Addressing arthritis care options is more important now than ever! Currently, over 4.6 million Canadians aged 15 years and older report having arthritis. This number is predicted to rise to 7 million Canadians by 2031. For this reason, it is important for Primary Care Clinicians to discuss and develop a concise approach to the assessment and treatment of arthritis patients.

The 14th Annual Arthritis Day for Primary Care clinicians aims to improve clinical assessment and early management of common musculoskeletal disorders through evidence-based sessions. Arthritis Day will provide participants with a ‘hands-on’ opportunity to hone clinical skills in small group sessions. Participants will exercise and expand their knowledge of treatment options as well as improve management of common disorders and their comorbidities.

Arthritis Day will give participants the chance to learn how to utilize medical, surgical and rehabilitative strategies when diagnosing and treating patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Focus areas for this year’s conference include disorders such as inflammatory polyarthritides, osteoporosis, crystalline arthropathies, and regional pain syndromes. In addition, participants will be provided with information regarding a more ‘wholistic’ approach to the diagnosis and investigation of inflammatory arthropathies and common musculoskeletal disorders.

The 14th Annual Arthritis Day for Primary Care Clinicians will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2018 at the Li Ka Shing knowledge institute. Orthopaedic surgeons, physicians, rheumatologists, orthotists, physical therapists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinicians, family practice residents, internal medicine residents are encouraged to attend.

For more information and to register please visit : https://www.cpd.utoronto.ca/arthritisday/.

It is estimated that over a million new cases and a half million deaths annually are due to gynecological cancers worldwide. Since each gynecologic cancer has distinct risk factors, signs, symptoms and prognosis, it is important for the gynecologic oncology community to develop a better understanding of the current challenges, needs and developments in this area. CPD’s second annual Multidisciplinary Gynecologic Oncology Annual Lecture Series provides the opportunity to identify options and solutions that can be integrated to advance clinical care.

Since the inaugural lecture series, the planning committee has been working to create a compelling program that explores and discusses rapidly evolving technologies and therapeutics. The upcoming series will allow participants to learn about the many new advances in systemic therapy, radiation therapy and survivorship care.

Key topics that will be discussed for the 2018 lecture series:

• Diagnosis and Workup of Cervical Malignancies
• Rare Gynecologic Tumors
• Advances in Surgical Management in Gynecologic Oncology
• Emerging Systemic and Targeted Treatments in Gynecologic Oncology
• Advances in Radiation Oncology for Gynecologic Cancers
• Survivorship and Palliative Care for Patients with Gynecologic Cancers

These topics and more will be presented in various panels, case studies and plenary sessions. After completing this series, participants will be able to identify opportunities and solutions that can be integrated in current management options and advance patient care further.

MyGOALS will be held on September 28th, 2018. Healthcare professionals and researchers in gynecologic cancer, surgery, radiation, medical oncology, pathology and genetics are encouraged to attend. For more information and to register visit http://www.cpd.utoronto.ca/mygoals.

A growing amount of research is demonstrating that healthcare professionals who seek out exposure to the humanities and arts-based learning are able to improve their capacity to think critically and augment creativity into their work with patients. The community of researchers, educators, and others interested in exploring these perspectives in health professions education now have a national organization to call their own. Emerging from the highly successful Creating Space meetings, attended by over 1500 people since 2010, comes the newly-formed Canadian Association for Health Humanities (CAHH).

The CAHH aims to promote a symbiotic understanding of both the human condition and practices of patient care through critical dialogue between cross-disciplinary medicine and the arts & humanities. Through various collaborations, regional events, and curating the annual Creating Space conferences, CAHH will work to add significant value to the interdisciplinary cultures of the medical/health humanities locally, nationally and internationally.

In this spirit, the CAHH and Post MD have launched the Program in Health, Arts and Humanities to advance a deeper understanding of health, illness, suffering, disability and the provision of healthcare by creating a community of scholars in the arts, humanities and clinical sciences at the University of Toronto. Through monthly films, lectures and seminars at U of T, participants will learn to challenge personal assumptions and biases, to stretch their worldview and to become more reflective in their practice.

The Health, Arts and Humanities Program, ARS MEDICA- A Journal of Medicine, The Arts and Humanities and MASSEY COLLEGE currently invite applications for :

A Rooster for Asclepius: A year-long health humanities workshop

Submission Deadline: September 3rd, 2018-see below for guidelines
Workshops begin in OCTOBER 2018 and will take place monthly over the academic year.

This year-long health humanities workshop aims to improve the participants skills in close reading, and reflective and creative writing. Through attention to detail and humility in the face of ambiguous or shifting stories of many kinds, we’ll seek to get better at hearing, understanding and responding to the difficult and provocative narratives we encounter in professional life.

More information is available on the Health and Humanities Program Website.

Other Announcements:

• The CURRENT issue of ARS MEDICA-A Journal of Medicine, The Arts and Humanities is now available at: http://www.ars-medica.ca/index.php/journal/issue/view/27

Visit health-humanities.com for more details and sign up for the newsletter to learn more about other upcoming events.

The Canadian Burn Network Conference has established itself as the country’s premier burn care meeting for a range of professionals by addressing one of the true multidisciplinary challenges. Since its inception, the meeting has offered a concurrent program geared specifically towards first responders, appealing well beyond the domain of healthcare specialists. The meeting returns to Toronto to commemorate its 5th year, this time focussing on innovations in research and founding the Canadian Burn Association.

Program Director Dr. Marc Jeschke of Sunnybrook’s Ross Tilley Burn Centre spoke about the new Association in his welcome letter, saying it will enable specialists to “come together as a country and be prepared for unforeseen circumstances, such as mass casualties or natural catastrophes.” Further, it will allow for the development of nation-wide studies and protocols, ultimately leading to improved and more organized outcomes. It will culminate in a database developed and accessed by professionals across Canada. Such a network is proving necessary, as Dr. Jeschke indicated that different regions of the country face unique challenges in burn care.

“Communicating and identifying these needs for each province and each burn centre is crucial. Once you have captured national data, I think you can focus and streamline, and identify how we can actually improve our outcomes.” He said during a phone interview.

Whether it’s through unifying the various specialties for three days each year, or the ongoing development of a national organization, Dr. Jeschke’s efforts to establish an enduring and supportive dialogue that recognizes the integral interdependence of all who work in burn care are being realized.

The 5th Annual Canadian Burn Network Conference will run from October 28 – 30, 2018. Abstracts are being accepted until July 3, 2018. Topics include scarring, complex wounds, ASD/PTSD and longterm outcomes. Visit the conference website for more information.

If healthcare is a body, then record keeping is the blood. It’s best when it’s not seen, and it is essential when it comes to keeping the whole system alive.

But how does one effectively maintain records and ensure that they serve their ultimate purpose (being to benefit the patient)? How does keeping good records become an instinct rather than a chore?

General Practitioner Weekly provides five tips for keeping good medical records:

1. Ensure notes include enough information to identify the patient
2. Write notes in a timely manner
3. Protect records from accidental disclosure
4. Ensure your notes are accurate, legible, and contain enough information
5. Never alter the records

The bottom line is that keeping medical records must be accessible in a way that ensures continuity and quality of care.

CPD goes even deeper with a one-day workshop designed to equip participants with the tools needed to maintain medical records that truly fulfill their purpose.

The goal of the workshop is to help physicians comply with the CPSO Medical Records Policy, so following the rules becomes easy and natural rather than time-consuming and overwhelming.

One participant from said that they felt more confident about day-to-day note-taking and discussing effective techniques.

“It’s very, very helpful to know how to structure the consultation with templates,” they said, noting that their counseling and consultant’s reports had improved.

The 2018 Medical Record Keeping workshop dates are available on the program website: www.cpd.utoronto.ca/recordkeeping.

For many people, dental procedures may be a nerve-wracking experience. While advancements in dentistry have led to relatively painless procedures, according to a study published in the Journal of Behaviour Research & Therapy, many still tend to associate dental treatment with feelings of pain or discomfort.

Thus, the fairly common occurrence of post-treatment complications, such as infections or bleeding, can add additional challenges for both patients and practitioners. Learning how to better prevent and treat common dental complications can help ensure smoother procedures and a better dental experience for all parties.

The theme of this year’s Update in Dentistry conference is “Implications of Dental Complications: Staying out of Trouble”. At this conference, participants will learn about the causes of numerous dental complications, how to avoid them, and ways to treat these problems should they arise.

Topics will include:

• Trigeminal nerve injury & management
• Fixed Prosthodontic Complications
• Oral Surgical Complications
• Avoiding mishaps in endodontics
• Avoiding complications in medically complex patients

The 2nd Update in Dentistry will take place on May 11, 2018, at the Chestnut Residence and Conference Centre in Toronto. General dentists, dental specialists, dental hygienists, and dental hospital residents are encouraged to attend.

For more information and to register, please visit https://www.cpd.utoronto.ca/dentistry/.

Radiology continues to be an evolving and critical aspect in the screening and diagnosis of disease utilized by a range of healthcare professionals. As such, it is crucial for technologists, surgeons, pathologists, advanced nurse practitioners and other specialists to keep abreast of how its applications can improve patient outcomes. To this end, The Department of Medical Imaging and CPD are once again partnering to bring a selection of exciting programs beginning this Spring.

On April 21, the Toronto Breast Imaging Conference will convene at the Women’s College Hospital Conference Centre. This year’s conference will explore supplementary screening of breast cancer detection and comprehensive imaging of complex breast scenarios, with an emphasis on ultrasound, tomosynthesis and MRI. Renowned breast radiologist, Dr. Sujata Ghate of Duke University, will be delivering this year’s keynote as well as several discussions on topics ranging from breast reconstruction, lymph nodes and the nipple areola complex. More information is available at cpd.utoronto.ca/breastimaging.

The Toronto Head and Neck Imaging Symposium returns on June 23rd at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning. This one-day event will cover topics such as temporal bone imaging, head and neck cancer and emergency conditions relating to the head and neck. Dr. Hugh Curtin joins us from Harvard Medical School to deliver this year’s keynote in addition to talks on nasopharyngeal imaging, parapharyngeal space and imaging of oral cavity cancer. Find more information at cpd.utoronto.ca/headandneckimaging/.

Later this year, the Annual Organ Imaging Review returns for its 33rd installment October 19-21. Covering a range of topics, including pediatric imaging, abdominal and pelvic imaging and neuroradiology, this meeting will build upon a rich legacy of highlighting updates and advances in diagnostic imaging through didactic and interactive case-based review sessions. More information will soon be available at cpd.utoronto.ca/organimaging/.