Design for a Canadian Digital Health Policy & Practices Observatory.

Canada has struggled to make digital health a reality. We identified 6 key issues that appear to impede progress: 1) an inability to coordinate the actions of a rapidly evolving set of stakeholders, 2) patients who lack the ability and resources to play a meaningful role in health system decision-making, 3) world-class innovation that doesn't reach the market, 4) an inability to kick-start interoperability projects that can catalyze system transformation, 5) an inability to procure early-stage innovative technologies at scale, and 6) an inability to share data seamlessly across organizational silos for patient coordination and care, health system management and research. We propose a set of policies and practices that can help Canada assess, monitor and provide feedback to stakeholders and citizens on how well they are progressing toward seamless digital health.

Outcome after Discontinuation of Proton Pump Inhibitors at a Residential Care Site: Quality Improvement Project.

Background: Increased prescribing of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in the past few decades can be attributed mainly to long-term use of this type of therapy. Recent evidence indicates signals of harm associated with long-term use of PPIs, such as increased risk of infection, recurrence of infection, and fracture. A few studies have assessed the effectiveness of step-down management of patients receiving long-term PPI therapy in ambulatory care settings.

Treatment and outcome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia: an antibiotic pharmacodynamic analysis.

Objectives: To conduct a retrospective study of antibiotic pharmacodynamics in the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia, and to identify pharmacodynamic indices associated with clinical cure.

Methods: Cases of P. aeruginosa bacteraemia were identified, and information related to patient demographics, clinical status, antibiotic treatment and clinical outcome were documented.