A five year-old boy is brought into your resuscitation bay by EMS after falling out of a motor-boat in the frigid waters of the St Lawrence river. CPR was started at the scene and when he arrives he has regained a pulse but is hypotensive with a decreased level of consciousness. Your heart races as you assemble your team and divide up responsibilities – “we need an airway assessment, vascular access, get him …
A Medical Student’s Perspective on CBME
As programs across the country transition to a form of competency-based medical education (CBME) we will be hosting a series of posts from the many people this transition will affect. Our first perspective is that of a medical student faced with a CBME filled future! Verdah Bismah is a medical student at Queen’s University, which is transitioning all of it’s postgraduate programs to CBME in 2017. If you are a medical student please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. If you are an educator we want to hear from you too!
Resource utilization: why do we overdo it?
There is a plethora of evidence that suggests, as physicians we over-diagnose, over-treat and over-investigate illness, often with little benefit to patients. The idea of rationale resource utilization is beginning to gain momentum, with campaigns such as Choosing Wisely, advocating for physicians to use the best evidence available in their practice. In order to appreciate inappropriate resource utilization, physicians first need to be aware of why they’re over-investigating and any inherent biases they may have, …
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in the ED: Implications for EM Practice
After an excellent introduction to Medical Assistance in Dying, and its potential impact upon the Healthcare System, Dr. Francis Bakewell takes a further look at potential implications and ramifications within the Emergency Department (ED). Last week, after much review and attempts at amendment by the Senate, the federal government’s legislation on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) received royal assent and became law. Bill C14 allows for aid in dying, either through prescription of lethal …
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)
Very soon, the law against assisted suicide in Canada will cease to exist, but exactly what happens next remains to be seen. On April 14th, the federal government tabled Bill C-14 in an attempt to legalize the process of medical assistance in dying (MAID). The bill is currently making its way through Parliament, but may not be ready in time for the June 6th deadline [1]. The legalization of MAID has been called a ‘sea …
An open letter to ER nurses
I would like to think that we do a reasonable job recognizing and acknowledging nurses for all of the hard work that they do, compassion, caring nature and dedication to their work. We often talk about what nurses do for patients and their positive impact upon the healthcare system, but as we enter the busy holiday season, I would like to take a moment to reflect upon their contribution and influence on my life as an …