Ruth Dubin

The 2017 Canadian opioid guideline: already time for an overhaul

The Canadian guideline’s[1][1] key recommendations are flawed. Based on three small studies on highly select patients,[2][2] the guideline recommends tapering for all patients taking dosages at or above 90 mg morphine equivalents daily regardless of their clinical response to the opioid. The

The Embedded Librarian in a Telehealth Continuing Medical Education Program

ABSTRACT This article outlines the involvement of a librarian in an innovative telehealth continuing medical education (CME) program, ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain/Opioid Stewardship (ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain). Survey and focus group data have suggested that embedding a librarian as a member of an interprofessional education program has added value to the program. The embedded librarian (EL) enhanced the program’s ability to share best practices and reduce variations in care by providing accessible, high quality, evidence-based information to members of the ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain community where it may not otherwise have been received. An outline of the ECHO model and the role of the EL, data and a discussion of the role the EL are presented.

Hepatitis C screening

In a CMAJ news article, Fralick[1][1] reports that it is unclear how Canadian hepatologists, who can barely manage their current caseloads, will be able to meet the inevitable increased demand for care created by wider screening. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) was