-
The effects of anti-psychotic drug use in older people with dementia
An ICES study recently reported that older adults with dementia who receive short-term courses of antipsychotic medications are more likely to experience a serious adverse event requiring hospitalization than those who do not take the drugs. Dr. Paula Rochon, MD, MPH, FRCPC Senior Scientist and Assistant Director at the Kunin Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit –…
tagged:
-
Breast cancer cell signals blocked with new approach
Research into breast cancer treatments continues apace and a new study to be presented at the end of May at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago introduces us to a new treatment that blocks signals within the cancer cell that cause it to grow and spread. Dr. Kathy Pritchard, Senior scientist…
tagged:
-
France's health care system
While politicians are reluctant to discuss changes to improve our health care system that include private services, other countries have implemented systems that would be considered heresy in Canada. One such country is France. The Montreal Economic Institute has published an Economic Note on France’s health care system following the Castonguay report on Quebec’s system…
tagged:
-
People with schizophrenia have increased risk of hospital readmissions from relapses
Schizophrenia affects 1 in 100 Canadians. For some, the disease is a series of admissions and readmissions to hospital to treat relapses and comorbidities associated with the disease. According to a new analysis from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, many schizophrenic patients discharged from a general hospital found themselves back on the hospital doorstep…
tagged:
-
Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Every year millions of people flock to complementary and alternative therapists offering a vast array of treatments ranging from acupuncture to biofeedback to urine injections. Millions more purchase over-the-counter alternative medications, such as glucosamine, herbs, and homeopathic remedies. While consumer motivations for turning to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) vary, there is one common element…
tagged:
-
Does direct-to-consumer drug advertising have an effect on prescribing?
Does direct to consumer advertising, allowed in the United States but not in Canada, have an effect on prescribing? The study from California’s Western University of Health Sciences in partnership with Ontario’s Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Yale University in Connecticut was published in The New England Journal of Medicine on March 30,…
tagged:
-
Most cases of sinusitis do not require antibiotics
Should adults receive a prescription for an antibiotic if they have an acute sinus infection that has persisted for seven to 10 days? What are the outcomes of antibiotic use in adults? An analysis of this issue was published in the March 15, 2008 issue of The Lancet. Dr. James Young, PhD, Basel Institute for…
tagged:
-
Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear
Original broadcast date: April 20, 2008 We are the safest and healthiest human beings who ever lived, and yet irrational fear is growing, with deadly consequences — such as the 1,595 Americans killed when they made the mistake of switching from planes to cars after September 11. In part, this irrationality is caused by those…
tagged: