

CMAJ Podcasts
Canadian Medical Association Journal
CMAJ Podcasts: Exploring the latest in Canadian medicine from coast to coast to coast with your hosts, Drs. Mojola Omole and Blair Bigham. CMAJ Podcasts delves into the scientific and social health advances on the cutting edge of Canadian health care. Episodes include real stories of patients, clinicians, and others who are impacted by our health care system.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 4, 2015 • 12min
Vanessa's Law: need better system in place for MDs to document adverse drug reactions
Dr. Kirsten Patrick, deputy editor for CMAJ, interviews Dr. Corinne Hohl, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of British Columbia and scientist at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation in Vancouver. Currently, Bill C-17 (Vanessa's Law) does not require health care providers to document serious adverse drug reactions, but mandates that health care institutions report all documented serious reactions. Documentation rates are currently very low and, unless documentation of adverse events improves, the potential of the law to do good will be small, say Hohl and colleagues in a commentary published in CMAJ. Published May 4, 2015, doi: 10.1503/cmaj.150057. Full article: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.150057To request a transcript of this podcast, contact cmajgroup@cmaj.caComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Apr 25, 2015 • 13min
Recovery from severe mental illness: more than just symptom management
Dr. Diane Kelsall, deputy editor, interviews Dr. Rob Whitley, Principal Investigator with the Douglas Institute in Montreal and Assistant Professor of psychiatry at McGill. In a commentary published in CMAJ, Whitley and colleagues discuss the steps needed to foster mental health “recovery”, which refers to the process whereby people with severe mental illness progress to live an autonomous, contributing and satisfying life in the community, even with persisting symptoms. Full article: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.141558Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Apr 25, 2015 • 8min
Nitrofurantoin: less effective for UTIs regardless of kidney function
Dr. Moneeza Walji, editorial fellow, interviews Dr. Amit Garg, nephrologist at London Health Sciences Centre and Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western University. Dr. Garg and colleagues found that nitrofurantoin was less effective than other antibiotics for treatment of UTI in a large cohort of older women, regardless of the women’s estimated kidney function. Full article: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.150067To request a transcript of this podcast, contact cmajgroup@cmaj.caComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Apr 19, 2015 • 19min
Pets can be risky: why physicians should discuss zoonotic infections with patients
Dr. Diane Kelsall, deputy editor, interviews Dr. Jason Stull, veterinarian and Assistant Professor at Ohio State University. Dr. Stull has co-authored a review article published in CMAJ. The authors say that health care providers should counsel patients regarding safe pet ownership, particularly those who are pregnant or who have altered immunity, and families with exotic pets and very young children. Stull and colleagues’ review of pet-associated infections provides practitioners with the tools to do this. Published April 20, 2015, doi: 10.1503/cmaj.141020. Full article: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.141020To request a transcript of this podcast, contact cmajgroup@cmaj.caComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Apr 18, 2015 • 15min
Effective global tobacco control in the next decade
Dr. Moneeza Walji, editorial fellow, interviews Dr. Prabhat Jha, founding and current director of the Centre for Global Health Research in Toronto. In their commentary published in CMAJ, Dr. Jha and colleagues say that slowing tobacco sales in the next decade will depend on strengthening its implementation by increasing excise tax and improving anti-tobacco legislation. Published April 20, 2015, doi: 10.1503/cmaj.150261. Full article: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.150261To request a transcript of this podcast, contact cmajgroup@cmaj.caComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Apr 14, 2015 • 7min
Meningoccocal immunity, heart failure & ejection fraction, pharmacare, alcohol misuse & more
Highlights from the April 21st issue of CMAJ, presented by Dr. Diane Kelsall, deputy editor. In this issue: Canada can afford universal pharmacare, failure to address at-risk drinking, drinking water advisories, persistence of meningococcal immunity, heart failure and ejection fraction, pitted keratolysis. Full issue table of contents: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/187/7.tocTo request a transcript of this podcast, contact cmajgroup@cmaj.caComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Apr 9, 2015 • 15min
Freezing fertility: risks and benefits of social egg freezing
Dr. Moneeza Walji, editorial fellow, interviews Dr. Angel Petropanagos, postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Some women who anticipate fertility decline due to the natural aging process may now choose to freeze their eggs to preserve their future fertility. Dr. Petropanagos discusses the benefits, risks, ethical concerns and societal implications of this practice to provide family physicians with the tools to offer balanced information to clients who seek it. Dr. Petropanagos has co-authored an analysis article with Alana Cattapan MA, Françoise Baylis PhD, Arthur Leader MD, published in CMAJ on April 13, 2015. Full article: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.141605To request a transcript of this podcast, contact cmajgroup@cmaj.caComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Apr 7, 2015 • 8min
Low-back pain, incidental findings of genetic mutations, old orphan drugs, child obesity & more
Highlights from the April 7th issue of CMAJ, presented by Dr. John Fletcher, editor-in-chief. In this issue: reducing imaging for low-back pain, incidental findings of genetic mutations and whether or not Canadians want to know about them, fair pricing for old orphan drugs, childhood obesity guidelines, and more. Full issue table of contents: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/187/6.tocComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Apr 6, 2015 • 21min
Elder abuse: how physicians can advocate and help
Dr. Diane Kelsall, deputy editor, interviews Dr. Xuyi Mimi Wang, fellow in geriatrics at McMaster University. In a review published in CMAJ, Dr. Wang and colleagues discuss the complex and common issue of elder abuse. Although evidence to support screening and any particular intervention is weak, physicians must be skilled in handling this important problem. Wang and colleagues discuss an advocacy approach that physicians can adopt to handle suspected cases of elder abuse. Published April 7, 2015, doi: 10.1503/cmaj.141329. Full article: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.141329To request a transcript of this podcast, contact cmajgroup@cmaj.caComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Mar 14, 2015 • 16min
Universal pharmacare in Canada would cost government little or nothing extra
Dr. Matthew Stanbrook, deputy editor for CMAJ, interviews Dr. Danielle Martin, family physician and VP of Medical Affairs and Health System Solutions at Women's College Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Martin and colleagues say that implementing universal public coverage of prescription drugs in Canada would be estimated to reduce total spending by $7.2 billion while increasing government costs by only $1.0 billion. This economic modeling study shows that universal public drug coverage could be implemented without substantially increasing government spending. Full article: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2015/03/16/cmaj.141564.full.pdf+htmlTo request a transcript of this podcast, contact cmajgroup@cmaj.caComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions


