Patients with moderate to severe TBI twice as likely to die from an unintentional injury

Research examining adults with moderate to severe TBI who participated in rehabilitation showed that they were twice as likely to die from an unintentional injury that occurred following their TBI. This was in comparison to individuals in rehabilitation of similar age, sex, and race but without TBI. People who have had a moderate to severe TBI may experience changes in cognition and balance, which may put them at greater risk of subsequent unintentional injuries.

Source/more:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160829104903.htm

Ontario patients deserve better protection: Editorial

There’s a conspicuous and troubling gap in the Liberal government’s plan to protect Ontario patients from sexual abuse by doctors. Missing is the core recommendation of a task force on this issue calling for creation of a special Ontario Safety and Patient Protection Authority.

Source/more:

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2016/09/09/ontario-patients-deserve-better-protection-editorial.html

Scrutiny of opioid prescriptions bad news for patients in pain, doctor warns

Dr. Ellen Thompson says a rising number of misconduct investigations by the College of Physician and Surgeons of Ontario into doctors who may be over-prescribing opioid medications such as morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl will discourage doctors from prescribing the painkillers even in cases where they are beneficial.

Source/more:

http://ottawacitizen.com/storyline/scrutiny-of-opioid-prescriptions-bad-news-for-patients-in-pain-doctor-warns

Chronic pain: do patients get the care and treatment they deserve?

A long wait is not unusual for those in pain. While wait times to see a pain specialist are difficult to track and vary widely, a telephone survey conducted by the Canadian Pain Coalition for their 2014 “Painful Truth Report” found that chronic pain sufferers waited, on average, nearly 18 months to see a specialist. Anecdotally, physicians and patients said wait times to see a pain specialist could be anywhere from nine months to a year but could reach as high as five years.

Source/more:
http://healthydebate.ca/2016/10/topic/chronic-pain-care-treatment

MDs legal insurer should be made accountable

the Canadian Medical Protective Association, which has $3.2 billion in funds heavily subsidized by the province through Ontario doctors, should be subject to regular audits by the Auditor General and be required to make public how much it pays out to injured patients and how much it is spending on legal costs to defend doctors..........


More:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/10/01/mds-legal-insurer-should-be-made-accountable.html

CPSO Transparency: By-Law Amendment a Step in the Right Direction

Most complaints to the College of Physicians and Surgeons (“CPSO”) are made because patients want to ensure that the same medical mistake that they were subjected to doesn’t happen to someone else....

 

http://otlablog.com/cpso-