CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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Most clinicians would probably agree that what patients think will happen can influence what does happen over the clinical course. Yet despite useful narrative reviews on expectancy of therapeutic gain and the mechanisms by which expectancy can affect health outcomes, we were unable to locate a systematic review of the predictive relation between patients' recovery expectations and their health outcomes. ⋯ Consistency across the studies reviewed and the evidence they provided support the need for clinicians to clarify patients' expectations and to assist them in having appropriate expectations of recovery. The understanding of the nature, extent and clinical implications of the relation between expectations and outcomes could be enhanced by more conceptually driven and methodologically sound research, including evaluations of intervention effectiveness.
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Practice Guideline Guideline
Clinical practice guidelines for the care and treatment of breast cancer: 13. Sentinel lymph node biopsy.
To provide information and recommendations to women with breast cancer and their physicians regarding what is now known about sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy. ⋯ Internal validation within the Steering Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Care and Treatment of Breast Cancer; no external validation.
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There is a long tradition of bioethical reasoning within the Roman Catholic faith, a tradition expressed in scripture, the writings of the Doctors of the Church, papal encyclical documents and reflections by contemporary Catholic theologians. Catholic bioethics is concerned with a broad range of issues, including social justice and the right to health care, the duty to preserve life and the limits of that duty, the ethics of human reproduction and end-of-life decisions. ⋯ Although there is considerable consensus among Catholic thinkers, differences in philosophical approach have given rise to some diversity of opinion with respect to specific issues. Given the influential history of Catholic reflection on ethical matters, the number of people in Canada who profess to be Catholic, and the continuing presence of Catholic health care institutions, it is helpful for clinicians to be familiar with the central tenets of this tradition while respecting the differing perspectives of patients who identify themselves as Catholic.
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Acutely poisoned patients sometimes require immediate treatment with an antidote, and delays in treatment can be fatal. We sought to determine the availability of 10 antidotes at acute care hospitals in Ontario. ⋯ Most acute care hospitals in Ontario do not stock even minimally adequate amounts of several emergency antidotes, possibly jeopardizing the survival of an acutely poisoned patient. Much of this problem could be rectified at no additional cost by reducing excessive stock of expensive antidotes and redistributing the resources to acquire deficient antidotes.