CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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During a recent conference on physician health that was cosponsored by the CMA and American Medical Association, physicians learned that there had been an increase in the number of reported cases of abuse of patients by physicians in Ontario. The increase occurred after new legislation made the reporting of suspected sexual abuse mandatory in the province in 1994. ⋯ Laurel Dempsey said there was "a considerable body of opinion" at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario that there would be a backlog of cases waiting to be reported once the new law took effect. However, it won't be possible to tell if this backlog actually exists until data have been gathered for at least a few more years.
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To characterize the patient population seeking care for nonurgent medical problems at an emergency department during regular business hours and to determine why these patients chose the emergency department over alternative care sites. ⋯ Most patients are aware of alternatives to the emergency department for care of nonurgent medical problems. Nevertheless, a large number are being referred to the emergency department during regular business hours by health care professionals. This inefficient use of expensive hospital resources requires further investigation.