Calgary and Edmonton. Similar events were held around the world after the death of George Floyd, a Black man whose neck a Minneapolis police officer compressed with his knee for nearly nine minutes.

I think it’s about time to speak up for the mouth; the bowels have been getting entirely too much attention lately—as if they’re the only successful owners of a microbiome, the only hall that can accommodate a massive rally without needing crowd control. And they seem to thrive on numbers more than quality; there are very few first-names in the bowels. Very few memorable leaders.

The second in a video series from Dr. John Crosby