| Does
the College have a right to know about your health problems, like
addictions and HIV status? (Source: NRM
Physicians’ Poll April 2008, Vol 5, No 4) |
| 30% |
YES . Public safety
trumps individual rights — even those of physicians. |
| 70% |
NO. Private information
is called ‘private’ for a reason. |
 |
| Would
you pay patients to lose weight? (Source:
NRM Physicians’ Poll March 2008, Vol 5, No 3) |
| 28% |
YES. Money will give
them an extra push to shed the pounds fast. |
| 72% |
NO. Patients are obese
for medical reasons; paying them won't change anything. |
|
| Should
it be mandatory for physicians to report patients with gunshot and
stab wounds? (Source: NRM Physicians’
Poll January 15, 2008, Vol 5, No 1) |
| 76% |
YES. It helps police
curb violence. |
| 24% |
NO. It scares patients
away from seeking treatment. |
|
| Is medical
slang CTD (circling the drain)? (Source:
NRM Physicians’ Poll December 15, 2007, Vol 4, No 20) |
| 76% |
YES. It's childish and inappropriate
|
| 24% |
NO. It's a healthy
way to blow off steam |
|
| When
the FDA sneezes, Health Canada gets a cold. Should Health Canada be
more proactive? (Source: NRM Physicians’
Poll October 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 18 ) |
| 31% |
YES. Mimicking US regulatory
decisions isn’t terribly useful. |
| 69% |
NO. There’s nothing
wrong with taking cues from other agencies. |
|
| Do
we need tighter regulations on cosmetic surgery? (Source:
NRM Physicians’ Poll October 15, 2007, Vol 4, No 17) |
| 87% |
YES. Licensing is
the only way to control standards. |
| 13% |
NO. This is just a
turf war being waged by plastic surgeons. |
|
| Should
airlines pay doctors for treating patients on board flights? (Source:
NRM Physicians’ Poll September 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 16) |
| 56% |
YES. The doc’s
saving the airline a lot of hassle and money. |
| 44% |
NO. You can’t
put a price on a doctor’s duty to help in a crisis. |
|
| Would
you reveal a fetus’ gender if you suspect your patient would
abort based on the sex? (Source: NRM
Physicians’ Poll September 15, 2007, Vol 4, No 15) |
| 15% |
YES. Patient autonomy
is of the utmost importance. |
| 85% |
NO. Physicians must
speak out against discrimination. |
|
| Is
the rush to give the HPV vaccine to Canadian schoolgirls a mistake?
(Source: NRM Physicians’ Poll
August 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 14) |
| 33% |
YES. There are still
too many unanswered questions. |
| 67% |
NO. We musn’t
wait if we can prevent cervical cancer. |
|
| Are
you sickened by SiCKO’s rosy portrayal of Canadian Healthcare?
(Source: NRM Physicians’ Poll
July 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 13) |
| 64% |
YES. The film glosses
over our system’s flaws. |
| 36% |
NO. The film proves
we’re doing this right. |
|
| Would
you prescribe DCA to desperate cancer patients to stop them self-medicating?
(Source: NRM Physicians’ Poll
June 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 12) |
| 32% |
YES. At least they'll
be followed by a doc. |
| 68% |
NO. It's unconscionable
to use an untried Rx. |
|
| Are
you ready to take the same-day booking, or Advanced Access, plunge?
(Source: NRM Physicians’ Poll
June 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 11) |
| 22% |
YES, maybe it can
cure my aching backlog. |
| 68% |
NO. my current scheduling
system is just fine, thank you. |
| 10% |
I'm already using
it |
|
| If
you could, would you see patients outside the public system for extra
cash? (Source: NRM Physicians’
Poll May 15, 2007, Vol 4, No 10) |
| 28% |
YES, as long I didn’t
have to reduce my public patient loads. |
| 72% |
NO, I’m busy
enough as it is. |
|
| With
the Canadian physician shortage dire as ever, should punishments be
relaxed for doctors’ sexual slip-ups? (Source:
NRM Physicians’ Poll May 15, 2007, Vol 4, No 9) |
| 14% |
YES. A small reprimand
would suffice for most minor offenses. |
| 86% |
NO. Don’t do the
crime if you can’t do the time. |
|
| Do
you use electronic medical records in your practice? (Source:
NRM Physicians’ Poll April 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 8) |
| 29% |
YES, and I love it |
| 4% |
YES, but I regret
it |
| 21% |
NO, but I’m planning
on it |
| 46% |
NO, in paper I trust |
|
| With
the looming threat of an XDR-TB pandemic, should it be made easier
to throw nocompliant TB patients in jail? (Source:
NRM physicians, survey April 15, 2007, Vol 4, No 7)
|
| 43% |
YES . Public safety
must trump individual rights |
| 57% |
NO. We mustn’t
use these powers lightly -- they should be for only the most extreme
cases |
|
| Do
you think pay-for-performance is a good way of remunerating physicians?
(Source: NRM physicians, survey
March. 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 6) |
|
38%
|
YES. Better doctors
get better pay. |
| 62% |
NO. Bureaucrats can't
be trusted to judge an MD's work. |
|
| Would
you prescribe a video game that requires physical activity (like the
Nintendo Wii or Dance, Dance Revolution) to an overweight young patient?
(Source:
NRM physicians, survey March. 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 5)
|
| 66% |
YES |
| 34% |
NO |
|
| Does
Canada need stricter standards on who can perform colonoscopies?
(Source: NRM physicians, survey Feb.
28, 2007, Vol 4, No 4) |
| 47% |
YES |
| 53% |
NO |
|
| Quebec
wants to place much more of the responsibility for mentally ill patients
in the hands of GPs. Is this a step in the right direction? (Source:
NRM physicians, survey Feb.15, 2007, Vol 4, No 3) |
| 27% |
YES |
| 73% |
NO |
|
| Would
you call the main facility where you practice “environmentally
friendly?” (Source: NRM physicians,
survey Jan. 30, 2007, Vol 4, No 2) |
| 49% |
YES |
| 51% |
NO |
|
| What
do you think of doctors doing aesthetics (laser hair removal, Botox,
etc) on the side? (Source: NRM
physicians, survey Jan. 15, 2007, Vol 4, No 1) |
| 8% |
I think it’s
great, in fact I do it myself. |
| 9% |
Very intriguing, I’d
like to find out more. |
| 57% |
I’ve nothing
against it, but it’s not for me. |
| 26% |
We’re clinicians
not beauticians. |
|
| Our
hospitals are overrun with superbugs. Do you think your fellow physicians
are washing their hands often enough to help prevent the spread of
infections?(Source: NRM physicians,
survey Dec. 15-30, 2006, Vol 3, No 18) |
| 20% |
YES |
| 80% |
NO |
|
| Do
you think Quebec’s specialists are right to refuse to perform
unpaid duties like teaching while they’re in a pay dispute with
the government?(Source: NRM physicians,
survey Nov. 15-30, 2006, Vol 3, No 17) |
| 65% |
YES. Vive la resistance! |
| 35% |
NO. This sort of action
misses the mark and causes problems for residents and patients. |
|
| Should
hospitals be permitted to let private companies run their emergency
departments? (Source: NRM physicians
survey Oct. 15-30, 2006, Vol 3, No 16) |
| 49% |
YES. |
| 51% |
NO. |
|
| Do you
support the CMA electorate’s choice of private clinic owner Dr
Brian Day? (Source: NRM physicians
survey Sept. 15, 2006, Vol 3, No 15) |
| 71% |
YES. |
| 29% |
NO. |
|
| Vancouver’s
safe-injection site has been credited with reducing needle-sharing,
yet its licence is set to expire on September 12. What should the
federal government do? (Source: NRM
physicians survey August 30, 2006, Vol 3, No 14) |
| 76% |
Renew the licence.
Harm-reduction saves lives. |
| 24% |
Close the site. It
legitimizes unhealthy, criminal activity. |
|
| Do you
think it’s safe to use the pill to suppress menstruation?
(Source: NRM physicians survey July
30, 2006, Vol 3, No 13) |
| 82% |
YES. Ob/gyns have used
contraceptives off-label to prevent painful periods for years. |
| 18% |
NO. We need far more
longterm data before we can accurately assess just how
risky it is. |
|
| Beginning
in September, Alberta pharmacists will get the power to write scripts.
What’s your take? (Source: NRM
physicians survey June 30, 2006, Vol 3, No 12) |
| 63% |
I don’t think
a pharmacist is qualified to renew scripts. |
| 30% |
I think it would be
ok if they were only doing refills, but prescribing is going too far. |
| 7% |
I think it’s a
great idea — less work for us doctors. |
|
Do you
think Senator Kirby’s nickel-a-drink mental health tax is a good
idea?
(Source: NRM physicians survey June
15, 2006, Vol 3, No 11) |
| 49% |
YES. It’s a great
way to fund improvements to mental health services. |
| 51% |
NO. Canadians are over-taxed
as it is — the feds need to loosen their purse strings to foot
the bill. |
|
| Do you
think we need better monitoring of physicians’ off-label prescribing
habits? (Source: NRM physicians
survey May 30, 2006, Vol 3, No 10) |
| 34% |
YES. Better monitoring
would help us know for sure what works and what doesn’t. |
| 66% |
NO. More monitoring
would tie physicians’ hands and slow medical progress. |
|
| Do you
think it makes sense to have coast-to-coast standards for MD revalidation?
(Source: NRM physicians survey
May 15, 2006, Vol 3, No 9) |
| 64% |
YES. It will help to
ensure that every Canadian physician works to the same high standards. |
| 36% |
NO. If we must go down
this road, it should be spearheaded by the provincial colleges. |
|
| Do you
like the sounds of the Massachusetts car insurance-style healthcare
scheme? (Source: NRM physicians
survey April 30, 2006, Vol 3, No 8) |
| 13% |
YES. I think well-to-do
Canadians should be obliged to buy their own health insurance too.
|
| 87% |
NO. I think the scheme
is good for big insurance companies, not doctors and patients. |
|
|
| What
do you think about chronic fatigue syndrome? (Source:
NRM physicians survey April 15, 2006, Vol 3, No 7) |
| 67% |
I think there’s
strong evidence that it’s a legitimate disease caused by immune
deficiency. |
| 33% |
It’s a fad. “Sufferers”
are either hypochondriacs or just angling for a doctor’s note. |
|
| Should
military doctors’ obligation to uphold the Hippocratic oath trump
their duty to serve the country? (Source:
NRM physicians survey March 30, 2006, Vol 3, No 6) |
| 88% |
YES. They’re doctors
first, medical ethics know no flags. |
| 12% |
NO. They’re soldiers
first and thus must follow orders. |
|
| Do you
think the other provinces should follow Alberta’s lead and allow
doctors to work in both public and private settings?
(Source: NRM physicians survey March 15, 2006, Vol 3 No 5) |
| 70% |
YES. This is supposed
to be a free country - physicians shouldn’t be forced to opt
out in order to take on private work. |
| 30% |
NO. If this is allowed,
physician shortages in the public system will end up in worse shape
than they already are. |
|
|
The SOGC says hormone therapy’s
safe for menopause symptoms and osteoporosis — will you offer
it to your patients? (Source: NRM physicians survey February
28, 2006, Vol 3 No 4) |
| 71% |
YES. For most women,
HT’s benefits outweigh the risks — and it will improve QOL. |
| 29% |
NO. We simply don’t
yet know enough about the risks. |
|
| What
do you tell your patients about the Pill and weight gain? (Source:
NRM physicians survey February 15, 2006, Vol 3 No 3) |
| 23% |
There’s a strong
chance that you’ll gain weight |
| 77% |
There’s no evidence
that the Pill causes weight gain |
|
| Would
you consider not turning up for work if there's a flu pandemic?
(Source: NRM physicians survey January
30, 2006, Vol 3 No 2) |
| 37% |
YES. Without a clear
compensation package for doctors it's not worth the risk. |
| 63% |
NO. As a physician,
I have a duty to the public first. |
|
| Do
you think penicillin's hey-day is over? (Source:
NRM physicians survey January 15, 2006, Vol 3 No 1) |
| 18% |
YES. Cephalosporins
are more effective and convenient. |
| 82% |
NO. Penicillin still
gets the job done. Newer antibiotics should be used with caution to
prevent the emergence of resistant strains. |
|
|
|
Do you think it's warranted to lower the standard of care for
patients who smoke? (Source: NRM
physicians survey December 15, 2005, Vol 2 No 21)
|
| 14% |
YES, patients who smoke
are aware of the health risks and should have to deal with the consequences. |
| 86% |
NO, all patients deserve
the same care, regardless of their addictions. |
|
|
| Is metabolic
hormone research the way to go to tackle Canada’s weight problem?
(Source: NRM physicians survey November
30, 2005, Vol 2 No 20) |
| 35% |
YES. Public health
campaigns clearly aren’t working |
| 65% |
NO. Obesity is a social
– not a biological - issue |
|
|
|
Would
you 'fire' patients who refused vaccines? (Source:
NRM physicians survey November 15, 2005, Vol 2 No 19)
|
| 3% |
YES.
There's no point continuing if we don't share the same goals |
| 97% |
NO.
I have to respect their right to refuse — but I would try to
dissuade them |
|
|
| Would vaccinating
young girls against HPV encourage them to become sexually active?
(Source: NRM physicians survey
October 30, 2005, Vol 2 No 18) |
| 1% |
YES.
It's tantamount to telling them it's ok to have sex. |
|
46%
|
NO.
Vaccines don't make kids have sex. It's a lack of education that's
the problem. |
| 53% |
It doesn't
matter. This is not a moral issue, it's about protecting women from
cervical cancer. |
|
| Are
Canadian hospitals doing enough to protect patients against superbugs
like C. difficile? (Source: NRM
physicians survey October 15, 2005, Vol 2 No 17) |
| 27% |
YES,
Microbes will always survive, no matter what we throw at them. |
| 37% |
NO.
The outbreaks prove our hospitals are in dire need of a cleanup. |
| 40% |
It's
hard to say. No one really know where these new strains will take
us. |
|
| With
yet another warning from experts about the migration of the avian
flu, are we becoming desensitized to the threat? (Source:
NRM physicians survey September 30, 2005, Vol 2 No 16) |
| 26% |
Crying
wolf is just causing vaccine hoarding |
| 37% |
The
sky (and the odd dead seagull) really is falling |
| 36% |
It
doesn't matter. We simply can't guard against all possible strains |
|
| Should
government provide pensions to fee-for-service physicians: (Source:
NRM physicians survey September 15, 2005, Vol 2 No 15) |
| 78% |
It
would take a huge worry off and help doctors in Canada |
| 22% |
Unless
a physician is on salary, pensions don't make sense |
|
| I
think the July Phenomenon: (Source: NRM
physicians survey August 30, 2005, Vol 2 No 14) |
| 50% |
Is
a reality — it stands to reason greenhorns will make more mistakes
|
| 27% |
Doesn’t
exist — safeguards prevent it |
| 23% |
Just
scares residents into being more careful |
|
|
Should physicians
be able to profit from imaging referrals? (Source:
NRM physicians survey July 30, 2005, Vol 2 No 13)
|
| 64% |
NO.
It inevitably leads to conflicts of interest |
| 21% |
YES.
But only if they have no financial stake in the imaging clinic |
| 15% |
Yes.
It's a free country |
| |
more poll results....
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