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Editorial. Highlights the topics discussed at the International Conference on Treatment Decision-Making in the Clinical Encounter held in Hamilton, Ontario. Type and amount of involvement that patients want in treatment decision-making; Different physician communication styles; Different approaches to treatment decision-making; Roles of patients and physicians in treatment decision-making.

This paper considers some of the policy implications of issues raised during a conference about treatment decision-making in the clinical encounter held in Hamilton, Ontario in May 1999. Policies promoting patient participation in treatment decision-making need to be flexible enough to ensure that they are appropriate across the range of contexts in which health care decisions are made and acceptable to people with diverse preferences and abilities. They should also be formulated in consideration of other health policies and of available resources. Policies of informing people and involving them in decisions about their care are unlikely to be simple to implement. Various strategies might be needed to support them. These include the development of appropriate skills among health professionals and in the general population, the use of interventions to encourage people to play more active roles in decisions about their health care, the provision of decision aids for people facing specific decisions and the provision and accreditation of more general information resources and services. If information and other facilitators of patient participation in decision-making are seen as integral to good quality health care, then funding should be made available for them. This will, however, have opportunity costs. Policy makers’ decisions about how much health care funding should be invested in which strategies should be underpinned by good research evidence about the effects that different types of intervention have on a range of outcomes for individuals, health care systems and populations. The knowledge on which current policies are based is limited. The development of future policies will be enhanced if policy makers invest in critical conceptual thinking, reflective practice, imaginative development work and good quality evaluative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that only a relatively small proportion of people in the community who experience substance use problems seek assistance from the specialized sector of services that have been commissioned to provide treatment and support for these problems. Going back to seminal reports from the early 1990s there has been a call for a systems approach to "broaden the base of treatment" in order to achieve wider coverage and yield positive outcomes at a population level. In some jurisdictions conceptual models referred to as "tiered models" have been advanced to support planning, system design and performance monitoring. This paper traces the evolution of such tiered models for substance use services and describes a recent model advanced in Ontario Canada for design of an integrated system of mental health, substance use and problem gambling services and supports. The paper concludes by highlighting key features and principles of the tiered approach that are critical for its actual operationalization. Some challenges operationalizing such a comprehensive system design framework are also noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring high quality end of life (EOL) care is necessary for people with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), given its high incidence, mortality and symptom burden. Aggressive EOL care can adversely affect the quality of life of NSCLC patients without providing meaningful oncologic benefit. Objectives: (1) To describe EOL health services quality indicators and timing of palliative care consultation provided to patients dying of NSCLC. (2) To examine associations between aggressive and supportive care and patient, disease and treatment characteristics. Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study describes those who died of NSCLC in Ontario, Canada from 2009–2017. Socio-demographic, patient, disease and treatment characteristics as well as EOL health service quality and use of palliative care consultation were investigated. Multivariable logistic regression models examined factors associated with receiving aggressive or supportive care. Results: Aggressive care quality indicators were present in 50.3% and supportive care indicators in 60.3% of the cohort (N = 37,203). Aggressive care indicators decreased between 2009 and 2017 (57.4% to 45.3%) and increased for supportive care (54.2% to 67.5%). Benchmarks were not met by 2017 in 3 of 4 cases. Male sex and greater comorbidity were associated with more aggressive EOL care and less supportive care. Older age was negatively associated and rurality positively associated with aggressive care. No palliative care consultation occurred in 56.0%. Conclusions: While improvements in the use of supportive rather than aggressive care were noted, established Canadian benchmarks were not met. Moreover, there is variation in EOL quality between groups and use of earlier palliative care must improve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Despite universal access to health care in Canada, there are disparities relating to social determinants of health that contribute to discrepancies between rural and urban areas in cancer incidence and outcomes. Given that Canada has one of the highest-quality national population-based cancer registry systems in the world and that little information is available about cancer statistics specific to northwestern Ontario, the purpose of the present study was to estimate the percentage of cancer patients without documentation of a specialist consultation (medical or radiation oncology consultation) and to determine factors that affect access to specialist consultation in northwestern Ontario. Methods This population-based retrospective study used administrative data obtained through the Ontario Cancer Data Linkage Project. For each index case, a timeline was constructed of all Ontario Health Insurance Plan billing codes and associated service dates, starting with the primary cancer diagnosis and ending with death. Specific factors affecting access to specialist consultation were assessed. Results Within the 6-year study period (2010-2016), 2583 index cases were identified. Most (n = 2007, 78%) received a specialist consultation. Factors associated with not receiving a specialist consultation included older age [p < 0.0001; odds ratio (or): 0.29; 95% confidence interval (ci): 0.19 to 0.44] and rural residence (p < 0.0001; or: 0.48; 95% ci: 0.48 to 0.72). Factors associated with receiving a specialist consultation included a longer timeline (p < 0.0001; or: 1.32; 95% ci: 1.19 to 1.46), a diagnosis of breast cancer (p < 0.0001; or: 2.51; 95% ci: 1.43 to 4.42), and a diagnosis of lung cancer (p < 0.0001; or: 1.77; 95% ci: 1.38 to 2.26). Conclusions This study is the first to look at care access in northwestern Ontario. The complexity and multidisciplinary nature of cancer care makes the provision of appropriate care a challenge; a one-size-fits-all disease prevention and treatment strategy might not be appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop a triage-based screening algorithm and treatment order-sets aimed at improving the quality of care of all patients with sepsis presenting to our emergency department (ED).Design: Retrospective cohort study conducted during a pre-intervention period from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 and a post-intervention period from 1 September 2014 to 30 April 2015.Setting: A large teaching hospital located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with a 35-bed ED.Participants: All patients meeting pre-specified sepsis criteria during the ED encounter.Main Outcome Measures: Process of care measures included time to assessment by emergency physician, lactate measurement, blood culture collection, fluid and antibiotic administration. Intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes including admissions, length of stay (LOS) and deaths were reviewed.Results: There were 346 patients pre-intervention, and 270 patients post-intervention. We significantly improved all process measures including mean time to antibiotics by 60 min (P = 0.003) and proportion of patients receiving fluid resuscitation (64.7% vs. 94.4%, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the number of patients admitted to ICU (P = 0.14). The median ICU LOS was shorter in the post-intervention group [2.0 days (interquartile range (IQR) 1.0-4.5 days) vs. 5.0 days (IQR 1.5-10.8 days), P = 0.04], and there was no difference in in-hospital mortality between groups (P = 0.27).Conclusions: We have demonstrated that a triage-based sepsis screening tool results in expedited and consistent delivery of care, with a significant improvement in initial resuscitation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: International and national bodies promote interdisciplinary care in the management of people with chronic conditions. We examine one facilitative factor in this team-based approach - the co-location of non-physician disciplines within the primary care practice. Methods: We used survey data from 330 General Practices in Ontario, Canada and New Zealand, as a part of a multinational study using The Quality and Costs of Primary Care in Europe (QUALICOPC) surveys. Logistic and linear multivariable regression models were employed to examine the association between the number of disciplines working within the practice, and the capacity of the practice to offer specialized and preventive care for patients with chronic conditions. Results: We found that as the number of non-physicians increased, so did the availability of special sessions/clinics for patients with diabetes (odds ratio 1.43, 1.25-1.65), hypertension (1.20, 1.03-1.39), and the elderly (1.22, 1.05-1.42). Co-location was also associated with the provision of disease management programs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and asthma; the equipment available in the centre; and the extent of nursing services. Conclusions: The care of people with chronic disease is the 'challenge of the century'. Co-location of practitioners may improve access to services and equipment that aid chronic disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognising their valuable role as key informants, this study examines the perspectives of front-line palliative care providers (FLPCP) regarding a social benefit programme in Canada designed to support family caregivers at end-of-life, namely the Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB). The CCB's purpose is to provide income assistance and job security to family caregivers who take temporary leave from employment to care for a dying family member. Contributing to an evaluative study that aims to provide policy-relevant recommendations about the CCB, this analysis draws on semi-structured interviews undertaken in 2007/2008 with FLPCPs ( n = 50) from across Canada. Although participants were not explicitly asked during interviews about their expectations of the CCB, thematic content analysis revealed 'expectations' as a key finding. Through participants' discussions of their knowledge of and familiarity with the CCB, specific expectations were identified and grouped into four categories: (1) temporal; (2) financial; (3) informational; and (4) administrative. Findings demonstrate that participants expect the CCB to provide: (1) an adequate length of leave time from work, which is reflective of the uncertain nature of caregiving at end-of-life; (2) adequate financial support; (3) information on the programme to be disseminated to FLPCPs so that they may share it with others; and (4) a simple, clear, and quick application process. FLPCPs hold unique expertise, and ultimately the power to shape uptake of the CCB. As such, their expectations of the CCB contribute valuable knowledge from which relevant policy recommendations can be made to better meet the needs of family caregivers and FLPCPs alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Aboriginal communities have a high prevalence of diabetes and heart disease, and limited resources to address them. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of prioritizing care with audit and feedback on cholesterol management of diabetic patients. Study design. A controlled before-after intervention trial was conducted among health care providers in Oji-Cree reserves in Sioux Lookout Zone, Ontario. Two communities were randomized to receive an interactive educational workshop and chart audit with feedback on cholesterol management; 2 control communities received usual care. Methods. The primary outcome measure used was the proportion of patients on statins, and the secondary outcome measure was the proportion of patients with LDL>2.5 mmol/L or TC/HDL>4.0 on statins. Outcomes were assessed by chart review at baseline and 10 months post-intervention. Results. Patients in the 2 intervention communities (n=170) and the 2 controls (n=170) were comparable at baseline. The intervention did not increase the proportion of diabetic patients on statins overall or in the subset of patients with elevated cholesterol. The proportion of patients with elevated cholesterol on statins went from 46% to 53% (p=0.48) in the intervention group and from 47% to 50% (p=0.25) in the control group. Conclusions. Audit and feedback listing patients requiring treatment did not increase statin prescription rates in diabetic patients in remote Aboriginal settings. This may be due to elevated baseline rates, the low intensity of feedback and the constraints of the practice environment, such as low staffing and high staff turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the "Sixth International Conference on Oral Biology" to be held at Toronto, Ontario, from June 3-5, 1974. The theme of the conference will be "Pharmacology and Therapeutics." Interested scientists are invited to submit specific titles and abstracts of papers to be considered for presentation at the conference. Primary consideration will be given to research utilizing a multidiscipline approach and having a wide appeal to scientists in oral biology. Titles should clearly define the topic; a single page abstract must include a summary of materials, research methodology, results and conclusions.

Examines the inclusion of drugs in provincial drug benefit programs. Use of the cost-effectiveness approach by the Ontario Drug Quality and Therapeutics Committee (DQTC) and how it has lead to continuous and considerable increases in expenditures; Way in which the economics approach to health improvements differs from the way in which the DQTC uses information on the costs and effects of pharmaceuticals; How economics can help.

Objective: The objective was to characterize the relationship between geography, concurrent psychiatric services, all-cause mortality, and acute health care use for individuals enrolled in Opioid Agonist Treatment, in Ontario, Canada.Methods: We conducted a propensity score matching study of patients enrolled in Opioid Agonist Treatment in Ontario for the first time between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2015. We first compared outcomes between patients who were actively engaged and patients who were not actively engaged in Opioid Agonist Treatment. We created treatment and a control groups on the basis of an individual's access to psychiatric care within an episode of Opioid Agonist Treatment. Relative risk and number needed to treat were calculated to determine the correlation between psychiatric care and health outcomes among patients enrolled in Opioid Agonist Treatment at two time points within an episode of care and for two geographic regions in Ontario (north and south).Results: During the first year of Opioid Agonist Treatment, concurrent psychiatric care was associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality in southern Ontario (RR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.73-0.87), a reduction in emergency department visits in both northern and southern Ontario (north: RR = 0.76, 95% CI, 0.72-0.81; south: RR = 0.87, 95% CI, 0.86-0.88), and a reduction in hospitalizations (north: RR = 0.88, 95% CI. 0.82-0.94, south: RR = 0.92, 95% CI, 0.91-0.93).Conclusion: Our findings have significant clinical and political implications for health system planning highlighting the need for integrated mental health and addiction services for individuals with Opioid Use Disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a study of the increase in infections of quinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Ontario. It showed that resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to antibiotics particularly quinolones has increased from 4% in 2002 to 28% in 2006. It founds out that many developed countries such as Canada has suggested the use of third-generation cephalosporins instead of quinolones for the treatment of gonorrhea. It also recommended that an integrated international effort for reducing the rates of gonorrhea as well as the wrong use of antibiotics is needed to prevent the spread of multi-drug resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.