By Dr. Steve Wong on December 23, 2013
Thanks again to all of our readers, authors, editors and support team. On behalf of all of us at This Changed My Practice, I’d like to wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy holiday season! See you in 2014.
By Dr. Rosemary Basson on December 3, 2013
Recent studies have shown that the local delivery of the main precursor hormone of testosterone and estrogen, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) effectively treats dyspareunia and dryness from VVA and does not increase serum levels of estrogen and testosterone.
By Dr. Keyvan Hadad on November 18, 2013
Hip dysplasia can lead to degenerative hip disease and is a leading cause of early arthritis of the hip. Risk factors for this condition include female gender, breech delivery and positive family history. Some recent data has shown a significant increase in the prevalence of this condition.
By Dr. Glen Burgoyne on November 4, 2013
In 2009 the BC Cancer agency initiated a pilot population-based approach to colon cancer screening. I was fortunate to be located in Penticton, the first site of the pilot program. A provincial colon cancer screening program is now being implemented province-wide.
By Dr. Craig Goldie on October 21, 2013
www.choosingwisely.org is a resource provided by the ABIM Foundation (Advancing Medical Professionalism to Improve Health Care) and is focused on encouraging physicians and patients to think and talk about medical tests and procedures that may be unnecessary or could cause harm.
By Dr. Sarah Stone on October 7, 2013
As a family physician practicing at St Paul’s Immunodeficiency clinic in Vancouver, I have cared for patients living with HIV for over 10 years. Many patients are referred to the clinic at a stage of disease where treatment would have been beneficial if started earlier.
By Drs. Kam Shojania and Neda Amiri on September 23, 2013
Rheumatoid arthritis has been described to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This risk appears to be multifactorial in nature. However, there is emerging evidence that glucocorticoids play a role.
By Dr. Andrew Howard on September 10, 2013
Somatoform and conversion disorders are common psychiatric presentations in general practice. When chronic, like most psychiatric conditions, they commonly cause leave from work, poor quality of life for patients and supports, and heavy burden on medical practices.
By Kristin Turner, MSc, CGC, CCGC on August 27, 2013
Identification of hereditary cancer families in BC is important to provide individuals at elevated cancer risk with appropriate screening and risk management recommendations.
By Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose on August 6, 2013
Falls are a common geriatric syndrome and are the third leading cause of chronic disability worldwide. Improved cognitive function, in particular executive functions, is an important mechanism by which the exercise reduces falls and improves overall mobility.
By Dr. Alissa Wright on July 15, 2013
Traveller’s diarrhea can affect 20- 60% of travellers to tropical or developing areas, making it one of the most common illnesses to occur during travel.
By Dr. Linlea Armstrong on July 4, 2013
Telling our students that “it will be on the exam”, may give us a sense that the students will learn it. This line tends to get used when there is an important topic that the teacher suspects students might otherwise not sufficiently attend to. Yet the strategy is unlikely to inspire deep and long-term learning, the kind of learning that students will later be able to retrieve and apply to patient care.
By Dr. Daniel Dodek on June 24, 2013
There is a single telephone advice number that connects family doctors with specialists from a vast array of disciplines, often within an hour. The initiative is called RACE (Rapid Access to Consultative Expertise).
By Dr. Rosemary Basson on June 10, 2013
How to manage PVD is an extremely common question. PVD affects 12 -15 % women most of whom are relatively young. The common co-morbidity of PVD strongly supports a chronic pain approach.
By Dr. William T. Gibson on May 27, 2013
Frequently asked questions I’ve noticed: Why isn’t that drug working? Why did that unusual side effect happen?
By Dr. Daniel Ngui on May 13, 2013
2 websites have changed my practice: PainBC.ca provides options beyond medications & piPain.com People in Pain Network hosts a self-management awareness program.
By Dr. Natasha Press on April 29, 2013
In the past few years, a hypervirulent strain of C. difficile, called NAP-1, has caused hospital outbreaks that have been unusually severe and recurrent.
By Drs. Mustafa Toma and Neda Amiri on April 15, 2013
Spironolactone or eplerenone should be added to BB and ACEi/ARB in NYHA class II HF patients with EF < 30-35% in the absence of significant renal impairment or hyperkalemia.
By Dr. Michelle Withers on April 1, 2013
It is well recognized that AD patients have very dry skin as part of their clinical picture. As such, a very important part of discussing the treatment of AD includes the importance of moisturizing the skin on a regular basis to try to ameliorate dryness.
By Dr. Mary V. Seeman on March 18, 2013
This week, we’re publishing two articles on the topic of schizophrenia. Dr. Seeman’s article addresses key differences in males and females afflicted by schizophrenia, while Ms. Iman’s article focuses on how physicians can better support the parents of people with schizophrenia.
By Dr. Nigel Sykes on March 4, 2013
The keys to an ethically defensible use of sedation in palliative care are, firstly, careful assessment to determine whether the causes of the distressing symptoms can be reversed and, secondly, the use of sedative doses that are proportional to the severity of the distress.
By Dr. Jan Hajek on February 18, 2013
The world is increasingly connected and infectious diseases know no borders. We need to be pro-active in adequately screening our patients.
By Drs. Sandra Sirrs and Neda Amiri on February 4, 2013
Ultrasound can be a powerful tool in distinguishing thyroid nodules with malignant potential from benign ones. Thyroid nodules found on physical examination are common. Fewer than 5% of these nodules are malignant.
By Dr. Ran Goldman on January 21, 2013
Acute limping is a very common chief complaint among children visiting a clinic. When children with a limp present to you, always consider the possibility of septic arthritis. How can one differentiate between transient synovitis and septic arthritis?
By Dr. Richard Cohen on January 17, 2013
In the past I followed a tried and tested format for classroom lecturing ‘Tell them what you are going to tell them’ (a set of well-written educational objectives), ‘tell them what you want to tell them’ (no shortage of instructional papers on how to develop a good PowerPoint presentation) and finally ‘tell them what you have told them’ (a concise summary).
By Dr. Marisa Collins on January 8, 2013
Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight is an important objective for patients and physicians alike. Just in time for New Year’s resolutions, here’s an app to recommend to your patients and, perhaps, to make use of yourself.
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