New research aims to help reduce the quantity of unused prescription opioids after emergency department visits and lessen the risk of opioid misuse and overdose. The study is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Overprescribing is linked to opioid misuse and overdose, with household supplies of opioids associated with an increased risk of overdose, […] The post Optimizing opioid prescriptions after the ED to reduce opioid overdoses, misuse appeared first on Hospital News ..read more

Team-building and face-to-face meetings were limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the long-term care team was committed to implementing evidence-based practices and sharing their learnings across long-term care homes. “We were working with challenging circumstances when we were developing this study in the fall of 2020,” says Janice Sorensen, research lead, Long-Term Care and Assisted […] The post Collaborating virtually to improve long-term care appeared first on Hospital News ..read more

Vitamin E binds itself to the pulmonary surfactant, inhibiting gas exchange and lung stability The health risks associated with consumption of tobacco and cannabis products are well-established by now. Much less understood are the risks associated with vaping, particularly flavoured products popular with young adults. It is an increasingly pressing issue: Statistics Canada says one in 10 Canadians aged 20 to 24 and one in 15 aged 15 to 19 reported to have vaped every day in 2022. Writing in the journal Langmuir, Concordia researchers show how the e-cigarette additive tocopherol — an organ ..read more

New report from UHN recommends residential high-rise buildings with a high proportion of older adults have a dedicated home care team who can care for multiple clients within the same complex. The policy paper from UHN’s NORC Innovation Centre says instead of care providers – such as personal support workers (PSWs) – travelling from client to client performing piecemeal work, they be able to work full-time or part-time shifts with minimal travel and provide care of varying duration and frequency based on client needs. Streamlining services for older adults in one place will “provide home care ..read more

An imaging device developed by an Ontario start-up company is being studied at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) to see if it can better identify early signs of pressure injuries, with a focus on people with darker skin pigmentation. This patient population is more difficult to assess with the current, standard tools involving a visual inspection. As a result, pressure injuries may not be identified as early as they could be. The pocket-sized, handheld device, called the MIMOSA Pro, was developed by MIMOSA Diagnostics Inc., a Toronto company specializing in medical devices that promote inclusive ..read more

New research led by Unity Health Toronto that examines how fibroblast cells in the body are activated to cause fibrosis and organ scarring has been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. Fibrosis and organ scarring are leading causes of death, with data suggesting they are responsible for up to 45 per cent of deaths in the developed world. Fibrosis is a process by which fibroblast cells in our body produce an excess amount of a protein mixture called extracellular matrix (ECM). ECM contains proteins including collagen, elastin and fibronectin and ..read more

Lung problems plagued David Shoots since his youth. It would take buying a dream cottage as an adult for him to finally piece together the puzzle behind his poor health: a rare, but life-threatening, fungal infection known as chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA).  As a teen, David grew up in a home that frequently flooded, causing mould to flourish. Later, his lungs collapsed at different times. He received surgery, which helped his condition, but no clear answers about the cause.  After marrying and having kids of his own, David bought a cottage in Bruce County as a second home for ..read more

Headwaters Health Care Centre (Headwaters) is pleased to announce its partnership with Bayshore HealthCare Integrated Care Solutions (Bayshore) to extend patient health care beyond the hospital walls through the Headwaters2Home program. Designed to assist older adults in transitioning safely back home after hospital stays, the Headwaters2Home program offers up to 16 weeks of comprehensive care delivered directly to patients’ homes by an integrated Bayshore team, with support from a Headwaters program coordinator. Since its launch in December 2023, the program has successfully served over 50 pa ..read more

A new study from UHN’s Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI) has identified the impact of frailty on hospitalized patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILD). Interstitial lung diseases are a group of lung disorders that cause progressive scarring and declining lung function. Every year, between three per cent and 14 per cent of patients with ILD suffer acute exacerbations flare-ups (AE-ILD), which are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Identifying risk factors is crucial for predicting outcomes, allocating resources, assessing transplant eligibility and optimizing ..read more

FluidAI is a Canadian medical technology company that is focused on developing AI-powered solutions that improve postoperative care. FluidAI’s Stream Platform continuously and non-invasively analyzes post-operative wound drainage to prompt surgeons of potential anastomotic leaks as they develop. The Stream App uses artificial intelligence (Al) to generate a leak “risk score” and displays it alongside information pulled from the patients’ health record to help surgeons make informed clinical decisions. Using Stream Platform may prompt diagnostic testing 80% faster than the current standard o ..read more