Medical schools and student groups are stepping up wellness supports to tackle stressors linked to alcohol abuse. Medical school is stressful and many medical students use alcohol to blow off steam, sometimes in weekend binges. It’s a pattern that schools and student groups are paying more attention to considering high rates of burnout and suicide […]
Canadian Medical Association Journal
How many doctors do we actually need?
In many parts of Canada, there is a shortage of doctors. The New Brunswick Medical Society, for example, says the province has 39 vacancies for family physicians and 50 new positions are needed to meet demand. In British Columbia, family medicine is in “crisis mode” with shortages across the province, says Dr. Shelley Ross, cochair of Doctors […]
Telemedicine on the rise but lagging in Canada
With long waiting times and a shortage of family doctors, many patients are looking for an alternative way to access medical care. Private doctor-on-demand services are stepping in to fill the gap, even in countries with publicly funded health care, like Canada. Read more in CMAJ.
CMA phasing out annual General Council meeting
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) plans to eliminate its General Council, the sometimes boisterous yearly meeting known as the “Parliament of Medicine” at which delegates debate motions to direct the association’s policy development. In its place, the association will hold a new event, called the Health Summit. The final General Council—and the inaugural Health Summit—will […]
Many doctors feel “betrayed” by sale of MD Financial Management
When the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) announced on May 31 that it was selling its financial services company, MD Financial Management, to Scotiabank for almost $2.6 billion, the reaction from physicians was swift and brutal. MD clients and other CMA members took to social media to condemn the decision, complaining that they had not been […]
Organ donations from overdose deaths on the rise but stigma remains
The increase in overdose deaths from the opioid crisis in the United States has led to a sharp rise in the number of organ donations from people who died from overdose. But the stigma surrounding those organs results in many going unused. Dr. Christine Durand from Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore and her colleagues analysed […]
CMA position against separate regulations for medical cannabis draws ire and insults
A bad-tempered exchange at a medical-cannabis conference has highlighted a strong disagreement between the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and some of its members on how medical cannabis should be regulated when the drug becomes legal. Read more in CMAJ.
Are provincial medical associations taking physician mental health seriously enough?
As stories of physician burnout, depression and suicide become more common, doctors and their support networks are doing more to support those who are suffering from the unique stresses of the profession. Some within the profession, however, feel that provincial medical associations are not doing enough for their members who need help with mental health […]
Family doctors call for guaranteed access to EMR data for research and quality improvement
To support quality improvement and research, family physicians and medical research networks need guaranteed, safe and affordable access to the data in electronic medical records (EMR) from the companies that provide the software, according to the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The college, along with the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network and the […]
Study by proponent of neck vein-widening therapy for MS finds treatment ineffective
The controversial “liberation therapy,” which aims to treat Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by widening narrowed veins in the neck and chest, has been dealt a blow by its main backer. A large-scale randomized clinical trial of venous percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) found that it is ineffective in treating the neurological condition. The study, published in JAMA Neurology, was led […]