White Coat, Black Art

This holiday season, many of us will be taking to the skies to visit family or escape to warmer climes. So we’re sharing a recent episode of our sister podcast, The Dose, which asks: “What do I need to know about in-flight medical emergencies?” Dr. Vincent Poirier, associate professor of emergency and aviation medicine at McGill University, senior medical advisor for Air Canada and medical consultant for Air Transat, explains what happens when a medical emergency occurs on board and how passengers can help prevent them.

B.C. emergency room physician Dr. Kaitlin Stockton took the rare step of suing her regional health authority, alleging her job was threatened after she and other doctors warned patients about unsafe, overcrowded ER conditions. The lawsuit has since been resolved to both sides’ mutual satisfaction. Dr. Stockton hopes her experience will empower healthcare workers and patients to speak up about patient safety.

Quebec family doctors have struck a tentative agreement with the province, but Dr. Marina Lagodich has made up her mind. When the CAQ government rushed through their healthcare overhaul, Bill 2, in late October, it was the last straw. December 17 will be her last day practicing as a Quebec doctor. Across the province, doctors have criticized the bill, saying it encourages “fast food medicine.” Health policy expert Steven Lewis says although the Quebec government’s means are extreme, it’s hard to argue with its aims: to solve the “disgraceful” primary care crisis.

Ottawa family physician Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth faced a long wait for surgery after post-menopausal bleeding, and has seen her patients endure the same. Dr. Nick Leyland, president-elect of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, explains that gynecologists have limited operating room access, fewer perform surgery, and ovaries are valued less than testicles in the surgery hierarchy. Also: what’s being done to improve care for women nationwide.

Miles Randell, an advanced care paramedic, is trying to do something different for frontline health-care workers who need a supportive work environment. He says years of working as a paramedic in Vancouver led to post-traumatic stress that left him unemployable. And that the help he needed wasn’t there. So he created TEAAM (Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical), a non-profit that deploys helicopters to provide advanced life support in some of the most rugged locations in B.C.’s wilderness. But TEAAM is also a workplace where health-care workers are encouraged to regularly check in and talk about work stress after a call.