CMAJ Podcasts

Dr. John D. McLennan reads his article called "Johnny, how did you end up on five psychotropic medications?", which was published in CMAJ.In the article, Dr. McLennan shares the story of Johnny, who is not a real patient, but rather a composite of many autistic patients he has encountered over the years. Dr. McLennan is a child psychiatry consultant at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern...

In this interview, Dr. David Juurlink discusses the ongoing opioid crisis. He explains why physicians must pay attention to one particular group of patients: those on long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. Dr. David Juurlink is staff internist and head of the division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Eva...

In his article, Dr. Sterling Haynes, a retired GP who lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, recounts the time when he came to the rescue of a friend in a retirement home. The story is true and consent has been obtained. All names have been changed. His article, titled "Always on call", was published in CMAJ. The story is read by Dr. Ken Flegel, senior editor for CMAJ.Full article: www.cmaj...

In this interview, Dr. Thara Kumar and Dr. Hans Rosenberg tell us about take-home naloxone kits used for opioid overdose. They discuss how to use them, where to get them, how they work, and more. They offer practical guidance to physicians in Canada and also include tips for the general public. Dr. Thara Kumar is an emergency medicine resident in her fifth and final year of training at the Univers...

In this interview, Dr. Paul Kurdyak explains the results of research on mortality trends in individuals with schizophrenia over a period of 20 years. Dr. Kurdyak and his co-authors published a study in CMAJ and found that in Ontario, people with schizophrenia still live shorter lives than those without psychiatric illness. He discusses what might be at the root of this shorter life expectancy. Dr....

In this interview, Dr. Harminder Singh takes listeners through the new Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC) guideline on screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm, or AAA. He explains each of the recommendations and the evidence behind them. Dr. Harminder Singh is associate professor of medicine in the departments of Internal Medicine and Community Health Sciences at the University...

In this interview, Dr. Jennie Johnstone tells us about a strain of gram-negative bacteria called carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) that is resistant to most antibiotics. She also discusses what the public and the health care system can do to help prevent the spread of drug-resistant organisms. Dr. Johnstone is infection prevention and control physician-scientist at Public Health Ont...

Death by suicide during the perinatal period has been understudied in Canada. Little is known about the true extent of the problem or the steps that can be taken to prevent it. In this interview, Dr. Sophie Grigoriadis explains the results of research on the characteristics and patterns of perinatal suicide. Dr. Grigoriadis and her co-authors published a study in CMAJ that examined maternal suicid...

In this interview, Dr. Olga Theou and Dr. Kenneth Rockwood discuss their research looking at the association between sedentary time and mortality across levels of frailty. Olga Theou is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Dalhousie University and geriatric medicine scientist for the Nova Scotia Health Authority. Dr. Kenneth Rockwood is a professor of geriatric medicine and neur...

Dr. Shannon Chun, 2017 graduate from Queen's University medical school, shares a memorable encounter with a patient that made him question who the expert really is. The story is true but some details have been changed to protect the identity of the family. His article, titled "The Expert", was published in the CMAJ. The story received an honourable mention for the 2016 Annual Underg...

Dr. Paul Atkison, pediatrician and transplant specialist at the London Health Sciences Centre Children's Hospital, shares why one particular patient remains close to his heart. The story is true. His article, titled "Lessons from a child", was published in the CMAJ. The story is read by Dr. Ken Flegel, senior editor for CMAJ.Full article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.161309--...

In this interview, Dr. Stephen Mawdsley takes a look back at the early 1950s when gamma globulin was being tested for the prevention of polio. He explains how successful publicity ultimately compromised the integrity of the clinical trial. Dr. Stephen Mawdsley is Wellcome Trust Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland and specializes in the history of American race, medicine,...

Ms. Donna Thomson, the parent of two adult children, one with severe disabilities, shares some of the insights she has gained after 28 years of caregiving and parenting. She reads her Humanities article, published in CMAJ, called "On becoming a full partner in care." The article is an abbreviated version of a lecture she presented at the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Development...

Dr. May ElSherif discusses the randomized control trial of a Canadian Ebola vaccine that was developed at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Canada. Dr. ElSherif is an international medical graduate specialized in medical microbiology and research associate at the Dalhousie University Canadian Center for Vaccinology in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. ElSherif and her co-authors recently p...

Dr. Dominika Jegen, a rural and remote family doctor and assistant professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, offers a glimpse of life as a fly-in physician in the Northwest Territories. She tells us about her encounter with one memorable patient. The story is true. Her article, titled "A reflection on practising medicine 'up North', was published in the CMAJ.Full article...

Interview with Giulia Muraca, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health and a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar. Ms. Muraca published a research article in the CMAJ in which she and her co-authors looked at the rates of severe outcomes in mom and baby after use of forceps and/or vacuum at midpelvic station. They then compared these rates with cesarea...

Benjamin Hull Chin-Yee, a medical student at the University of Toronto, shares his feelings after finding a photograph of his great grand-mother and a copy of her case history. Mr. Chin-Yee authored an article published in the CMAJ called "Two documents." He reads it for listeners in this podcast. The story is true. Full article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.161287----------------...

In this interview, Dr. Sharra Vostral, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, explains how toxic shock and tampons motivated women to speak out in the 1980s. She takes listeners through the fascinating history of tampons and laboratory testing. Full article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.161479To request a transcript of...

Listen to this audio reading of a CMAJ Humanities Encounters article titled Calling. It is written and read by Dr. Janice Mulder, Palliative Care Consultant and a retired physician who lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In the article, Dr. Mulder tells listeners about a particularly memorable encounter with a patient. The story is true. Full article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.161264-----------...

The new Canadian guideline presents evidence-based recommendations for prescribing of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain, including maximum dose recommendations, avoiding opioids in high risk populations, and guidance for tapering patients receiving high doses. Dr. Jason Busse, Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesia at McMaster University and researcher with the Michael G. DeGroote N...

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care has reviewed the latest literature evidence and published a guideline in the CMAJ on screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in adults. Dr. Roland Grad, task force member, practicing family physician and associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, explains the task force’s recommendations on screening for HCV.Full article: ww...

Interview with Dr. Natasha Saunders, general paediatrician and associate scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children and health services researcher at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), in Toronto. In their research article, Dr. Saunders and her co-authors wanted to verify the immigrant paradox, which states that even though immigrants may be more socially disadvantaged, they t...

Barbara Sibbald, news and humanities editor for CMAJ, reads the Humanities Encounters article "Rendez-vous." The article is written by Diana Kim, a medical student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC.In the article, Diana tells the story of her father’s death. She finds that a final goodbye takes years and several patients. The story won an honourable mention from the...

Interview with Dr. Jacob Udell, cardiologist at Women’s College Hospital and the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at Toronto General Hospital, clinician-scientist at the Women’s College Research Institute and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Udell and his co-authors published a research study in CMAJ in which they investigated whether unsuccessful fertility therapy in wom...

Jay Rankin, news intern for CMAJ, reads the Humanities Encounters article "Time and space." The article is written by Michael Lang, doctoral student at the University of Calgary and consultant in engagement and patient experience with Alberta Health Services in Calgary, Alberta. In the article, Mr. Lang recounts the time he encouraged his friend Julie, a medical resident, to share her ex...