October 13, 2011
MEGAN OGILVIE AND THERESA BOYLE
Too many doctors and researchers who help create guidelines for patient care have financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry, according to a study that investigated conflict of interest among a group of major Canadian and U.S. health care organizations.
October 11, 2011
On September 22nd, the Health Council of Canada released How Engaged are Canadians in their Primary Care? Results from the 2010 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey.
The report found that only 48% of Canadians feel involved in their own healthcare, and goes on to take a deeper look at the challenges and opportunities for patient engagement in Canada.
See the full report here.
October 5, 2011
NORMAN SILVERMAN, MD
MAUREEN DOWD
Medical schools are starting to train doctors to be less intimidating to patients. And patients are starting to train themselves to be less intimidated by doctors.
TORONTO, Sept. 9, 2011 /CNW/ - Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) announced today the formation of a new Clinical Council to provide advice on the organization's clinical engagement strategy and investments. The Council will be chaired by Dr. Michael Golbey, who is a practicing family physician from Kelowna, British Columbia and Chair of the Canadian Medical Association Board of Directors. It also includes physician, nurse, pharmacist and patient representatives.
Like climate change, the relentless worldwide spread of noncommunicable diseases offers an opportunity for low-, middle-, and high-income countries to join forces in addressing a major global challenge that threatens health and economies alike. A recent report from the World Health Organization1 identified six risk factors associated with noncommunicable diseases as the leading global risk factors for death: high blood pressure, tobacco use, high blood glucose levels, physical inactivity, overweight or obesity, and high cholesterol levels.
St. John's, NL (August 22, 2011) --- The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health announced Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR), a transformative research initiative that places patients at the centre of health care.
ANDRÉ PICARD -- The time has come for a “patient health charter†that clearly spells out the state’s obligation to deliver timely, quality health care – one with a complaint mechanism that provides redress when medicare fails to live up to expectations.
That is the message that emerges from a new public-opinion survey commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association.