Mixed reality is being introduced to patient care at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) through an innovative research project. Supported through LHSC’s Academic Realignment Initiative Awards, the technology is currently being tested to improve patient outcomes in interventional radiology procedures.  First introduced in 2022, LHSC recently announced 15 additional research and quality improvement projects that will be supported through the Academic Realignment Initiative Awards with more than $1 million in funding from London Health Sciences Foundation and Children’s Health Foundation ..read more

William Osler Health System (Osler) has partnered with McMaster University (McMaster) on a system-level transformation project that helps decrease transfers from long-term care homes to Emergency Departments (ED) – the PoET Southwest Spread Project (PSSP). The first of its kind, this study evaluates the impact of an ethics-based intervention in long-term care and has now been proven to have reduced consent-related errors that can result in long-term residents receiving unwanted and/or non-beneficial treatment, and hospital transfers at end of life. Long-term care transfers to acute care for ag ..read more

Premature deaths related to opioids doubled between 2019 and 2021 across Canada, with more than one-in-four deaths among young adults aged 20–39 years attributable to opioids, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Opioid-related deaths have continued to increase over the past decade across Canada, with 6222 deaths occurring in 2021. This trend worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, although the scale and rapidity of increases varied across provinces and territories. These changes have been attributed primarily to the unregulated drug supply, w ..read more

Over the past few years, incidents of violence against healthcare workers has increased worldwide. Windsor Regional Hospital has worked closely with its staff leadership, bargaining agents and Occupational Health and Safety Committee on putting into place various layers of protection for its staff as well as its patients and visitors. The number and severity of these incidences of patients attending the hospital with knives and even guns were increasing. However, we knew the issue was worse because “we did not know what we did not know”.  Over the past year, Windsor Regional Hospital emba ..read more

A 37-year-old man collapses on a golf course. He’s rushed by ambulance to the nearest hospital and needs to be intubated. He has no vital signs as the EMT continues CPR. The alert reaches the team at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital’s Magna Emergency through triage, and within minutes, four nurses are in action.  One nurse takes the lead: “Pause compressions. Do we have a pulse? Resume compressions!”  As real as this scenario feels, it isn’t a real patient they’re working on. It’s a drill – a scenario meticulously orchestrated through Mackenzie Health’s Simulation Program. The Simulation ..read more

VICTORIA, BC, April 10, 2024 – The Mercy Ships Canada Board of Directors and staff are pleased that Mercy Ships Canada has been chosen as The Most Dedicated International Healthcare Organization in the Canadian Business Awards 2024. Darryl Anderson, Executive Director for Mercy Ships Canada, stated,” Without dedicated volunteers onboard the Global Mercy and the Africa Mercy, the two largest Civilian Hospital Ships in the world, this award would not be possible. Anderson continued, “The wide range of skilled individuals speaks to the generosity of spirit that characterizes the work of Mercy Shi ..read more

In a world where an implantable electrode can reduce the number and intensity of a patient’s seizures, there’s no question that health care and engineering have become inextricably linked. Nowhere is that clearer than in the KITE Research Institute at University Health Network (UHN), which has been pushing the boundaries of medical innovation and healthcare technology since its inception. No one is more committed to fostering collaborations between health care and engineering than Dr. Milos R. Popovic, Senior Scientist and Director of KITE. Since his appointment as Director in 2018, the resear ..read more

Look around you. Have you been inspired, encouraged or empowered by an employee or a colleague? Have you or your loved one been touched by the care and compassion of an outstanding nurse? Do you know a nurse who has gone above and beyond the call of duty? Now is your chance to acknowledge and recognize the nursing heroes in your facility or community. Hospital News will once again salute nursing heroes through our annual National Nursing Week contest. We hope you will share your stories with us so that we can highlight the exceptional work that our nurses are doing and how they touch our ..read more

Nasal-administered naloxone is more cost-effective and could help reduce the number of opioid-related fatalities compared to the current publicly funded intermuscular version, a new study has found. Since 2016, Canada’s opioid crisis has worsened, with over 40,000 opioid-related deaths, or about 22 deaths per day. Most of these accidental deaths (88 per cent) occur in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. An effective way to help prevent opioid-related deaths is through community pharmacy-based naloxone programs. Currently, intramuscular naloxone is publicly funded across Canada, bu ..read more

Medline and Consure Medical today announced a new agreement for Medline to exclusively distribute the QiVi® MEC male external urine management device to help guard against catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) and incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD). This strategic agreement underscores Medline’s commitment to delivering unparalleled quality and innovation to its customers. Leveraging its extensive distribution network, Medline will increase the visibility of this product and enhance patient care, reduce healthcare costs and help clinicians better care for their patients ..read more