Physicians' Update

Recent Articles (September 2019)

Substance Use Disorder Screening Tools can identify substance use and related problems in primary care settings; four new tools with applicability to cannabis use are described.
Montfort Renaissance’s Service Access to Recovery is a bilingual service that supports patients 16 years and older who are concerned about their cannabis use and want to understand and discuss treatment options.

The Ontario Infant Hearing Program and Newborn Screening Ontario have partnered to offer the Hearing Loss Risk Factor Blood Spot screening for risk factors which could lead to Permanent Hearing Loss in early childhood. Timely identification of symptomatic infants is crucial in meeting treatment eligibility.
No extra blood is required for the Hearing Loss Risk Factor Blood Spot screen. When parental consent is obtained by the Ontario Infant Hearing Program, Newborn Screening Ontario will use the same sample collected for routine newborn screening to further test the infant’s blood spot sample.
The Infant Hearing Program will continue to provide the same physiological infant hearing screening in the community. Hearing screenings are now available in 15 locations across the region; screening is no longer completed in area hospitals.

October is Children’s Vision Health Month. Find children’s vision health resources on Parenting in Ottawa , including links for parents to find an optometrist in their area and assistance for the cost of prescription glasses.
If not identified early, some eye problems such as amblyopia can permanently reduce a child’s vision. Treatment for amblyopia is more successful before age 7.
A valid Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) card covers an annual, full comprehensive eye examination plus any follow-up assessments that may be required for children and youth aged 0 to 19 years.