Assessing Adverse Outcomes and Learning Needs in Canadian Psychiatric Independent Medical Examinations.

Despite the importance of independent medical examinations (IMEs), there is virtually no literature on the risks to the IME assessor nor the learning needs of psychiatrists in this area. To address this deficit, a retrospective chart review of nearly 38,000 cases from the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) identified 108 files involving complaints or legal actions against psychiatrists performing IMEs. Most complaints identified by the CMPA were to regulatory bodies, including biased opinion, inadequate assessment, inappropriately relying on a requester's information without independent evaluation, nonadherence to regulatory body policies, cursory documentation lacking relevant details, and communication breakdowns.

Contributors to Physician Burnout and Well-Being in Forensic Psychiatrists in Canada.

The experience of burnout in forensic psychiatrists has not been well studied, with most studies focusing on the experiences of forensic nurses, the impact of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue in forensic mental health professionals, and the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder related to workplace exposures. This study reports on a national survey (34% response rate) conducted with forensic psychiatrists across Canada to understand the rate of, and contributors to, burnout and professional fulfillment. Just over half of the physician respondents reported experiencing burnout, which is in line with other recent surveys in Canada that have indicated elevated levels of burnout since the onset of the pandemic.

A comprehensive approach to managing threats of violence on a university or college campus.

Horrifying, high profile acts of violence on campuses remain relatively rare, nevertheless, academic administrators are required to manage threats of violence on campus on an increasingly regular basis. These threats take two primary forms, those in which the perpetrator and the intended victim(s) are clearly identified, often involving repeated threats and threatening behaviour towards an individual; and those involving anonymous threats to commit acts of larger scale violence. Complicating factors in managing these threats include: fear contagion; mass media and social media attention; responsibilities to all members of the university community sometimes including individuals issuing the threat and the intended victims; demands for safety and security measures that are often at odds with professional advice; and permeable campus boundaries that cause security challenges.