Evidence Network

Big change takes big courage

New way to pay hospitals offers lessons on change management   If there’s one thing provincial governments across Canada can agree on, it’s that the status quo in health care is no longer good enough to deliver equitable access to high quality care in a cost-efficient manner.  Ontario’s Ministry of Health under the previous government […]

Medical errors too common

We have all been there: it is 3am and your partner, child, sibling or parent becomes ill suddenly and needs medical care. Will they be safe? The on-going Public Inquiry into the Safety and Security of Residents in the Long-Term Care Homes System is shedding new light on the employment history of an Ontario nurse […]

Four strategies for turning local healthcare innovation into routine practice everywhere

What started as pilot project by two frustrated doctors is evolving into standard practice as more jurisdictions, including the Ontario government, get on board.  Dr. Clare Liddy and Dr. Erin Keely share their story – and their lessons learned along the way. Dr. Clare Liddy is a Tier 2 Chair, Associate Professor and Clinical Investigator […]

When a new mom has disturbing and uncontrolled thoughts about hurting her baby, help is available

Postpartum OCD is frequently misdiagnosed and misunderstood – but it is treatable   In January, a new mother in California became part of a viral Facebook post that described her baby’s four-month postpartum checkup. As a result of the thoughts she shared with her health care providers, the police were called and she was escorted […]

Four ways to take your idea for Canadian healthcare innovation beyond the pilot phase

A version of this commentary appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, the Vancouver Province and the Hill Times It all started when the two of us sat down over a cup of coffee. As a family physician and endocrinologist, we stand on opposite sides of a large chasm called patient wait times, and we both started […]

Why is Health Canada aiding private blood firms?

A version of this commentary appeared in the Toronto Star, Winnipeg Free Press and the Huffington Post As the snow begins to fall and the mercury begins to drop, Health Canada has found itself in some hot water. The trouble has been years in the making — since at least 2013. That was when Canadian Plasma […]

Regulating food marketing to kids

There’s no denying that the food environment influences the diets of Canadian families, and that food industry marketing is part of that environment. Canadian children are now developing chronic diseases that were almost exclusively seen in adults when I went to medical school a few decades back. There has been a big shift in our […]

How a National Drug Plan Can Save Canada

Nav Persaud says a national drug plan would save lives, save money, and encourage better prescribing habits. So what are we waiting for? Nav Persaud is an expert advisor with EvidenceNetwork.ca, a physician and associate scientist at St Michael’s Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Interview by Neeta das McMurtry for EvidenceNetwork.ca SaveSave

Changer la rétribution des soins de santé pour rehausser la valeur et stimuler l’innovation

Une version de ce commentaire est parue dans La Presse Au Canada, les soins de santé coûtent au secteur public environ 160 milliards de dollars par année, soit un coût par habitant plus élevé que la plupart des pays industrialisés. Pourtant, les Canadiens ne sont pas particulièrement plus en santé et ne reçoivent pas de meilleurs soins. […]

To improve value and spur innovation, we need to change the way we pay for health care

A version of this commentary appeared in the Toronto Star, Huffington Post and Kelowna Daily Courier Health care costs the public sector about $160 billion a year in Canada, a higher per capita cost than most industrialized nations.  Yet Canadians are not markedly healthier nor do we receive better care. The Commonwealth Fund has ranked […]