CMAJ Podcasts

On this episode, Drs. Blair Bigham and Mojola Omole delve into the evolution and advancements in virtual urgent care since the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion centers around the study published in CMAJ entitled "Healthcare utilization and outcomes of patients seen by virtual urgent care versus in-person emergency department care," which analyzed patient usage and outcomes during the height of the pandemic...

On this episode, Drs. Mojola Omole and Blair Bigham speak with two vaccine experts about the necessity, timing and availability of vaccines as we move into the season when influenza, RSV and COVID-19 are on the rise.

Dr. Scott Halperin, co-author of a CMAJ practice paper on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy, emphasizes the importance of vaccination to protect against COVID-19 infection during pregnancy...

In this episode, Drs. Blair Bigham and Mojola Omole delve into the pressing issue of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in Canada with Dr. Evan Wood, the lead author of the “Canadian guideline for the clinical management of high risk drinking and alcohol use disorder” published in CMAJ...

In this episode, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole speak with two co-authors of a new guideline published in CMAJ entitled "Preventive care recommendations to promote health equity".

Dr. Nav Persaud and Dr. Aisha Lofters explain the importance of embedding health equity into healthcare and discuss specific ways public policy and individual primary care physicians can work together to promote equity in their practices...

In this episode, Drs. Blair Bigham and Mojola Omole speak with two leading experts: Dr. Samira Jeimy, an allergist, and Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a specialist in infectious diseases, about the increasing prevalence of allergies and infections in Canada attributed to insects.

Dr. Jeimy authored the article in the CMAJ titled “Five things to know about… tick-borne red meat allergy (α-gal syndrome)”. Dr...

Canada’s emergency departments are in crisis: hospital occupancy rates exceed 90% for many days in a row, and many Canadian hospitals have been exceeding 100% occupancy for months on end. As a result, quality of care has decreased, staff retention has become problematic and overcrowding of emergency departments, a symptom of the problem, is assured.

On this episode, Drs. Omole and Bigham speak with Dr...

On this encore episode, we revisit and update one of the most-read articles on the CMAJ website.

The article is titled, “Smartphones, social media use, and youth mental health.” It reviews the extensive literature linking poor mental health in adolescents with smartphone and social media use. The article details a variety of studies that implicate smartphone and social media use in increased mental distress, self-injurious behaviour, and suicidality among youth...

== This is an encore presentation of an episode originally published on Jan 30, 2023 ==

Migraine is a common condition that affects around 12% of adults, with a higher prevalence in women (18%) than men (6%). Global burden of disease estimates in 2019 found migraine to be the leading cause of disability in women aged 15-49 years and the second leading cause of disability overall. 

On this episode, Drs...

The award-winning essay in the CMAJ, "Sometimes, often," beautifully showcases the power of narrative to forge a deep connection between physicians and patients. The article clearly resonated with our readers, as it was the most-read humanities piece this year. On this episode, the author, Dr. Simran Sandhu, delivers a powerful reading of her article. She then speaks with Drs...

Radon gas exposure is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, accounting for approximately 3,000 cases annually in Canada. A “Five things to know about…” paper in CMAJ  entitled “Radon and lung cancer risk" encourages physicians to ask patients to test their home and workplace for the invisible gas.

Dr...