6 results
Search Results
2. Animal Protection, Law Enforcement, and Occupational Health: Qualitative Action Research Highlights the Urgency of Relational Coordination in a Medico-Legal Borderland.
- Author
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Rault, Dawn, Adams, Cindy L., Springett, Jane, and Rock, Melanie J.
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ANIMAL welfare ,INDUSTRIAL hygiene ,LAW enforcement ,ACTION research ,BORDERLANDS - Abstract
Simple Summary: In this article, we report on action research in the Canadian province of Alberta, based on forging alliances with officers who enforce federal, provincial, and municipal legislation involving animals. Some of these officers worked in rural areas, and others worked in urban areas. Some mainly enforced Alberta's Animal Protection Act, while a few specialized in enforcing Canada's Criminal Code. For the most part, however, participating officers had a mandate to enforce animal-related local bylaws. Such ordinances or rulebooks exist because Alberta's Municipal Government Act allows local councils to enact legislation regarding domestic and wild animals, particularly as regards people's health, property, safety, and welfare. Many professionals refer to policies such as these, which are deeply rooted in the western legal tradition, such as "animal control." Our findings illuminate how animal-control policies and personnel can help to protect domesticated animals, not just people. Even so, our research highlights that animal-control policies as well as animal-protection policies routinely fail to protect officers who enforce legislation involving animals. Furthermore, whenever officers who enforce legislation involving animals work in unsafe conditions, this endangers human as well as non-human lives. Across Canada and internationally, laws exist to protect animals and to stop them from becoming public nuisances and threats. The work of officers who enforce local bylaws protects both domestic animals and humans. Despite the importance of this work, research in this area is emergent, but growing. We conducted research with officers mandated to enforce legislation involving animals, with a focus on local bylaw enforcement in the province of Alberta, Canada, which includes the city of Calgary. Some experts regard Calgary as a "model city" for inter-agency collaboration. Based on partnerships with front-line officers, managers, and professional associations in a qualitative multiple-case study, this action-research project evolved towards advocacy for occupational health and safety. Participating officers spoke about the societal benefits of their work with pride, and they presented multiple examples to illustrate how local bylaw enforcement contributes to public safety and community wellbeing. Alarmingly, however, these officers consistently reported resource inadequacies, communication and information gaps, and a culture of normalized disrespect. These findings connect to the concept of "medico-legal borderlands," which became central to this study. As this project unfolded, we seized upon opportunities to improve the officers' working conditions, including the potential of relational coordination to promote the best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. Can we predict and prevent emergency department visits for postpartum hypertensive complications in patients with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy?
- Author
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Luo, Fang Yuan, Crawford, Susan, Drouin, Olivier, and Chadha, Rati
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HYPERTENSION ,POSTPARTUM contraception ,HOSPITAL emergency services ,HYPERTENSION risk factors ,DISEASES ,ANTIHYPERTENSIVE agents ,PUERPERAL disorders ,DIABETES in women ,HYPERTENSION in pregnancy ,DATABASES ,RETROSPECTIVE studies ,COST effectiveness ,PUERPERIUM - Abstract
Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are major causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, and postpartum hypertensive complications have significant implications on maternal health and public health care system. Antepartum community care programs for hypertension are in place at major centers of Canada, however, such a program for postpartum are usually lacking, and could be a cost-effective solution to reduce postpartum hypertensive complications.Objectives: To assess the proportion of women who present to the emergency department (ED) or outpatient clinics for postpartum hypertensive (PPHTN) complications up to 6 weeks postpartum, among pregnancies complicated by antenatal hypertensive disorders in Calgary, Canada. Secondary objectives were to identify risk factors for PPHTN complications, and to perform a cost-benefit analysis to support postpartum community care program (PCCP) as a way to decrease ED and clinic visits for PPHTN complications, and thus has a favorable economic impact on the public health care system.Study design: Retrospective cohort study using administrative databases, followed by chart review of ED visits to confirm diagnoses and estimate cost of visits and admissions. The participants were women followed by the Calgary Antenatal Community Care Program (ACCP) for hypertensive disorders, from 2014 to 2015, inclusive. The primary outcome was ED or clinic visit associated with an outpatient database record of hypertensive disorder diagnosis, within 42 days postpartum.Results: Among 319 deliveries included in the study, 30 women (9.4, 95%CI: 6.2-12.6%) visited ED or clinics for PPHTN. We identified multiple antihypertensive medication uses and abnormal postpartum gestational hypertension labs as risk factors for ED visit among these women. We estimate a CAD$152 per antenatal hypertensive patient cost benefit for PCCP.Conclusion: The proposed PCCP appears to have an economic benefit to health care system with a decrease in ED and clinic visits. Further studies with greater sample size could strengthen the findings in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. A First Nation Framework for Emergency Planning: A Community-Based Response to the Health and Social Effects from a Flood.
- Author
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Montesanti, Stephanie, Thurston, Wilfreda E., Turner, David, and Traveller, Reynold Medicine
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EMERGENCY management ,FIRST Nations of Canada ,SOCIETAL reaction ,RIPARIAN areas ,FLOODS - Abstract
In June 2013, a severe flooding of the Bow and Elbow Rivers affected southern Alberta, a province in Canada. The flood was subsequently described to be the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history. Among the hardest hit communities was the Siksika First Nation, located on the Bow River banks about 100 kilometers east of the city of Calgary. A community-university partnership was formed to qualitatively document the Siksika First Nation community-based response to the health and social impacts to their community resulting from the flood. Our findings informed the development of a culturally appropriate framework for disaster and emergency planning in First Nations communities. The Siksika Nation's work to mitigate the impacts from the flood followed a holistic and socio-ecological approach that took the determinants of Indigenous peoples' health into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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- View/download PDF
5. Identifying and critically examining government legislation relevant to children's dental caries in Calgary, Alberta, Canada: a health inequities lens.
- Author
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Weijs, Cynthia, Gobrail, Sara, Lucas, Jack, Zwicker, Jennifer, and McLaren, Lindsay
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DENTAL caries ,CHILDREN'S health ,LEGISLATION ,SOCIAL impact ,GREY literature ,COMPARATIVE studies ,HEALTH promotion ,RESEARCH methodology ,MEDICAL cooperation ,RESEARCH ,STATE governments ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,EVALUATION research ,DISEASE prevalence - Abstract
Objectives: Children's dental caries is an important and urgent public health concern that is largely preventable. Using a social equity framework, our objectives were to identify and critically examine government legislation relevant to the issue of children's dental health in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.Methods: We conducted a systematic, gray literature search of federal, provincial (Alberta), and municipal (Calgary) statutes and bylaws related to children's dental caries, through the relevant law databases. Eligibility criteria were applied for document screening and selection. Data extraction and synthesis pertained to objectives of the legislation (policy task), relevant agent or actor (level of government), and upstream or downstream focus, in terms of potential impact on social inequities in health.Results: Legislation (n = 114) was retrieved and grouped into eight policy tasks. Most legislation fit under the policy tasks: protection of public safety and health promotion (n = 40) and benefits and compensation (n = 27). Federal and provincial governments have greater involvement in children's dental caries than municipal (Calgary) government. The majority of legislation was classified as upstream in orientation (e.g., improving living and working conditions; macro-level policies).Conclusions: Analysis of legislation relevant to children's dental caries reveals policies that are more often upstream in nature, and unsurprisingly are multijurisdictional. Despite this, there remains a high prevalence and inequitable distribution of children's dental caries in Canada. This suggests that the nature of upstream involvement and fragmented government involvement is ineffective in tackling this pervasive and urgent public health issue. Implications for children's dental health are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2019
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6. Ileocaecal junction carcinoma: a clinicopathological study of 199 cases.
- Author
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Lee, L. H., MacLean, A. R., Falck, V. G., and Gui, X.
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CARCINOMA ,NEUROENDOCRINE tumors - Abstract
Aim The ileocaecal junction ( ICJ) region is an epithelial transition zone in which carcinomas are frequently diagnosed. However, it is currently unknown whether ICJ carcinomas ( ICJ- CAs) have distinctive features. This study aimed to characterize the clinicopathological features of ICJ- CAs. Method All ileal and colorectal resections for carcinoma, performed in Calgary, Canada between January 2009 and June 2012, were reviewed. Carcinomas in which the epicentre was within 5 cm of the ileocaecal valve ( ICV) were defined as ICJ- CAs. Of 1003 carcinomas studied, 199 (19.8%) were ICJ- CAs, including 93 (9.3%) that crossed the ICV. Comparison of clinicopathological features with carcinomas of the other ileo-colorectal regions was made. Survival was also assessed. Results Clinically, ICJ-CAs were more common in female than male patients (56.3% female) compared with left-colonic (42.9% female) and rectal (37.9% female) carcinomas, and were more common in older age-groups of patients (71.8 ± 12.7 years) compared with appendiceal (62.6 ± 11.3 years), left-colonic (69.4 ± 12.3 years) and rectal (67.1 ± 11.9 years) carcinomas. Macroscopically, ICJ- CAs were similar to other colorectal carcinomas and were mostly described as ulcerated (63.3%). Histologically, ICJ- CAs had more mucinous, signet-ring cell and/or neuroendocrine features (39.7%, 8.0% and 7.5%, respectively) than did carcinomas of the left colon (16.8%, 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively) and the rectum (14.1%, 1.0% and 0.0%, respectively). They were higher grade (20.1% were high grade) than those of the left-colon (10.3%) and the rectum (9.8%). ICJ- CAs presented at a higher T-stage (25.6% were T4) compared with rectal carcinomas (11.6%). Most significantly, ICJ- CAs presented at a higher N-stage (25.6% were N2) than did right-colonic (14.1%) and rectal (16.2%) carcinomas. Although survival of patients with ICJ- CAs did not differ from those with right-colonic carcinomas, those with carcinomas directly involving the ICV did show a significantly decreased survival. Conclusion ICJ- CAs display several distinct clinicopathological features that may require special diagnostic, prognostic and management attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
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