Revealing administrative staff roles in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of family physicians' perspectives.

Background: Administrative staff in primary care undertake numerous tasks to support patient care delivery. Although their roles are often overlooked, administrative staff are essential to the coordination and operations of primary care clinics. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced additional clinical and administrative tasks, including transitioning to virtual appointments and triaging patients for urgency, changing typical workflows.

PROTOCOL: Effects of social prescribing for older adults: An evidence and gap map.

Objectives This is the protocol for an evidence and gap map. The objectives are as follows: The aim of this evidence and gap map is to map the available evidence on the effectiveness of social prescribing interventions addressing a non-medical, health-related social need for older adults in any setting. Specific objectives are as follows: 1.

Mapping Potential Population-Level Pesticide Exposures in Ecuador Using a Modular and Scalable Geospatial Strategy.

Human populations and ecosystems are extensively exposed to pesticides. Most nations lack the capacity to control pesticide contamination and have limited availability of pesticide use information. Ecuador is a country with intense pesticide use with high exposure risks to humans and the environment, although relative or combined risks are not well understood.

COVID-19 and Vitamin D Misinformation on YouTube: Content Analysis.

Background: The "infodemic" accompanying the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic has the potential to increase avoidable spread as well as engagement in risky health behaviors. Although social media platforms, such as YouTube, can be an inexpensive and effective method of sharing accurate health information, inaccurate and misleading information shared on YouTube can be dangerous for viewers. The confusing nature of data and claims surrounding the benefits of vitamin D, particularly in the prevention or cure of COVID-19, influences both viewers and the general "immune boosting" commercial interest.

From "nobody's clapping for us" to "bad moms": COVID-19 and the circle of childcare in Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of childcare to national economies in general and women's economic participation in particular, spurring renewed interest in childcare policy in many countries that have implemented lockdowns. This paper adopts a circle of care framework to analyzes how COVID-19 has affected paid childcare, unpaid childcare and other paid work, and the relationship between these sectors. Analysis is grounded in the lived experiences of parents and childcare educators, documented through 16 semi-structured interviews during the initial lockdown (March-June 2020) in British Columbia, Canada.

Toward improved homecare of frail older adults: A focus group study synthesizing patient and caregiver perspectives.

Background: Adopting a better understanding of how both older adults and health care providers view the community management of frailty is necessary for improving home health, especially facing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We conducted a qualitative focus group study to assess how both older adults and health care providers view frailty and virtual health care in home health.

Methods: Two focus groups enrolled home-living older adults and health care professionals, respectively (n = 15).

Urinary phthalates and body mass index in preschool children: The MIREC Child Development Plus study.

Childhood exposure to phthalates, a class of chemicals with known reproductive and developmental effects, has been hypothesized to increase the risk of obesity, but this association is not well understood in preschool children. We examined the association between urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and concurrently measured body mass index (BMI) and skinfolds among children between the ages of two and five years. We collected anthropometric measures and biomonitoring data on approximately 200 children enrolled in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals Child Development Plus study.

Quality of life and socioeconomic indicators associated with survival of myeloid leukemias in Canada.

Understanding how patient-reported quality of life (QoL) and socioeconomic status (SES) relate to survival of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) may improve prognostic information sharing. This study explores associations among QoL, SES, and survival through administration of the Euro-QoL 5-Dimension, 3-level and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Leukemia and financial impact questionnaires to 138 adult participants with newly diagnosed AML or MDS in a longitudinal, pan-Canadian study. Cox regression and lasso variable selection models were used to explore associations among QoL, SES, and established predictors of survival.

Effectiveness of Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir and Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir in People Who Inject Drugs and/or Those in Opioid Agonist Therapy.

We evaluated the effectiveness of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) in treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 and SOF/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) for all genotypes among people who inject drugs (PWID) and those not injecting drugs and who were on or off opioid agonist therapy (OAT). Study participants comprised a population-based cohort in British Columbia, Canada. The British Columbia Hepatitis Testers Cohort includes data on individuals tested for HCV from 1990 to 2016 that are integrated with medical visits, hospitalization, and prescription drug data.

A Randomized Trial Examining Housing First in Congregate and Scattered Site Formats.

Objective: No previous experimental trials have investigated Housing First (HF) in both scattered site (SHF) and congregate (CHF) formats. We hypothesized that CHF and SHF would be associated with a greater percentage of time stably housed as well as superior health and psychosocial outcomes over 24 months compared to treatment as usual (TAU).

Methods: Inclusion criteria were homelessness, mental illness, and high need for support.

Afri-Can Forum 2 : Johannesburg, South Africa. 16-18 February 2015.

A1 Introduction to the 2nd synchronicity forum of GHRI/CHVI-funded Canadian and African HIV prevention and vaccine teams O1 Voluntary medical male circumcision for prevention of heterosexual transmission of HIV in adult males in Soweto: What do indicators and incidence rate show? Hillary Mukudu, Neil Martinson, Benn Sartorius O2 Developing a peer-led community mobilization program for sex workers in Soweto: HIV risk and demographics Jenny Coetzee, Janan Dietrich, Kgaugelo Mokgatswana, Rachel Jewkes, Glenda E. Gray O3 Salient beliefs about adherence: A qualitative survey conducted as part of the demonstration study on "treatment as prevention" (TasP) and "pre-exposure prophylaxis" (PrEP) among female sex workers (FSWS) in Cotonou, Benin Marylène Dugas, Luc Béhanzin, Fernand A. Guédou, Marie-Pierre Gagnon, Michel Alary O4 Relative perception of risk as a driver of unsafe sexual practices among key populations: Cases of fisherfolk and women and their partners involved in multiple sexual partnerships in Uganda Rwamahe Rutakumwa, Martin Mbonye, Thadeus Kiwanuka, Sarah Nakamanya, Richard Muhumuza, Winfred Nalukenge, Janet Seeley O5 Exploring the acceptability of new biomedical HIV prevention technologies among MSM, adolescents and heterosexual adults in South Africa Millicent Atujuna, Melissa Wallace, Ben Brown, Linda Gail Bekker, Peter A.

Vancouver At Home: pragmatic randomized trials investigating Housing First for homeless and mentally ill adults.

Background: Individuals with mental illnesses are overrepresented among the homeless. Housing First (HF) has been shown to promote positive outcomes in this population. However, key questions remain unresolved, including: how to match support services to client needs, the benefits of housing in scattered sites versus single congregate building, and the effectiveness of HF with individuals actively using substances.

Is the deck stacked against fundamental health human resources redesign in Canada?

Contemporary healthcare is a sobering spectacle. It costs a lot and doesn't deliver much at the margins. But even if deep and open-minded reflection and analysis were to propose a reboot, the odds are very long against it.

Social determinants of health in Canada: are healthy living initiatives there yet? A policy analysis.

Introduction: Preventative strategies that focus on addressing the social determinants of health to improve healthy eating and physical activity have become an important strategy in British Columbia and Ontario for combating chronic diseases. What has not yet been examined is the extent to which healthy living initiatives implemented under these new policy frameworks successfully engage with and change the social determinants of health.

Methods: Initiatives active between January 1, 2006 and September 1, 2011 were found using provincial policy documents, web searches, health organization and government websites, and databases of initiatives that attempted to influence to nutrition and physical activity in order to prevent chronic diseases or improve overall health.

Where's the pump? Associating sporadic enteric disease with drinking water using a geographic information system, in British Columbia, Canada, 1996-2005.

We investigated whether risk of sporadic enteric disease differs by drinking water source and type using surveillance data and a geographic information system. We performed a cross-sectional analysis, at the individual level, that compared reported cases of enteric disease with drinking water source (surface or ground water) and type (municipal or private). We mapped 814 cases of campylobacteriosis, cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, salmonellosis and verotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection, in a region of British Columbia, Canada, from 1996 to 2005, and determined the water source and type for each case's residence.