There is a medical horror story told to all medical students since 2004. It is a story of thousands and thousands of deaths related to a prescription painkiller: Rofecoxib, or better know by its trade name Vioxx. In a nutshell, Vioxx was marketed as an important pain management option for patients suffering from chronic painful conditions like arthritis. It didn’t save any lives, but promised to relief some of the morbidity associated with …
Wait lists: A Necessary Evil. But How Long is Too Long?
Imagine that you had debilitating low back pain, with sharp shooting pains down your leg. Despite physiotherapy, pain medications, and prolonged rest, the pain is preventing you from working. An MRI of your spine had revealed a complex disc that is impinging some nerves, with major spine surgery being a potential cure. So why must you wait months for a spine surgeon? The scenario is likely worse if the pathology involved was much …
The Hunger for Diagnoses.
I cannot count how many times patients have arrived in the ER with a predetermined mindset that they are suffering from a severe disease. Some are genuine fears, and we do our best to investigate and treat – most of these patients are relieved when we find nothing dangerous, even though in many instances a clear-cut diagnosis is not possible at that moment. Some however, will insist on endless and extravagant investigations until …
Should we be punishing medical errors?
An interesting story came across my desk recently. Apparently, some states in the U.S. have moved towards a punitive model in trying deal with medical errors and adverse outcomes – this particular story describes how Utah will no longer fund healthcare providers and hospitals for dealing with illnesses that resulted from avoidable errors and infections. On the surface, it kind of makes sense – one should be punished for making a mistake, right? …
The 13 pieces of a fragmented healthcare system.
As Canadians we pride ourselves on having one of the best national healthcare system in the world. That is however not technically correct – instead, we have a jigsaw system that’s cut up into very distinct and different pieces. The Canada Health Act supposedly ensures that all citizens have equal access to quality healthcare, regardless of where you live. Working in a tertiary care center situated right on the border between two of …
July is almost over. You’re safe to come to the hospital now.
The deadly month is almost over. Have you not heard the secret? This warning to the average patient is becoming more and more widespread: “Don’t get sick in July! It is the worst month of the year to be in a hospital.” This supposed pearl of wisdom of course refers to the fact that in Canada, the academic year at teaching hospitals begins on Canada Day – which means freshly minted MD’s are …