Social media and health care: A new frontier

Never has it been so easy to reach your personal and even professional networks on social media with updates on your own or a loved one's health status. This new reality brings with it both benefits and unintended consequences.

Researching best outcomes

At North York General Hospital the patient experience is at the heart of everything we do. Katie Dainty, PhD, the hospital's new Research Chair in Patient-Centred Outcomes, is interested in finding new ways to enhance this experience by applying an often-ignored lens: the patient's perspective.

Profile: Philip Weaver, Clinical Pastoral Supervisor

Helping people comes naturally to Philip Weaver. His new role as Clinical Pastoral Supervisor focuses on three main areas. He provides support to patients and their families; guidance and advice to staff, physicians and volunteers; and teaches a course to students in partnership with the Toronto School of Theology, affiliated with the University of Toronto.

A question worth asking: Do I need that test?

In two new videos from the Joint Centres for Transformative Healthcare Innovation, a partnership between six large community hospitals, Patient Advisors Todd Sikorski and Sharon Deavitt share why they believe patients and families play an important role in the success of Choosing Wisely.

Surgery best option for gallbladder attacks

That pain in your abdomen may be more than indigestion; it could be pain from a gallbladder attack. "From a surgeon's point of view, we would generally consider a gallbladder attack to be pain that lasts for 20 minutes or longer," says Dr. Lloyd Smith, Chief of Surgery and Program Medical Director.