Fianally it looks like Canada may get

snowyday

Standard testing for Breast Cancer pathology!

New standards coming for breast-cancer tests

CARLY WEEKS

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

July 12, 2008 at 7:36 PM EDT

Canada's pathology association will unveil national standards at a major conference this weekend that will, for the first time, tell hospital laboratories across the country the best way to determine whether a person has breast cancer and what the treatment should be.

It's a landmark development designed to prevent patients from being misdiagnosed and dying unnecessarily and comes as serious questions are being raised over the adequacy of medical tests performed in Canada.

Pathologists from across the country are gathering in Ottawa to reflect on problems that have exposed serious weaknesses in hospital laboratories and to chart a new course to regain public trust.

At least 300 pathologists and pathology assistants are expected to attend the annual conference, hosted by the Canadian Association of Pathologists.

Related Articles RecentIn New Brunswick, spotlight on pathologist's errors  In Newfoundland, an inquiry fraught with controversy  This year's conference takes place under a grim shadow of missed cancer diagnoses, two major public inquiries and allegations of professional incompetence stemming from serious incidents in four provinces that have raised questions about the quality of medical tests."A lot of pathologists are feeling insecure," said Sylvia Asa, pathologist-in-chief at Toronto's University Health Network, one of the most prestigious cancer research centres in North America. "The whole system has to be rebuilt."The association hopes to start the rebuilding process by releasing several reports that will, for the first time, establish workload limits and quantify Canada's critical shortage of pathologists. But the most significant element of the conference will be the unveiling of new national standards for complex breast cancer tests - the kind at the centre of a major public inquiry into botched tests in Newfoundland. One of the major challenges will be enforcing the new standards. That's because no province, with the exception of Ontario and B.C., has a regulatory body with the mandate and authority to enforce quality control measures in hospital laboratories. It's just one of the many challenges facing a profession struggling with increasing workloads, a critical shortage of pathologists and a lack of resources. In addition to providing valuable information hospital laboratories can use to improve quality control and better gauge their performance on a cross-country scale, the association hopes the reports will provide leverage to secure government funding to improve quality assurance systems and professional development. "I think it's pretty significant," said president Jagdish Butany. "This way, you can say [to government], ‘This is the accepted standard across the country and we're low on that.'" But many pathologists, who are responsible for making decisions that determine most of the treatment patients receive, fear that testing standards, improved technology and workload limits won't make much difference."I think people are feeling very concerned about the future of pathology given what's gone on," Dr. Asa said. "The present doesn't look very good, and it's always more disconcerting for some of us to think of the future."The problems plaguing hospital laboratories run much deeper than the quality of methods used in the lab, and speak to a systemic lack of resources that have taken a serious toll the quality of cancer and other medical testing."I think pathology has been an area that has not received adequate attention on an ongoing basis in recent years," said Andrew Padmos, chief executive officer of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. "I think sometimes it takes the appearance of concerns or questions in the public's eye in order to focus the attention of all the stakeholders on those issues."Serious questions over the state of cancer testing in hospital labs have been brewing in recent months after revelations of significant problems in four provinces. An inquiry is continuing in St. John's to determine how nearly 400 breast cancer patients received inaccurate results from hormone receptor tests, which can be used to determine treatment over an eight-year period.A separate inquiry was launched in Miramichi, N.B., after an audit of pathologist Rajgopal Menon's work found a high number of cases were incomplete or inaccurate. Health officials in Winnipeg and Owen Sound, Ont., announced separate investigations earlier this year into errors made by two pathologists in those communities.One of the weekend's highlights will be a presentation by the president and senior representatives of the College of American Pathologists, which oversees quality control in U.S. hospital labs. Although Canada has a national pathology association, it is a voluntary group that doesn't have the authority or funding to establish binding rules and monitor the state of pathology. Dr. Butany hopes that bringing representatives here will result in closer ties with the U.S. organization, which has a multimillion-dollar budget and is considered to have established high standards for laboratory quality assurance."I'm extremely positive about [the conference]," Dr. Butany said. "Yes, we've had a few rocks thrown at us but a majority of us do a darn good job."Though for many of us the laboratories may not be [as] state of the art we would like them to be, nevertheless we try to do our best. The future, I think, for pathology is tremendous."Recommend this article

pinoideae

I heard this too, this is a long time coming.  In Alberta, my tumor sample was checked by the hospital and by the cancer hospital pathology dept.  Thus reducing the risk of error quite a bit. I donated my tumor to research as well.

snowyday

I didn't know you could donate a tumour.  I'm sort of glad as they are redoing my slides as we speak.  I really hope that pathologists can follow the US standards and begins a National Pathology Association which isn't voluntary.  I believe they will save lives and money doing this.

I hope your doing well Summer, and have a great day.

pinoideae

I agree snowyday (by the way I hope you are doing well too!).  I have learned that the US is ahead of us in medical care progress.  Public healthcare seems to put us behind in medical care progress, however, we are making good leaps and bounds in some instances.  Edmonton has just built a state of the art heart health institute (internationally recognized research), and we have renowned heart surgeons.  Also, Edmonton research is making great leaps and bounds in diabetes research, with the islet transfer research, and our top researchers working together to cure diabetes in Canada's largest diabetes research centre which opened in 2007.  I am not familiar with the other Provinces in Canada.

snowyday

Wow that's wonderful, and must be so exciting with people who have to live with heart disease and diabetes.  I believe Canada could do so much better if the powers that be would just stop cutting back on healthcare and give more from the surplus that we end up with every year to healtcare. I just don't understand how they can't see that with the boomer generation soon retiring and becoming seniors that they will need to more there instead of hording it in Federal coffers.

snowyday

Bad typing, I have to start adding commas.,,,,

pinoideae

I am thinking if they start pouring more money into providing beyond standard care in the medical community (which would really put us in the next century) as they do on new hospitals and research, our healthcare system would be in a good place.

snowyday

Someone is going to have to realize they have no choice our healthcare system will be so overworked in ten years it's scary.  Alot of funds will be heading into geriatrics soon.  I heard about a great idea where they are trying to keep seniors healthy and at home.  It's a great idea I just wonder how they plan on implementing it. My neighbour, he's a really funny old greek, he's worked so hard in Canada since the 50's well now he's having knee problems and his legs are swelling and that scares me, and of course no one is helping him with home care and every time I say let me call people for you, he gets scared bescause he doesn't want strangers in his home.  So the next week will be trying to get him to understand that the nursing care hear is really good. Wish me luck, he had some not so good nurses come in and help when his wife was dying of cancer, one wouldn't take her shoes off when she entered his house and it drove him nuts another one smokes and his wife was on oxygen and she took more breaks than worked but I had great care with my PICC so I just have to keep telling him that and hoping he will believe me. He is such a great person and his family only visits when they want money it's really sad.  His birthday was July 3rd and I was the only person to bring him a gift, well I brought him a ton of little things, stuff I thought he'd enjoy or would help with his leg.  I"m babbling going to stop NOW.

pinoideae

Your neighbour is lucky to have someone looking out for his best interests.  Good for you snowyday.

Take a look at this article on  Canadian health care, it is not short of ludicrous to see how much the recent health care beaurocrats got paid!!!!  Here is a recent news clip:

Six health board CEOs out, three to stay

Updated: Tue Jul. 08 2008 15:23:20

Amanda Ferguson, ctvedmonton.ca

Six men and women in charge of the province's former health boards have received pink slips, the head of Alberta's new health superboard announced Tuesday.

Those leaving -- along with their million-dollar paycheques -- include Capital Health CEO Sheila Weatherill and Calgary Health region CEO Jack Davis.

Tom Seaman, John Vogelzang, Shawn Terlson and Bernie Blais were also let go Tuesday.

Yet not everyone received their walking papers -- three former CEOs will stay on with the province in different roles, board chair Ken Hughes said.

Chinook Health region CEO Pam Whitnack, Aspen Health Region CEO Andrew Will and East Central Health Authority head Jim Saunders will stay on in new positions.

The announcement comes as the new Alberta Health Services Board met in Calgary to decide ways they can trim costs from the province's billion-dollar health care system.

"We're going to function as effectively and efficiently and neatly as appropriate," Hughes said. "This is not a cost-cutting exercise. This is a redeployment of talent to make sure we deliver service as efficiently as possible."

Hughes said new positions will open up over the next nine months and the fired officials are welcome to apply.

The dismissals come as one of the first major steps towards streamlining the province's health care system since the superboard was announced on May 15.

Health Minister Ron Liepert announced in May that Alberta's nine health boards were going to be streamlined into one health superboard in favour of the cutting administrative costs associated with running the separate boards.

The cuts will free up major money in next year's budget -- Calgary health region CEO Jack Davis is said to earn about $1.2 million a year. Sheila Weatherill earned about $900,000 last year.

Another question coming out of today's announcement is about the severance packages to be handed out to the dismissed officials.

NDP member Rachel Notley, MLA for Edmonton-Strathcona, said she suspects the packages will total more than $10-million.

"We're concerned about how we're going to ensure proper regional balances of health-care services and how people out in the regions are going to make sure the governments accountable for their needs," she said.

Other opposition members continued to point out the lack of specifics on how the Tories plan to restructure the industry.

"I don't think they've presented a very compelling case for how this is going to improve the health care service delivery for Albertans," Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman said.

Experts estimate the figures could be in the million-dollar range.

snowyday

It's ridiculous, I'm stunned and angry.