Implications and reflections on the 2010 Supreme Court ruling on Canada’s AHR Act

In December, 2010, Canada’s 6 year old Assisted Human Reproduction Act was successfully challenged in the Supreme Court of Canada. There may be important implications for public health and the evolution of reproductive technologies in this country

Ethics education for pediatric residents: a review of the literature

Background: Ethics education and research on medical residents is needed because, unlike medical students or experienced doctors, medical residents have to perform multiple roles simultaneously – student, teacher and clinician – thus exposing them to unique ethical stressors.  In this paper we reviewed the literature concerning ethics education in postgraduate pediatrics training programs.  Our goal was not to simply describe educational strategies and programs, but also to explore measurements and experiences of current practices to address gaps in ethics education during residency.Method: We conducted a structured literature review to explore the extent of ethics education in pediatric residency programs.  Results:  Twelve relevant studies were found.  The studies suggest that existing training regimens are insufficient to meet the real life ethical challenges experienced in actual practice, particularly with respect to palliative care and the commission of clinical errors.  Conclusions: The increasing diversity of culture and beliefs in the clinical workplace is also serving to complicate educational needs. An interdisciplinary approach, spread over the entirety of a physician’s training, is a proposed solution worthy of more attention

Ethics education for pediatric residents: a review of the literature

Background: Ethics education and research on medical residents is needed because, unlike medical students or experienced doctors, medical residents have to perform multiple roles simultaneously – student, teacher and clinician – thus exposing them to unique ethical stressors.  In this paper we reviewed the literature concerning ethics education in postgraduate pediatrics training programs.  Our goal was not to simply describe educational strategies and programs, but also to explore measurements and experiences of current practices to address gaps in ethics education during residency.Method: We conducted a structured literature review to explore the extent of ethics education in pediatric residency programs.  Results:  Twelve relevant studies were found.  The studies suggest that existing training regimens are insufficient to meet the real life ethical challenges experienced in actual practice, particularly with respect to palliative care and the commission of clinical errors.  Conclusions: The increasing diversity of culture and beliefs in the clinical workplace is also serving to complicate educational needs. An interdisciplinary approach, spread over the entirety of a physician’s training, is a proposed solution worthy of more attention

Driving deaths and injuries post-9/11

Objectives: In the days immediately following the terror attacks of 9/11, thousands of Americans chose to drive rather than to fly. We analyzed highway accident data to determine whether or not the number of fatalities and injuries following 9/11 differed from those in the same time period in 2000 and 2002. Methods: Motor crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System were analyzed to determine the numbers and rates of fatalities and injuries nationally and in selected states for the 20 days after September 11, in each of 2000, 2001, and 2002. Results: While the fatality rate did not change appreciably, the number of less severe injuries was statistically higher in 2001 than in 2000, both nationally and in New York State. Conclusions: The fear of terror attacks may have compelled Americans to drive instead of fly. They were thus exposed to the heightened risk of injury and death posed by driving. The need for public health to manage risk perception and communication is thus heightened in an era of global fear and terrorism

Closing the Aboriginal Education Gap: A Systematic Review of Indigenous Educational Experiences in Canada

Indigenous learners represent a pool of untapped talents for positively influencing Canada’s economy. But there is a policy need to better enable indigenous learners’ access to higher education. This study presents a synthesis of views and perspectives extracted from eight published studies concerning Aboriginal educational experiences. Canadian indigenous learners were found to have the following views regarding their experiences with post-secondary education: anxiety about moving away from home, trepidation about transitioning from rural to urban spaces, uncertainty about social acceptance and long-term prospects; fear of racism and racial exclusion; and worry that their traditions will not be acknowledged or respected

The Community Health Worker Model: A Grass-Roots Approach for Measles Prevention in Refugee Camps

ABSTRACT Syria’s protracted civil war has resulted in massive population movements into refugee camps. Such movements, in conjunction with lower vaccination rates, potentiate infectious disease outbreaks. Measles transmission is a continuous threat in refugee camps, and a sustainable approach to providing preventative medicine in camps is warranted. The community health worker model can be used to identify unvaccinated persons, detect probable cases and refer individuals to health clinics within the camps for prophylaxis and medi­cal care, respectively. Through this grass-roots approach, community health workers become an on-the-ground surveillance system that can determine demographic trends and facilitate public health responses to potential outbreaks.   RÉSUMÉ L’interminable guerre civile en Syrie a entraîné des déplacements massifs de population vers des camps de réfugiés. De tels mouve­ments de population, en concomitance avec de plus faibles taux de vaccination, accroissent les risques de flambées épidémiques. La transmission de la rougeole est une menace continue dans les camps de réfugiés, et une solution durable dans l’administration de médecine préventive dans ces camps est justifiée. Le modèle des agents de santé communautaires peut être adopté pour identifier les personnes non vaccinées, détecter les cas probables et adresser ces individus aux cliniques de santé des camps pour qu’ils puissent y recevoir de la prophylaxie et des soins médicaux, respectivement. Grâce à cette approche locale, les agents de santé communautaires forment un système de surveillance sur le terrain qui permet de déterminer les tendances démographiques et de faciliter les interven­tions de santé publique contre les épidémies potentielles

Traumatized Experiences of Children by Multiple Emergency Stressors: An Analysis of Data from the 2004 Tsunami in Sri Lanka

Background: In 2004, in the midst of a civil war, Sri Lanka was struck by a large tsunami, devastating coastal communities. Methods: In the immediate aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami, while providing emergency aid, a Canadian NGO interviewed children living in both a refugee camp and an affected village in Sri Lanka. Results: Complete data were available for 63 respondents, aged 3 to 17 years. There were significant reports of sleeping problems, crying, and somatic symptoms consistent with psychological trauma, which were more likely among the village residents than the camp residents. If a respondent had been affected by the war, via family death or injury, then they were more likely to have been similarly affected by the tsunami, as well. Conclusion: These findings are useful for developing strategies to address current emergency situations, such as the Syrian refugee crisis, in which children are likely to be similarly doubly traumatized. Keywords: Stressors, tsunami, children, Sri Lank

The Mandatory Census: Tension Between Individual Rights and the Public Good

The discontinuation of the Canadian long-form mandatory census presents a crisis for data users. Examined as a tension between the need to preserve individual civil liberties and the need to curtail those liberties for the public good, the census crisis presents an opportunity for a public discussion on the specifics of our national values, beliefs and expectations