In Nov. of 2020, Canada Health Infoway published findings from consultations they conducted in partnership with Environics Research on Canadians' perception of digital health. The consultations were done via survey, polls, focus groups, and interviews. Over 50 000 Canadians participated, including people who are underserved by the healthcare system and indigenous people.

Some key findings:

Nearly 70% of those who sought medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic used virtual care.

The Canadian Cannabis Survey 2020 results are now available on the Health Canada website. New questions added this year included questions about exposure to second-hand smoke, frequency of obtaining cannabis from legal vs. illegal sources, and changes in cannabis use in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The impact of physical distancing guidelines on people at risk for suicide is unknown but concerning. Enforced isolation may increase risk of suicide, and many coping strategies in standard suicide safety plans could increase risk of COVID-19 infection or violate public health orders. In an article published recently, researchers present a number of recommendations for modifying standard suicide safety plans in response to COVID-19.

For knowledge translation purposes I would like to post my recently completed thesis which focuses on cannabis policy and older adult (55+) use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes from a critical realist perspective (qualitative research).

Link: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/7541/

Recent studies based on crowdsourced data identified some of the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indigenous people compared to the rest of the population. A report, titled “Perceptions of Safety of Indigenous People During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” provides an overview of the perceptions of safety of Indigenous people related to the pandemic.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and public health measures put in place to reduce transmission have likely affected people who use opioids and other illicit substances. Reasons for this include potential changes in the supply of these substances and in support systems for people who use them.

Stephen Downes https://www.downes.ca/ provides an hour to step back a bit and practically review our approach  to virtual technology.  While an expert on community learning online, he is one of those experts who merrily lays out his mistakes along the way.  A good example of use of self, in the virtual dance and I think will bring us along to making virtual, more real. While the focus is on virtual teaching, it is rich in transferable knowledge to virtual … care.

A research paper in The article US National Library of Medicine published in August 2018 stated there are correlations of workplace bullying and brain injuries through brain image. It's 'the first study describing the link' as in the abstract.

The paper concluded that 'The reduction of the hippocampi volumes was related to work distress and, above all, to bullying at workplace. The results confirm that the morphological brain abnormalities could be involved in work-related psychiatric disturbances'.

Thanks to the work of Dr. [@mention:372869809257853525], with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and in collaboration with partners from CAMH, Addictions and Mental Health Ontario, the Jean Tweed Centre, and Support House's Centre for Innovation in Peer Support...

A number of new resources are available to help women with substance use concerns and those who work with them make choices about the use of digital health resources like apps and web-based support tools.