How to make a nicer doctor
For medical students, residents and practising physicians, interpersonal skills are becoming as important as medical knowledge
January 19, 2016
The teaching of interpersonal skills—civility, compassion and empathy—has traditionally been ignored in medical school in favour of a focus on academic learning. However, curriculum is changing to make interpersonal skills a priority and, now, an online test developed at McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine in Hamilton is helping medical schools identify applicants with desired personality traits and interpersonal skills. Read more...
For medical students, residents and practising physicians, interpersonal skills are becoming as important as medical knowledge
January 19, 2016
The teaching of interpersonal skills—civility, compassion and empathy—has traditionally been ignored in medical school in favour of a focus on academic learning. However, curriculum is changing to make interpersonal skills a priority and, now, an online test developed at McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine in Hamilton is helping medical schools identify applicants with desired personality traits and interpersonal skills. Read more...
A better birth experience for moms and their babies born by caesarean
An experimental program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre allows mothers to hold their babies skin-to-skin immediately after a C-section birth.
April 25, 2015
After two labours that ended in emergency C-sections, Shannon Connors decided her third child was going to have a more natural birth.
The 41-year-old Kingsville, Ont., mother delivered her eldest daughter, Priya, by an emergency caesarean at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital on May 1, 2006.
Priya was born healthy but there was something missing in the experience for Connors.
“I felt this crazy separation. They gave (Priya) to me in the recovery room, but I couldn’t hold her because my arms were frozen,” she says, adding that this happened because she had been over frozen from the epidural. Read more...
A better birth experience for moms and their babies born by caesarean
An experimental program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre allows mothers to hold their babies skin-to-skin immediately after a C-section birth.
April 25, 2015
After two labours that ended in emergency C-sections, Shannon Connors decided her third child was going to have a more natural birth.
The 41-year-old Kingsville, Ont., mother delivered her eldest daughter, Priya, by an emergency caesarean at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital on May 1, 2006.
Priya was born healthy but there was something missing in the experience for Connors.
“I felt this crazy separation. They gave (Priya) to me in the recovery room, but I couldn’t hold her because my arms were frozen,” she says, adding that this happened because she had been over frozen from the epidural. Read more...
B.C. marks Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day
October 14, 2014
VANCOUVER - Monica Tam stepped into an examination room at Vancouver’s B.C. Women’s Hospital early in the morning on Nov. 23, 2011. It was dark except for the bright picture on the TV screen, a 19-week ultrasound scan of her unborn baby.
As the sonographer spread the cold, clear gel on Tam’s belly and moved the ultrasound probe back and forth, he noticed something abnormal. The doctor was called in. He was looking for the baby’s heartbeat. Read more...
Documentation of guideline adherence in antenatal records across maternal weight categories: a chart review
June 13, 2014
Documentation in medical records fulfills key functions, including management of care, communication, quality assurance and record keeping. We sought to describe: 1) rates of standard prenatal care as documented in medical charts, and given the higher risks with excess weight, whether this documentation varied among normal weight, overweight and obese women; and 2) adherence to obesity guidelines for obese women as documented in the chart. Read more...
Elderly Sardinians less depressed than other seniors, study says
Gender, age and place of residence affect mental health in older people
May 23, 2014
Seniors in Sardinia are less depressed than elderly people living in other parts of Italy, according to a new study. The authors say their study is "crucial" in understanding the "possible socio-cultural and lifestyle differences" that can affect a person's mental health later in life.
In fact, people who live in Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean south of Corsica, are already known for their longevity but a new study published in the journal Applied Research Quality of Life, is conferring another characteristic: mental well-being. Read more...
I wrote this article for CBC/Radio-Canada during my internship at the National Health Desk in Toronto, Ont.
Heart disease: treatment using vegetables over drugs
Eschewing cholesterol-lowering drugs for a plant-based diet
May 23, 2014
Many doctors treating heart disease tend to prescribe drugs known as statins like Lipitor, but some physicians in Canada are trying a new method: a vegan diet.
Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada. It kills 47,627 Canadians every year. Read more...
I wrote this article for CBC/Radio-Canada during my internship at the National Health Desk in Toronto, Ont.
Physical inactivity of Canadian kids blamed on 'culture of convenience'
Parents encouraged to weave opportunities to move and play with their kids into daily life; CBC's Ron Charles reports.
I helped chase produce this story during my internship at CBC/Radio-Canada. It aired on The National on May 20, 2014.
Common heart valve abnormality tied to aneurysm risk
Valve defect responsible for more deaths than all other heart conditions present from birth combined
May 14, 2014
A new Canadian study in the New England Journal of Medicine, published Wednesday, shows a direct link with a risk of a bulge in the body’s main artery and a heart condition some people are born with.
This heart defect is called bicuspid aortic valve. It’s the most common congenital heart defect, and it affects 1.3 per cent of the world’s population. Read more...
I wrote this article for CBC/Radio-Canada during my internship at the National Health Desk in Toronto, Ont.
MERS in Canada?
A doctor who travelled to Canada is being monitored for any signs or symptoms of the deadly MERS virus; CBC's Kim Brunhuber reports.
I helped chase produce this story during my internship at CBC/Radio-Canada. It aired on The National on May 13, 2014.
1 in 25 Canadian school kids say they binge drink
Laws on providing minors with alcohol need to be more strictly enforced, researcher says.
May 12, 2014
One in 25 Canadians aged 12 to 14 binge drank in the last year, according to a recent study.
These findings were based on Statistics Canada’s 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey, which included responses from 6,172 middle schoolers (grades 6 to 8). Binge drinking was more likely in whites, poorer adolescents, children with several chronic health conditions and mood disorders compared with their peers. Read more...
I wrote this article for CBC/Radio-Canada during my internship at the National Health Desk in Toronto, Ont.
3 tips for vegetarian athletes
Dietitian Jennifer Sygo explains how to add more protein, good calories and iron to a vegetarian (or vegan) athlete's diet; CBC's Kim Brunhuber reports.
I helped chase produce this story during my internship at CBC/Radio-Canada. It aired on The National on May 10, 2014.
Dentist visits too infrequent for Canadian preschoolers: study
'Heartbreaking' pain and suffering result from poor early dental care; CBC's Kas Roussy reports.
I helped chase produce this story during my internship at CBC/Radio-Canada. It aired on The National on May 5, 2014.
Rob Ford's substance abuse recovery challenges
May 1, 2014
The pressure of being in the public eye can make it harder for celebrities and politicians like Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to recover from addictions, experts say. Read more...
I helped chase produce this story during my internship at CBC/Radio-Canada.
E-cigarette rules
As the U.S. proposes to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to children, there's a push to regulate in Canada; CBC's Kim Brunhuber reports.
I helped chase produce this story during my internship at CBC/Radio-Canada. It aired on The National on April 26, 2014.
Disadvantaged youth find home in former prison
March 26, 2014
Maria Salas is standing at the corner of Gore and Powell, looking up at the concrete silhouette of the jail that once held thousands of people awaiting trial for drug-dealing, shoplifting and other crimes.
Now, that imposing building is being ripped apart and remade, which makes Salas very happy.
“It felt liberating to be able to knock down this prison and to make it a place for support for people,” says Salas, a 21-year-old worker with the BladeRunners’ program, which trains at-risk youth in the trades. Read more...
Downtown Eastside residents turn to each other to counter overdoses
November 20, 2013
Dan Meyer overdosed on heroin and almost died two years ago when a Vancouver nurse saved his life with a single injection of naloxone.
Now, he can perform this medical intervention himself. He is one of almost 750 people taking part in a pilot program training friends and family members to help save those who are overdosing on heroin and other opioids. Read more...
Downtown Eastside health team tackles high rates of lung disease
October 21, 2013
A new health initiative in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is going to residents in their own buildings to test them for undiagnosed lung illness, a condition that is widespread among the area’s impoverished and addiction-prone residents. Read more...
Social networking patterns/hazards among Irish teenagers
May, 2012
Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have grown substantially, posing new hazards to teenagers. This study aimed to determine general patterns of Internet usage among Irish teenagers aged 11-16 years, and to identify potential hazards, including; bullying, inappropriate contact, overuse, addiction and invasion of users’ privacy. Read more...