Erik Greb

@medscapeerik.bsky.social

Erik is a health editor for Canada and Australia at Medscape.

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care “strongly” recommends against screening all adults with a standardized tool for depression, stating instead that doctors should ask patients about their well-being and be vigilant for symptoms. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Canada Nixes Routine Screening of Adults for Depression

The new adult depression guideline ‘strongly’ recommends against routine screening but says clinicians should ask patients about their well-being and be vigilant for symptoms.

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Bill C-64, the Pharmacare Act, received Royal Assent more than a year ago. So far, only four bilateral agreements have been signed. What hurdles or objections are standing in the way of extending drug coverage to more Canadians? www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Canada’s Pharmacare Act: Still a Work in Progress

The pharmaceutical industry and healthcare advocates are expressing concern that a single-payer pharmacare program could compromise drug access.

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Nearly half of Canadian physicians report high levels of burnout, according to preliminary data from the 2025 National Physician Health Survey. The findings are disappointing, according to CMA President @drmargotburnell.bsky.social www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

About Half of Canadian Physicians Report High Burnout Levels

Five years after the start of the COVID pandemic, burnout levels have decreased slightly but remain significantly above 2017 levels.

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TBI in late life is associated with a significant increase in the risk for new-onset dementia. The risk is especially elevated (by as much as 69%) within the first 5 years following the injury, according to newly published study findings. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Late-Life Traumatic Brain Injury Ups Dementia Risk

Intervening early and providing appropriate support could mitigate other risk factors that could worsen cognitive decline, said one expert.

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Clinical trials often attract people with more trust in medical organizations (e.g., those with more education). New guidelines for research consent forms could broaden study populations by making the forms easier to understand. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Canadian Guidelines Seek Clarity in Research Consent Forms

New guidelines emphasize the need for clarity in consent agreements for clinical trials and aim to broaden participation in medical research.

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Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities make up more than 1 in 5 patients who have been in mental health beds in Ontario for 1 year or more. New data suggest that these patients' support needs are going unmet. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Adults With IDD Make Up 1 in 5 Long-Stay Psych Inpatients

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities make up 22% of psychiatric inpatients who stay in the hospital for a year or longer, according to new research.

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Mount Gambier is only one symptom of the widening cracks in Australia's healthcare system. This crisis results from systemic underfunding and a lack of long-term planning, writes Dr. Toby Gardner. How do we resolve this crisis? www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Primary Care in Rural Australia: A System Under Strain

A massive deficit in healthcare funding implies that the life of a rural patient is worth less than the life of an urban patient.

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Even though French is an official language in Canada, "getting care in French is almost impossible" for Francophone patients in the western provinces, said Nour Enayeh, executive director of RésoSanté. What solutions to this public health problem have been proposed? www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Healthcare in French Difficult to Access in Western Canada

A federal investment may improve access to healthcare for Francophones in Western Canada, and parallel initiatives are underway.

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Ontario has launched a $12M Health Innovation Pathway to speed adoption of new health tech. Early projects include AI-powered eye screening, digital wound care, surgical navigation, and new abdominal supports. Designed to get innovation to patients faster. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Ontario Promotes the Adoption of New Health Technologies

Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health have partnered to bring new health technologies to Canada’s healthcare system more quickly.

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Black adolescents with psychological distress are less likely to report using mental health care than their White counterparts, data suggest. “We need to make sure that our mental health system is working for everyone,” said researcher Mercedes Sobers. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Black Teens Use Mental Health Services Less Than White Teens

Mental health professionals suggest that stigma and lack of culturally competent care are barriers to mental health care for Black adolescents.

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Lifeblood's new donation criteria will mean that around 626,500 more people will now be eligible to donate plasma in Australia, data suggest. Gay and bisexual men can now donate without undergoing a waiting period after sexual activity. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Australian Plasma Service Drops Sexual Activity Wait Times

Australian blood supplier Lifeblood drops sexual activity wait times for most plasma donations and adopts gender-neutral sexual activity questions for blood donors.

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Manitoba's Healthy Baby Prenatal Benefit was associated with improved birth and early development outcomes. But as inflation rose, the cash benefit stayed the same, and the association with improved outcomes weakened. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Manitoba Maternal Benefit Program Improves Infant Health

A monthly stipend for pregnant women with low-income benefits children up to kindergarten age, provided the stipend keeps up with inflation, data suggest.

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The publication of the 2021 Canadian guidance on prescribing methadone was associated with higher starting doses and a decrease in monotherapy. The provision of rapid dose titration, however, has remained limited. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Canada’s Methadone Prescribing Changes With Drug Supply

Canadian doctors are using higher methadone doses without rapid titration, risking loss to follow up and fentanyl overdose, researchers say.

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Japanese encephalitis virus is spreading in Australia. Experts are calling for increased awareness of this potentially dangerous disease. Protection against mosquitoes, which bear the virus, is encouraged. @mozziebites.bsky.social www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Japanese Encephalitis Continues to Spread in Australia

The Japanese encephalitis virus, once confined to the far north, is now threatening Australia’s cities, and public awareness is lagging.

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Two medical students at the University of Ottawa created a program that allows med students to support the services that community organizations provide. It highlights the importance of social determinants of health. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Student-Led Initiative Promotes Social Medicine in Canada

Medical students in Ottawa have created a strategy to help fellow students learn about the challenges that disadvantaged communities face.

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Because of neglect, inaccessible resources, and lack of cultural sensitivity, Canada’s Indigenous population still faces major disparities in heart and stroke care. What is being done to reduce these disparities? www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Indigenous Canadians Lack Access to Cardiologic, Stroke Care

Indigenous Canadians face long-standing neglect by the medical system, lack of access to quality healthcare, and worse cardiovascular and stroke outcomes.

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ED visits for concussion have increased substantially in the past 10 years, but patients facing greater material deprivation are much less likely to seek care. What are the recent data and their clinical implications? @shannonscratch.bsky.social www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Care Seeking for Concussion Varies by Material Deprivation

Children with fewer advantages are much less likely than their peers to visit an emergency department after a concussion, data suggest.

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Canada is facing rising infectious disease rates — and US cuts to CDC data are making it harder to track and respond. Experts warn this could impair pandemic readiness and fuel health misinformation across the border. Read more. @amykaler.bsky.social www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

US Cuts Injure Canada’s Infectious Disease Surveillance

Are cuts to US health and research budgets a chronicle of a Canadian communicable disease crisis foretold?

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The STRIDE trial illustrates the significant benefits that semaglutide has for patients with type 2 diabetes and peripheral arterial disease. This therapy could improve quality and quantity of life in these patients, says @drkevinfernando.bsky.social. #diabetes www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Semaglutide Has Found Its STRIDE

The STRIDE trial has laid the foundation for a paradigm shift in how we use GLP-1 RAs for symptomatic peripheral arterial disease.

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