The editors of the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a letter to Canada’s new Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Philpott. They called on Dr. Phillpott to let science and evidence guide policy. The authors also asked the new minister to follow through on her promises to expand home care, improve vaccination rates, and address mental […]
Tag: public health
Saving with supervised injection sites
Creating supervised injection facilities in Toronto and Ottawa would be a cost-effective way to prevent people from developing hepatitis C, according to an updated analysis. The researchers believe there is an 86 per cent chance one or more supervised injection facilities would be cost-effective in Toronto, and a 90 per cent chance in Ottawa. They […]
Using Statistics Canada information to reveal opioid trends
Researchers believe they have found a way to use Statistics Canada data to accurately estimate rates of opioid-related deaths nation-wide. The algorithm they developed may be useful for provincial and federal public health agencies, helping to quickly identify and report on trends in opioid overdoses across Canada. Original research paper published in the CMAJ on November 30, 2015. […]
Pregnant smokers quit…if the money is right
Pregnant women are more likely to quit smoking when they are offered a financial incentive according to a new study. The researchers found the financial incentive was cost-effective for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, which determines cost-effectiveness in a similar method to other high-income countries. In a randomized controlled trial the researchers […]
Eating two homemade meals a day cuts diabetes risk
Eating two homemade meals per day lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes according to recent research from the American Heart Association. Researchers found that individuals who ate a homemade lunch and dinner everyday had a 13 per cent lower risk when compared to individuals who ate fewer than six homemade meals each week. […]
APGAR scores provide clues about the mothers’ health
Researchers found a strong correlation between a newborn’s Apgar score and whether the mother will be admitted to the ICU after delivery. The researchers hope these findings will help doctors predict which mothers will become critically ill after giving birth, and may help predict which mothers need additional medical checks. The study analyzed data from […]
Stomach fat increases risk of diabetes during pregnancy
Women with a high level of abdominal fat during the first trimester of pregnancy have a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes later on during pregnancy, according to a new study. Researchers measured the abdominal fat of 485 women during the end of their first trimester (11 – 14 weeks), and later measured their oral […]
Quebec’s TB troubles
Québec’s unusually high rate of tuberculosis (TB) is most likely due to the local environment and cultural practices, rather than a particularly potent strain of TB, according to researchers. Québec has an incidence rate 50 times higher than the Canadian average. Researchers performed whole-genome sequencing on 163 TB samples from 11 geographically isolated villages in […]
Preventing food allergies in infants
A review by Canadian physicians suggests parents can help prevent food allergies in their children by introducing allergenic foods early. The authors show that with a few exceptions, introducing these foods between four and six months of age can safely help prevent the development of food allergies. The authors recommend exposing infants at low risk […]
Rethinking Canadian TB screening
Canada’s current practice of screening all newly arriving immigrants for tuberculosis (TB) is inefficient according to new research. The authors believe screening should focus only on immigrants arriving from countries with high TB rates. Researchers found that immigrants arriving in Ontario between 2002 and 2011 came from 214 countries, however all cases of active TB […]
The role of science in Canadian policy
The Science Integrity Project, which aims to make evidence-based decision-making a high priority for government at all levels, has released four principles for improving policy decisions using the best available evidence. The principles were developed through the collective wisdom of 75 leaders — in science, indigenous knowledge, public policy, civil society, and governance. The project […]
The Angelina Jolie effect
Media coverage of Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy lead to an increased awareness of options for reconstructive breast surgery. Researchers compared responses to two surveys asking women questions on breast cancer and surgery, one conducted pre-Jolie’s announcement in March 2013, the other post-announcement in June 2013. Original research paper published in CANCER on September 28, 2015. Names and affiliations […]
Let’s be clear about cannabis
Researchers must be more careful with the language they use when describing the relationship between cannabis use and schizophrenia to avoid causing misinformation and panic in the public, according to a Canadian researcher. In a Perspective the researcher writes the epidemiological evidence does not support the conclusion that cannabis use causes schizophrenia. Instead the author writes […]
Assessing head trauma in young children
New guidelines may help emergency department physicians reduce unnecessary scans in young children with minor head injuries, according to a new study. Researchers believe they have found two factors that would identify approximately 90 per cent of skull fractures in children under two months of age. This could reduce the number of radiographs by 60 […]
Canadians receiving false positives for Lyme disease from U.S. labs
Canadians may receive false-positives for Lyme disease, from some commercial labs in the United States over half the time, according to an editorial in the CMAJ. Lyme disease, which is becoming more common in Canada, is spread by ticks and causes fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and if not treated, the infection can spread to joints, […]
New guidelines to reduce pain during vaccinations
New Canadian guidelines aim to reduce pain during vaccinations in both children and adults. Pain during the vaccination process can make children and adults hesitant to receive future immunizations. The guidelines update previous guidelines, published in 2010, and have been expanded to cover adults as well as children. The recommendations are designed to be used […]
