Category Archive

Despite their geographical proximity, their similar cultural milieux, and their comparable per capita economic standings, health care in Canada and the United States are vastly different. Is Canada too cost-conscious, putting the inevitable but seemingly insurmountable needs of the many over the immediate needs of the few? Has the United States become too client-centered, putting the needs of the privileged or particularly litigious few over the needs of the many? Which is better …

In a time where banking can be done securely from all over the world by phone application, why are we stuck relying on pieces of crumpled paper from a patient’s wallet for their medication list? In the dire time when a person requires resuscitation efforts it would be critical to know if that person is beta-blocked, or a had prescription for TCA’s or INH in an overdose situation. A provincial-wide electronic medical record could …

Recently, Toronto doctor Danielle Martin achieved YouTube fame by appearing in front of a United States senate hearing where she was asked to defend Canada’s single payer healthcare system to a largely partisan audience. The video shows a composed Dr. Martin outlining the benefits of Canada’s universal healthcare structure and contrasting it with the American one, while noting the strong public support in Canada for access to care that shouldn’t depend on one’s …

Let’s just imagine, for a second, a hypothetical patient scenario we’re faced with almost every day in the emergency department. An elderly gentleman is brought into the emergency department by his family with an exacerbation of a chronic medical condition. He’s not critically ill, but clearly isn’t thriving at home. Unfortunately he usually goes to the hospital across town, so none of his old records are accessible to you, the emergency physician. He’s …

What is high quality healthccare? And how do I not know how to answer this question after seven years of medical education? The easy answer to my second question is that I was never taught; however, I think the issue is a little more troubling than that. If asked, I think many physicians, myself included, would come up with a list of factors that play into quality of care: it should be accessible, guided by best …

I entered the field of Emergency Medicine because of its fast-paced, adrenaline-inducing environment where I’d be able see a wide array of medical problems and still make a tremendous impact on patient care. As an Emergency Physician I would become an expert in resuscitating the critically ill and managing acute undifferentiated patients. I quickly learned that this actually encompassed a small segment of the patient population served in our tertiary care Emergency Department …