By Dr. Colleen Dy, Zerlyn Lee, and Adrienne Sim on April 7, 2021
Individuals with Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) often experience disruptions in multiple aspects of their reproductive health care. Routine pelvic examinations often become extremely challenging due to pain.
By Dr. Susan Hollenberg on March 17, 2021
It is prudent to reduce the risks of pneumococcal illness during this time of potentially severe respiratory sequelae of COVID-19, and the newly introduced BC Care Bundle Incentive payment includes a focus on ensuring eligible people receive this vaccine.
By Dr. Linda Uyeda and Dr. Ashley Miller on March 3, 2021
(Please stay tuned for Article #2: ‘Parenting during a pandemic’. We will expand on how to nurture these secure attachments with our children.) By Dr. Linda Uyeda (biography and disclosures) and Dr. Ashley Miller (biography and disclosures) (Members of the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Community of Practice and the Working Group […]
By Dr. Jeff Harries on December 7, 2020
Editor’s note: Here is the revised article on AUD by Dr. Harries, which more prominently emphasizes the stepwise approach in the BC AUD guidelines. We appreciate the patience of our readership and special thanks to Dr. Harries for his passion and commitment to treating AUD. We would also like to thank Dr. Keith Ahamad (co-chair […]
By Dr. Simon Moore on November 4, 2020
A 2019 systematic review of 26 studies (4 from Canada) concluded that there is a “unanimous lack of self-perceived knowledge” among practitioners regarding medicinal cannabis use. Now, when a patient asks me about cannabis, I no longer suffer from dizziness, dry mouth, and paranoia.
By Dr. Eileen Murray on October 14, 2020
Acne vulgaris is a distressing disease beginning at puberty, involving the pilosebaceous follicles of the skin on the face, chest, and back. The incidence of acne in teenagers is nearly 100%. Treating teenagers with acne was an exceptionally important part of my practice.
By Drs. Philip Lee and Stefanie Falz Mclellan on September 30, 2020
The integration of point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) in the emergency department workflow is not always easy, and these challenges have been amplified in the time of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased interest in the use of handheld ultrasound devices as they simplify infection control procedures and take up little space in emergency rooms crowded with critical care equipment.
By Tandi Wilkinson MD CCFP-EM on April 1, 2020
I conducted a study examining effective peer support in rural Canadian physicians. (Spoiler alert: those who have had good peer support say it is essential to their career in medicine.) Here is what I am doing now to ensure I, and my team, can manage through this unprecedented time at work.
By Dr. Janet McKeown on March 11, 2020
Government Assistance: Health Resources and Forms tool has helped me understand assistance with a more organized approach. It has helped me access information quickly and it has helped me be more knowledgeable about billing provincially, federally and privately. It is also an efficient tool to use in a teaching environment to help learners better understand government assistance.
By Dr. Susan Woolhouse on February 26, 2020
My past experiences during my palliative care rotations reassured me that children could benefit from bearing witness to a loved one’s death. Why would MAID be any different? I set out to learn more about how children grieve and ways in which I could support children through the dying of a loved one seeking MAID.
By Dr. Mary V. Seeman on February 5, 2020
Fellow psychiatrists often ask whether their patients with schizophrenia are aging prematurely. They point to the fact that several of their patients seem slowed down, forgetful, fidgety, and that they garble their words and stutter. These are, of course, all side effects of antipsychotic medication.
By Dr. Breay Paty on January 21, 2020
The therapeutic use of testosterone has increased dramatically in the last two decades. The reasons for this appear to be increased frequency of testing and marketing of testosterone replacement for middle-aged and older men. While men with unequivocally low testosterone levels usually benefit from hormone replacement, the risk/benefit ratio for men with equivocal (“borderline”) levels is not clear, especially men who desire fertility.
By Dr. Dan Bilsker on January 8, 2020
It is well-known that men die on average 3-4 years before women – but why? We identified three main factors contributing to Years of Life Lost by men compared to women: cardiovascular disease, suicide, and motor vehicle accidents. As a psychologist, I was intrigued by the substantial contribution of suicide.
By Dr. Lisa Nakajima on December 4, 2019
One of the risks of IUD insertion includes perforation of the uterus. Although uterine perforation is relatively uncommon and often does not cause long-term harm, it does increase the risk of unplanned pregnancy and often requires surgery. I have chosen to use endometrial aspirators that are commonly used for endometrial biopsy sampling as a sound for IUD insertions, instead of the traditional metal sounds.
By Dr. Eileen Murray on October 16, 2019
Topical corticosteroids are the most frequently used topical medications for treating skin diseases. They are cheap, extremely efficacious and almost completely free of side effects when used appropriately.
By Dr. Alisa Lipson on September 25, 2019
Now in 2019, we are learning that the incidence in girls is higher than previously thought. The girls are catching up to the boys. What is that about? Turns out that the girls are better at hiding their disability but it is there. So, we have to look harder.
By Dr. Amin Javer on September 11, 2019
Sinusitis is a commonly encountered condition for the Canadian family physician. Chronic sinusitis has worse quality of life scores than COPD, CHF or angina. The total cost of diagnosing and treating sinusitis remains one of the most expensive chronic disorders experienced by the North American population and continues to increase yearly.
By Dr. Tahmeena Ali on August 21, 2019
I now ask all patients, young and old, new to my practice and established for years, male and female, to complete an ACEs questionnaire in my clinic. I garner a new level of respect for my patients’ resilience and for the ongoing turmoil many of my young patients face. I make finding supports for these young vulnerable patients one of my top priorities—as important as a referral to a specialist or for diagnostic imaging.
By Dr. Miguel Imperial on July 30, 2019
Once I diagnose a patient with CLM based on a compatible travel history and characteristic serpiginous rash, I continue to treat the itch and inflammatory symptoms symptomatically if indicated, but I am able to much more readily offer systemic therapy with ivermectin since it no longer requires a Health Canada Special Access application.
By Drs. Nawaaz Nathoo and Samir Nazarali on May 29, 2019
Much difficulty is faced by clinicians in identifying DES as there is no single diagnostic tool to indicate the condition. Furthermore, patient symptoms do not always correlate with clinical exam findings. Rather, when diagnosing DES, the clinician must consider the full constellation of patient history combined with various clinical findings.
By Dr. Joanna Cheek on May 8, 2019
View personality disorder symptoms as important treatment targets in themselves. Be curious about each patient’s story, validate PD symptoms as coping mechanisms, focus on collaborative problem solving, set proactive regular visits, and also be mindful of your own emotional reactions providing compassion and empathy while setting clear boundaries.
By Dr. Ed Weiss on April 17, 2019
We know that the diagnosis of anal cancer in Canada is often delayed: ano-rectal symptoms such as pain and bleeding are often attributed to hemorrhoidal disease and clinicians are often hesitant to perform a digital ano-rectal examination (DARE).
By Dr. Darly Wile on April 3, 2019
What I have found is that while it can sometimes be assumed that motor problems are the patient’s “biggest problem”, this is often not the case; instead, I now make a point of asking the patient, and their family directly: “What is the biggest problem for you right now?”
By Dr. Muxin (Max) Sun on March 6, 2019
I have decreased my frequency of giving steroid injections for decreasing pain of osteoarthritic knees. I educate patients on evidence, placebo effects and risks. I recommend less invasive therapies including physiotherapy, exercise (quadriceps and hip abductor strengthening, Tai Chi), hot compress, antiinflammatory creams, weight loss, TENS machine, orthopedic & orthotic devices, etc.
By Dr. Leslie Sadownik on February 13, 2019
Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic skin disorder with a remitting and relapsing clinical course. Women commonly present with severe vulvar itch and an urge to scratch the skin. The recommended treatment is a course of topical steroids. Most women will improve with treatment. However, some will report, “the steroids did not help”. Here are some practice tips to help.
By Drs. Maysam Khalfan and Kam Shojania on January 30, 2019
Patients who present with non-specific symptoms are sometimes tested with rheumatologic lab investigations as part of a ‘panel’ of tests. When these tests come back positive, it can lead to more confusion, patient anxiety, misdiagnosis or unnecessary referral.
By Andrea Holmes on January 16, 2019
Breast and prostate cancer survivors want to know what to eat to prevent cancer from coming back. HealthLink BC healthy eating resources that support successful dietary and physical activity change for prostate and breast cancer survivors are available for your patients.
By Mark W. Hull MD MHSc on November 13, 2018
Over the last five years, on an ongoing basis, we have seen new HIV infections occurring in young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM). The majority of these individuals had had a prior negative HIV test within the last year, or were presenting with signs or symptoms supportive of an acute HIV infection, suggesting recent exposure and transmission of HIV infection, highlighting the need for novel HIV prevention strategies.
By Dr. Diane Villanyi on October 31, 2018
Under Section 230 of the Motor Vehicle Act, in addition to physicians, registered psychologists, optometrists and nurse practitioners are obliged to report a patient who may be unfit to drive. RoadSafetyBC has a dedicated phone line for medical professionals to help with complex cases.
By Michelle C. Danda, RN, BN on October 10, 2018
I realized that engagement is paramount when working with an ambivalent patient, because the change that they want to make is often important in their life, even if the clinician views it as a problem behavior. Motivational interviewing education has been shown to improve patient alliance and treatment adherence.
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