Risk and distribution of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related hospitalizations among primary care patients.

Objective: To determine the extent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalization in easily identifiable high-risk subgroups within a typical primary care practice.

Design: Prospective cohort analysis of administrative claims data.

Setting: British Columbia.

Approach to atrial fibrillation: Essentials for primary care.

Objective: To support family physicians in preventing atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients at risk and in identifying and managing those with established AF; and to summarize key recommendations for ideal screening and care of patients.

Sources Of Information: The 2020 Canadian Cardiovascular Society and Canadian Heart Rhythm Society comprehensive guidelines for the management of AF, based on current evidence and clinical experience related to AF.

Main Message: Atrial fibrillation, which is estimated to affect at least 500,000 Canadians, is associated with high risks of stroke, heart failure, and death.

Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome in children.

Question: I frequently see adolescents with recurrent abdominal pain in my family medicine clinic. While the diagnosis frequently is a benign condition such as constipation, I recently heard that after 2 years of recurrent pain, an adolescent was diagnosed with anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES). How is this condition diagnosed? What is the recommended treatment?

Answer: Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome, first described almost 100 years ago, is caused by entrapment of the anterior branch of the abdominal cutaneous nerve as it pierces the anterior rectus abdominis muscle fascia.

First-trimester surgical abortion practice in Canada in 2012.

Objective: To evaluate practices among first-trimester surgical abortion facilities and providers in Canada in 2012 and examine the characteristics of the surgical abortion work force.

Design: Self-administered paper or electronic survey adapted from a survey previously fielded in the United States.

Setting: Canada.

The Canadian Long-Term Care Sector Collapse from COVID-19: Innovations to Support People in the Workforce.

The COVID-19 pandemic rattled Canada's long-term care (LTC) sector by exacerbating the ingrained systemic and structural issues, resulting in tragic consequences for the residents, family members and LTC staff. At the core of LTC's challenges is chronic under-staffing, leading to lower quality of care for residents and higher degrees of moral distress among staff. A rejuvenation of the LTC sector to support its workforce is overdue.

Underrecognition of Dysmenorrhea Is an Iatrogenic Harm.

Many patients face years of recurrent and debilitating menstrual pain that affects their ability to work and study. Patients often normalize their severe pain as an expected part of menses. Both underrecognition and lack of awareness of available therapies for this remediable condition serve as a quintessential example of hermeneutic injustice.

Co-creating an Art Exhibition on Living Well With Dementia.

This article considers ethical questions raised during development of an online art exhibit for and with people with dementia and their care partners. This article also describes a participant engagement process emphasizing patient autonomy as a means of dismantling stigma, promoting personhood, and stimulating community engagement. This co-creative project suggests the potential for patients' art to spark attitude change and promote reciprocal, regenerative care practices.

Partner notification by family physicians for sexually transmitted infections: Facilitators and barriers.

Objective: To explore Canadian FPs' experiences with, perceived barriers to, and perceived facilitators of FP-initiated partner notification (PN) for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as to inform the development of tools that might enhance this work.

Design: Online survey.

Setting: British Columbia.

Legal Privilege Legislation: Consequences for Patient Safety.

Increasing awareness of the extent of preventable harm from healthcare has led to efforts to improve patient safety through a variety of efforts, including legislation. Extending legal privilege to quality and safety reviews leads to further harm for many patients, families and healthcare providers. The intentional isolation, silencing and exclusion after the incident undermines trust, prevents learning and impedes an opportunity to heal and recover for all those directly involved.

PEER simplified chronic pain guideline: Management of chronic low back, osteoarthritic, and neuropathic pain in primary care.

Objective: To develop a clinical practice guideline to support the management of chronic pain, including low back, osteoarthritic, and neuropathic pain in primary care.

Methods: The guideline was developed with an emphasis on best available evidence and shared decision-making principles. Ten health professionals (4 generalist family physicians, 1 pain management-focused family physician, 1 anesthesiologist, 1 physical therapist, 1 pharmacist, 1 nurse practitioner, and 1 psychologist), a patient representative, and a nonvoting pharmacist and guideline methodologist comprised the Guideline Committee.

Where do rural family medicine residents in Canada train?

Objective: To report on contextual variance in the distributed rural family medicine residency programs of 3 Canadian medical schools.

Design: A constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed.

Setting: Rural and remote postgraduate family medicine programs at the University of Alberta, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Calgary.

Cohort study of team-based care among marginalized people who use drugs in Ottawa.

Objective: To describe team-based care use among a cohort of people who use drugs (PWUD) and to determine factors associated with receipt of team-based care.

Design: A cohort study using survey data collected between March and December 2013. These data were then linked to provincial-level health administrative databases to assess patterns of primary care among PWUD in the 2 years before survey completion.