New data released today from the 2010 National Physician Survey (NPS) shows that, in spite of improvements in some areas, Canada’s doctors are finding it increasingly challenging to meet the changing health care needs of the ever growing number of Canadians living with chronic and complex medical conditions. >>>

Discussions regarding health care in Canada regularly return to the supply of medical practitioners in this country. Canadians’ focus on physician supply has been driven by the publication of numerous reports and commentaries on this issue produced by research organizations, professional associations, government committees, and others. Importantly, most of these discussions and papers have generally arrived at the same conclusion: there are too few physicians practicing in Canada today. >>>

A new study shows that living close to a pollution source is more likely to negatively affect your health if you live in urban Canada’s most deprived areas. >>>

Nine out of 10 Canadians polled know that the majority of firsttime heart attacks are caused by risk factors that they can control. >>>

The study found that Canadian seniors with three or more chronic conditions reported taking an average of six prescription drugs regularly, twice as many as seniors with only one chronic condition. Seniors with chronic conditions regularly taking at least five prescription medications were more than twice as likely to experience a side effect requiring medical attention (13%) as those taking only one or two prescription medications (6%). Yet less than half of seniors with chronic conditions reported that their doctor reviewed their medications (48%) and explained potential side effects (47%) at least some of the time. >>>