Canadian family physician Médecin de famille canadien
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To assess the feasibility of implementing a clinical decision aid called the CLEAR Toolkit that helps front-line health workers ask their patients about social determinants of health, refer to local support resources, and advocate for wider social change. ⋯ While health workers recognize the importance of social determinants, many are unsure how to ask about these often sensitive issues or where to refer patients. The CLEAR Toolkit can be easily adapted to local contexts to help front-line health workers initiate dialogue around social challenges and better support patients in clinical practice.
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To determine how residents' relationships with their sources of social support (ie, family, friends, and colleagues) affect levels of burnout and loneliness. ⋯ Social relationships might help residents mitigate the deleterious effects of burnout. By promoting interventions that stabilize and nurture social relationships, hospitals and universities can potentially help promote resident resilience and well-being and, in turn, improve patient care.
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Question I see in my office an increased number of adolescents who use electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). Should I encourage adolescents to choose e-cigarettes over regular cigarettes if they decide to smoke? Are e-cigarettes less harmful and a potential smoking cessation method for adolescents? Answer While e-cigarettes do not have carcinogenic tobacco, most contain nicotine, which not only leads to addiction, but can also impair brain development and cognitive function in youth. Recent studies have also shown that adolescents who use e-cigarettes are more likely to begin smoking tobacco cigarettes. It is therefore essential that physicians explain to adolescents the risks and health concerns e-cigarettes present, and implement measures to prevent or cease e-cigarette use.
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Timely access to specialist care is an important issue for patients with mild to moderate symptoms, and wait times for referrals are currently quite long. ⋯ Supported by RACE, FPs can more effectively remain the locus of patient care, calling on other specialist expertise when appropriate and providing better coordination of care for their patients. Evaluations to date suggest RACE helps reduce system costs by reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and face-to-face specialist consultations.
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To explore how access to a family medicine clinic co-locating with the Children's Aid Society (CAS) of Hamilton in Ontario helped meet the unique needs of children in care. ⋯ Access to a family medicine clinic designed specifically for children in care that co-located with the CAS enhanced not only the planning, management, and evaluation of care, but also provided a consistency that was not found in other parts of the children's lives; this helped generate trusting relationships over time. The co-location provided a strong spoke in the circle of care.