Promoting maternal-child health by increasing breastfeeding rates: a National Canadian Baby-Friendly Initiative Quality Improvement Collaborative Project.

While breastfeeding has long been an important, globally recognized aspect of population health, disparities exist across Canada. The Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) is a WHO/UNICEF best-practice program that helps ensure families receive evidence-based perinatal care and is associated with improved breastfeeding rates. However, <10% of hospitals in Canada are designated as 'Baby-Friendly'.

Developing the first pan-Canadian survey on patient engagement in patient safety.

Background: Patient safety is a worldwide problem, and the patient contribution to mitigate the risk of patient harm is now recognized as a cornerstone to its solution. In order to understand the nature of integrating patients into patient safety and healthcare organizations and to monitor their integration, a Canadian survey tool has been co-constructed by patients, researchers and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI). This questionnaire has been adapted from the French version of the patient engagement (PE) in patient safety (PS) questionnaire created for the province of Quebec, Canada.

Perspective of patients and caregivers about stroke rehabilitation: the Quebec experience.

Background: The unique perspectives of patients and caregivers on their experiences as users of rehabilitation services help identify areas for improvement for the continuum from acute care to community integration.

Objective: This study reports perceptions of persons with stroke and their caregivers in an existing continuum of stroke care, social services, and rehabilitation in the Province of Quebec.

Methods: A total of 10 focus groups were held, 5 with persons with stroke (n = 37, mean age 59.

People Powered Health™:: Taking Front-Line Ownership to the Next Level.

Collaboration is a powerful force of social change. History has shown us time and time again that when people come together with a shared passion for making things better, high impact change can happen. Minds are opened.

25 hydroxy vitamin D is higher when a renal multivitamin is given with cholecalciferol at hemodialysis.

Background And Objectives: Seventy six hemodialysis (HD) patients were used in a prospective randomized and clinical trial to determine if a multivitamin with vitamin D (cholecalciferol 12,000 IU/week) given during dialysis would improve the vitamin D status of hemodialysis subjects.

Methods And Study Design: Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: 37 subjects were in the renal multivitamin without vitamin D (MV) group and 39 subjects were in a multivitamin route with vitamin D (MVD) group (12,000 IU of cholecalciferol per week). All subjects were given 2 multivitamin tablets at their 3 HD sessions each week for 20 weeks.

Vitamin B-6 vitamer levels in plasma and related symptoms in hemodialysis subjects taking low- and high-dose renal multivitamin supplements.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the B-6 vitamers in plasma and related symptoms in hemodialysis subjects taking high- or low-dose vitamins.

Methods: A total of 24 hemodialysis (HD) subjects were divided into two groups. Twelve subjects received a high-dose vitamin supplement [50 mg pyridoxine hydrochloride (PN-HCl) /tablet] and 12 received a low-dose vitamin supplements containing (10 mg PN-HCl/tablet) for 6+ months.

Serum levels of folate and cobalamin are lower in depressed than in nondepressed hemodialysis subjects.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if there was a significant difference in serum and RBC folate or serum cobalamin levels in depressed and nondepressed subjects on hemodialysis (HD).

Design: A cross-sectional design was used in this study. Each subject's serum folate and cobalamin, and red blood cell (RBC) folate were measured.