Search

The 13th International Conference on Advances in Quantitative Laryngology, Voice and Speech Research (AQL 2019) will be held in Montreal, Canada, 3–4 June 2019. Pre-conference workshops will be held on 2 June 2019. The conference and workshops provide a unique opportunity for partnership and collaboration in the advancement of quantitative methods for the measurement and modelling of voice and speech. The AQL accomplishes this mandate by facilitating an interprofessional scientific conference and training intended for an international community of otolaryngologists, speech–language pathologists and voice scientists. With a continued drive toward advancements in translational and clinical voice science, the AQL has rapidly expanded over the past 20 years, from a forum of 15 European member laboratories to a globally recognized symposium, connecting over 100 delegates from across the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban Indigenous populations face some of the most significant barriers to accessing health services out of any population in Canada. The Indigenous community in Montreal developed a cultural safety training program to help decrease some of these barriers. An extensive review of published literature on cultural safety in health care was performed. A training program was developed to: describe the diversity of Indigenous populations in Montreal; explain historic and present-day determinants of health inequities in this population; develop competencies to respect clients' diversity and promote cultural safety in care. A pre-test survey was circulated to participants receiving the training to establish baseline knowledge and attitudes towards Indigenous populations. The program was divided into 3 half-day sessions. After each session, a satisfaction evaluation grid survey was circulated to participants. The Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Program was presented to a total of 45 nurses, social workers, and physicians with frequent interactions with the Indigenous community in Montreal. Having an Elder and community member present appeared to have been successful in increasing participants' level of awareness of the importance of improving the quality of health care services provided. Challenges were identified regarding the transmission of the political aspect of the cultural safety concept, and the importance of decolonizing health care systems. Reflections on how to address these in the future will be discussed. Cultural safety training for health professionals is challenging, yet, a necessity to improve access to care and improve health outcomes in urban Indigenous populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The impact of heat waves on mortality and health inequalities is well documented. Very few studies have assessed the effectiveness of heat action plans (HAPs) on health, and none has used quasi-experimental methods to estimate causal effects of such programs. Objectives: We developed a quasi-experimental method to estimate the causal effects associated with HAPs that allows the identification of heterogeneity across subpopulations, and to apply this method specifically to the case of the Montreal (Quebec, Canada) HAP. Methods: A difference-in-differences approach was undertaken using Montreal death registry data for the summers of 2000-2007 to assess the effectiveness of the Montreal HAP, implemented in 2004, on mortality. To study equity in the effect of HAP implementation, we assessed whether the program effects were heterogeneous across sex (male vs. female), age (≥ 65 years vs. < 65 years), and neighborhood education levels (first vs. third tertile). We conducted sensitivity analyses to assess the validity of the estimated causal effect of the HAP program. Results: We found evidence that the HAP contributed to reducing mortality on hot days, and that the mortality reduction attributable to the program was greater for elderly people and people living in low-education neighborhoods. Conclusion: These findings show promise for programs aimed at reducing the impact of extreme temperatures and health inequities. We propose a new quasi-experimental approach that can be easily applied to evaluate the impact of any program or intervention triggered when daily thresholds are reached. Citation: Benmarhnia T, Bailey Z, Kaiser D, Auger N, King N, Kaufman J. 2016. A difference-indifferences approach to assess the effect of a heat action plan on heat-related mortality, and differences in effectiveness according to sex, age, and socioeconomic status (Montreal, Quebec). Environ Health Perspect 124:1694-1699; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP203 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]