Latest news with #healthcareSystem
RNZ News
3 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Two doctors, one diary and a health system in crisis
Diary of a Junior Doctor follows five young doctors at the country's busiest hospital. Photo: SUPPLIED/TVNZ The reality of working in our under-pressure healthcare system is laid bare in Diary of a Junior Doctor - the new five-part docuseries which follows a group of junior doctors at the country's biggest and busiest hospital - Auckland's Middlemore. Faced with 70 hour working weeks, they must learn to balance the often high stakes demands of their medical careers with those of their personal lives. Kathryn is joined by Dr Shadie Lupo, who features in the series and health equity advocate, Dr Emma Wehipeihana, who served as a medical consultant and cultural advisor.
CBC
28-05-2025
- General
- CBC
$24M research project looks to improve care Indigenous people with dementia
When Elizabeth Edgar-Webkamigad's mother first showed signs of dementia, it was a long and difficult process to get a diagnosis. "It was right smack in the middle of COVID," said Edgar-Webkamigad, who lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Because her mom started to show signs of dementia in the middle of a global pandemic, it took time just to get an appointment with a family doctor. But to get a brain health assessment, Edgar-Webkamigad's mother had to be referred to a geriatrician. "It took almost a year to get that actually happening," she said. Even after her mother's diagnosis, her care didn't always recognize her culture and the trauma she experienced attending the Spanish Indian Residential School for Girls. A doctor told Edgar-Webkamigad her mom was lashing out when a personal support worker tried to bathe her. "I can tell you in most of my life, I saw my mom bathe maybe a handful of times," she said. That was because her mother had traumatic experiences in residential school, and later a tuberculosis hospital (although she was never diagnosed with the disease) while bathing. "For her, bathing time was not a sacred time," Edgar-Webkamigad said. "It was a time where violence was introduced. It was a time where body shaming happened. It was a time where abuse happened." Because of those experiences she had sponge baths for most of her life. Edgar-Webkamigad said the health care system should do better at recognizing Indigenous traditions and medicines. She mentioned that in her part of northeastern Ontario, for example, there's a plant-based medicine that has a calming effect and has been used for generations to help people with dementia. Creating care 'bundles' Now Edgar-Webkamigad is sharing her family's experiences with a $24-million research project that spans seven universities across Canada along with several Indigenous organizations, such as the Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services and the Métis Nation of Alberta. The Indigenous Brain Health Assessment Bundle Project has received funding from the New Frontiers in Research Fund to create bundles, which are region-specific resources for health care providers to provide culturally appropriate care for people who are showing signs of dementia. Sharlene Webkamigad, Edgar-Webkamigad's niece, is a researcher at Laurentian University who is involved in the project. She's been meeting with people like her aunt to hear their stories and help find better ways for the health system to care for their loved ones. "I've been hearing about the importance of healthcare professionals having knowledge of those more culturally specific ways of approaching somebody who has dementia, including the care for them within long term care facilities," Webkamigad said. The research project will span six years.
Medscape
21-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
AI in Healthcare Faces Growing Skepticism Among Patients
This transcript has been edited for clarity. Hello. I'm Dr Markman, from City of Hope. I'd like to briefly discuss two separate but related articles that recently appeared, which touch on the evolving and critically important topic of artificial intelligence. The first paper is 'Patients' Trust in Health Systems to Use Artificial Intelligence.'The second paper is 'Public Attitudes Toward Notification of Use of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care.' Both of these manuscripts were published in JAMA Network Open . In both cases, the studies were surveys of US adults from the National Opinion Research Center. The first study was from June to July 2023. There were 2039 respondents (51% female) and very reasonable representation based upon various ethnic subgroups. The general trust in the healthcare system was asked of this group. On a scale of 0 to 12, the mean score was 5.38. This is already telling you that perhaps there may be a bit of a concern here. Now, turning to the question that we're highlighting here, which is about trust in the system to use AI responsibly. I'm going to say this and repeat it: 65.8% had low levels of trust in the healthcare system to use AI responsibly — 65.8%. Two out of three patients said they had low levels of trust in the system to use AI responsibly. This is, in my opinion, a really serious statement about how the public is viewing the situation. Furthermore, 57.7% had low levels of trust in their healthcare system to be sure that AI would not harm them — more than half said they had a low level of trust that their system would make sure that AI would not harm them. This isvery concerning. In the second study, there were 2021 respondents; a slight majority, 52%, were female. There was a statement posed: 'It is important that I am notified about the use of AI in my healthcare.' The question was, "How important is that statement?" and 62.7% of respondents said — and this is the highest level — it was very true that they wanted to be notified if AI was being used in their healthcare. Only 4.8%, or 1 out of 20 patients, said they didn't want to be notified. Clearly, patients want to know it's being used and they don't want it to be used without their knowledge. Second, they are fearful and concerned. I think all members of the healthcare environment, including doctors, nurses, healthcare administrators, and payers, need to listen to this. The public is concerned, based upon what they've read, what they've heard, podcasts they've listened to, and social media. They're concerned about the potential risk of harm, and they don't necessarily trust their own healthcare system to do what's best for them. It's a critical message that needs to be heard. I actually agree with the opinion of the majority of the public about that potential concern. Thank you for your attention.
