Morton Mower, who developed two cardiac devices that have helped millions of people worldwide, has been honoured by the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation. Morton Mower admits that it was a “crazy” idea that won him Thailand’s 2015 Prince Mahidol Award for medicine. Mower was recognised for his work on developing the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator […]
medicine
Survey aims to capture patient experience
Patients who have spent time in hospital in Canada will soon be asked to rate their experience as part of an effort by the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) to document and improve patient care across Canada. “CIHI has been really focused on health system performance reporting, and the kinds of things you need […]
Ebola needed better coordinated Canadian response
Canada needs to step up its game when responding to international disease outbreaks, says New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, who spent more than six months in Africa with the World Health Organization during the Ebola outbreak. Dr. Eilish Cleary was disappointed that the Public Health Agency of Canada was not able to deploy teams […]
How to Test the Potency of Pot-Infused Foods
Eating a bag of THC-laced gummy bears may seem like a safer way of taking your medical marijuana than smoking a joint, but how do you know that you’re actually getting the right dose? It turns out the labels on edible products—when they even exist—are often inaccurate, and testing is actually very hard to do. […]
Patient safety a matter of design
An international group of health care systems has begun a year-long project to gather and share data on how to design systems to improve patient safety. Leading Health Systems Network (LHSN), a partnership between Qatar’s World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) and Imperial College London, launched the Safer Care Accelerator in March to share best […]
Rare enterovirus continues to circulate in North America
D68, an uncommon strain of enterovirus, has caused an unexpectedly high number of respiratory illnesses across the USA and has now appeared in Canada. A rare strain of enterovirus that can cause severe respiratory illness in children is circulating throughout the USA and Canada, causing a higher than usual number of infections. Between mid-August and […]
Exercise prescriptions endorsed
Doctors in two Canadian provinces are using exercise prescription pads to encourage patients to lead healthier, more active lifestyles. Doctors of BC (British Columbia) and the New Brunswick Medical Society (NBMS) offer free pads to their members so they can give patients a physical reminder of the exercise advice they’ve been given by their physicians. […]
BMA votes to end investment in fossil fuels
The British Medication Association set an international precedent with a vote to end its investment in fossil fuel companies. The motion also urged the BMA to switch its electricity supply to renewable sources and to help create an alliance of health care bodies to promote the health benefits of reducing greenhouse gasses. Read more in CMAJ.
Mapping biomedical research in the USA
An overview of biomedical research in the USA—the major funders, trends, and strengths and weaknesses facing the world’s major scientific superpower. The biomedical research landscape in the USA is so vast and comprehensive that it can be difficult to get a handle on specifics. But within the expanse of the biomedical specialty, there are a […]
Outlook: Stroke
Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide, yet it can often be prevented. Each year, some 17 million people worldwide will have a stroke and almost 6 million of them will die. Research seeks to guide rehabilitation, to help maintain brain function after a stroke, and to develop treatments to repair the […]