Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Research Talks presents: Health system decision-making in a post COVID-19 Canada

A message from the Office of Research.

Learn how COVID-19 has impacted decision-making within the Canadian healthcare system and how that will influence our post-pandemic world during the Spring 2022 Research Talks event, Health system decision-making in a post COVID-19 Canada on Tuesday, April 26 from 12 to 1:30 p.m.

Please register to receive a link to take part in this online event featuring:

Helen Angus (Keynote): is currently the chair of the board of Public Health Ontario. Helen had a 30-year progressive career in the public sector including 20 years working for the Government of Ontario, 10 years working in government agencies as well as four years in management consulting.

Dr. Sacha Bhatia (Panelist) is the executive lead, Population Health and Value-based Health Systems, at Ontario Health, a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (IC/ES) and an associate professor at the University of Toronto. In 2013, he founded the Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV) and served as its director until 2019. 

John Hirdes (Panelist) is a professor in the School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo and a Fellow of the Balsillie School of International Affairs. In addition, he is the Senior Canadian Fellow and a board member of interRAI (www.interRAI.org), an international consortium of researchers from over 35 countries. He chairs interRAI's Network for Mental Health and the interRAI Network of Canada.

Anita Layton (Panelist) is the Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine, and professor of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Pharmacy and Biology at the University of Waterloo. She serves as the associate dean, Research and International, for the Faculty of Mathematics, and chairs the Research Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council at the University of Waterloo.

David O’Toole (Moderator) is the president and CEO of Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). In his role he leads the organization in identifying the health information priorities for Canada’s health care systems, in collaboration with federal, provincial and territorial governments. He has been CEO at CIHI since 2014. 

Peter Wallace (Keynote) is a senior fellow at the Munk Institute of Global Affairs and Public Policy and a senior advisor at the Boston Consulting Group. He recently retired as the secretary of the Treasury Board for the Government of Canada in late 2021, concluding 40 years of public service across all levels of government.

Research Talks is hosted by the Office of Research and supported by the Research Support Fund.

Remembering Murray Shepherd, University Librarian

Murray Shepherd in his office in 1998.

Murray Shepherd, who served as University Librarian for thirty years, has died.

A graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, Shepherd taught high school prior to taking up a career as a librarian. He served as Education Librarian at the Regina Campus of the University of Saskatchewan from 1964 to 1967 and was head of its Cataloguing Department from 1967 to 1969.

Shepherd joined the University of Waterloo in November 1969 as Head of Technical Services in the University Library. In July 1971 he became Associate Librarian. In 1973 he succeeded William Watson as University Librarian, a position he would hold for 30 years.

When named University Librarian Shepherd was described as "interested in all phases of library operations, including the application of the computer to library routines. He also mounted a campaign to increase the overall visibility of the Library, its operations, and its expertise, in the University community. These two themes would become hallmarks of his three-decade career as University librarian. Under Shepherd's leadership, the Library accelerated its transition from card catalogues to computer databases.

Shepherd was a driving force behind the Tri-University Library Consortium, a cooperative agreement between the libraries at the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the University of Guelph, that grew out of a UW Task Group on Library Collections Space in 1992. The task force recommended cooperating with other institutional libraries to acquire off-site storage facilities and pool resources for the development of a shared library computer system. As academic libraries across the province grappled with funding cutbacks, the consortium also shared the cost of journal subscriptions in an effort to reduce duplication. The off-site warehouse (the Annex) was established in 1996, and an electronic database named TRELLIS replaced the antiquated WatCat circulation and catalogue systems in 1998, reflecting the trend in the late-90s towards the increased availability of digital resources and online content. TRELLIS, the combined catalogue of the three universities, had a long operational history, succeeded by the Primo search tool in 2009 before being finally decommissioned as Waterloo's back-end catalogue infrastructure in December 2019 as the University switched to OMNI, which combines the catalogues of more than a dozen universities.

Shepherd chaired the University of Waterloo's 40^th Anniversary Committee in support of Waterloo's 40^th anniversary celebrations, which took place in 1997.

"An engaging and innovative library leader, Murray ushered in the era of automation at the University of Waterloo Library with the early implementation of library online catalogue and discovery systems," wrote University Librarian Beth Namachchivaya in a memo to Library staff. "Throughout his career, Murray represented the University of Waterloo Library in several library consortia and professional organizations, including the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the North American Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the International Association of University Libraries (IATUL). Those of us who were fortunate to have known Murray will no doubt have wonderful memories."

Shepherd retired in August 2003 and was succeeded by Mark Haslett. In 2005 Shepherd was named an Honorary Member of the University. In 2006, a fourth-floor conference room in the Dana Porter Library was reborn as the Murray C. Shepherd Learning Lab.

A memorial service will be held in the Chapel of the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home at 171 King St. S., Waterloo on Saturday, April 16 at 11:30 a.m.

Campus event shows how cryptography can drive social responsibility

A message from the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute (CPI).

Typically, cryptography benefits businesses and corporations and not people. As a result, it has failed to address the needs of the disenfranchised.

However, Seny Kamara, an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Brown University wants to show how cryptography can resolve this issue. He will be hosting UWaterloo’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute (CPI) latest event, Crypto for the People. It will be held online from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, April 13.

This event is free and open to the general public. CPI welcomes all ages to attend. No knowledge of cryptography is expected from the audience.

Register at bit.ly/3KYomFe.

Q and A with the experts: Pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments

New proposed regulations in Ontario will allow pharmacists to prescribe medication for 12 minor ailments. These proposed regulations have a public consultation window of 10 days before proceeding to cabinet for final approval.

Nardine Nakhla is a pharmacist and professor at the University of Waterloo and served as a member of an advisory group that provided input on the regulations. Nakhla explains what this change means for Ontarians.

What conditions will pharmacists be able to prescribe for?

A minor ailment is a health condition that patients can reliably self-diagnose and that can be managed with self-care strategies or minimal treatment, which can include prescription medication. The proposed regulation change will allow pharmacists to prescribe for the following conditions:

• Urinary tract infections 
• Dermatitis, such as atopic, eczema, allergic and contact 
• Insect bites and hives, including tick bites 
• Conjunctivitis 
• Allergic rhinitis 
• Candida stomatitis, or oral thrush 
• Herpes labialis, also known as cold sores 
• Hemorrhoids 
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD 
• Dysmenorrhea, or menstrual cramps
• Musculoskeletal sprains and strains 
• Impetigo

When will these changes come into effect?

The proposal is still under consideration, and we don’t yet know exactly when pharmacists will be able to provide these services. If the final approval happens quickly, the changes may come into effect as early as July 1, 2022. If approval takes longer, the implementation date may be pushed to January 1, 2023.

Aren’t pharmacists already providing advice?

Pharmacists have a long history of assisting patients with minor ailments, assessing them and often recommending non-prescription therapies for their management, facilitating other self-care decisions, and/or referring patients to other health care providers when warranted. 

While self-care therapies can effectively manage certain conditions, some ailments may require prescription drugs for effective treatment. Under the new regulations, pharmacists will be able to prescribe these drugs.

Why allow pharmacists to prescribe for these conditions?

Currently, patients with a minor ailment who require prescription therapy must visit their doctor, walk-in clinic, or a local hospital. Often, patients wait days for an appointment or end up visiting a walk-in clinic or emergency department. Allowing pharmacists to provide support for these patients will improve healthcare system efficiency and the patient experience. 

In Ontario, more than 95 per cent of patients live within five kilometers of a community pharmacist. They are accessible and knowledgeable; this scope expansion represents just one more way they can continue to support their patients, particularly outside the traditional nine-to-five business hours of many medical offices. Pharmacists also serve patients in many other practice settings, from hospitals to long-term care facilities, to family health teams and more, where this scope expansion will have an impact.

Do other places allow for prescribing by pharmacists?

Prescribing for minor ailments is already part of the services pharmacists can provide in eight other Canadian provinces. Pharmacists in the United Kingdom have been prescribing since 2003. In addition to alleviating pressure from doctor’s offices, walk-in-clinics and hospital emergency rooms, research from the University of Waterloo suggests that providing this type of service may save the province upwards of $42 million annually. 

What training do pharmacists have to prepare them for offering this service?

Patient assessment and management of minor ailments are an integral component of our PharmD curriculum. Pharmacy students receive extensive training in this area and are experts in medication therapy upon graduation, equipped with the necessary competencies to support clinical decision-making required for minor ailment prescribing services. Furthermore, continuing education for minor ailment assessment and prescribing has been available and continues to be accessible to the profession to support preparation for this expanded scope. 

As with any other practice development, pharmacists are responsible for assessing their need for additional continuing education to ensure they have the required knowledge, skill, and judgment required to provide quality patient care. 

Why implement this change now?

The current pandemic has highlighted the need to consider multifaceted and sustainable solutions for health care and has brought to light health inequities and disparities. Pharmacists supported Ontarians throughout the pandemic, which has reinforced their role and commitment to accessible health care. Minor ailment prescribing services offer yet another opportunity for pharmacists to provide streamlined care pathways for Ontarians and optimize their therapy, thereby making health care more accessible and efficient in our province.

Dr. Nardine Nakhla is a Clinical Lecturer at  the School of Pharmacy and a community pharmacist and academic with interest in minor ailments, self-care, and non-prescription medications. Since 2008, Dr. Nakhla has designed and delivered curricular content on the assessment of self-treating patients, common illnesses and self-medication using over-the-counter (OTC) medicines in both the lecture and practical laboratory setting.

IST Winter Term Newsletter now available, other notes

The winter 2022 issue of the IST Newsletter is now available. "Learn more about how we’re implementing integrated collaborative IT in campus spaces; read about the recent increase in 2FA attacks and how to protect yourself; the WCMS 3 project team shares an update; the Green IT Committee is back; and more," says a note from IST.

Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) notes that there are no Virtual Employer Information Session events scheduled for the remainder of the winter 2022 term. However, upcoming Spring 2022 Virtual Employer Information Sessions (VEIS) will be posted soon.