Farewell to Dr. Grad, breast cancer update and more – Winter 2023 – Issue #36

After 10 years in many roles, Dr. Roland Grad, a family doctor and associate professor, is saying goodbye to the Task Force.

Dr. Grad most recently served as Interim Co-Chair of the Task Force with Dr. Brenda Wilson from 2021- 2023, providing guidance and advice after the sudden loss of Dr. Ainsley Moore. He leaves an impressive legacy, chairing three guidelines, acting as vice-chair on two others and contributing as a working group member on three more. From screening for prostate cancer to screening for Hepatitis C, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, potentially inappropriate prescribing and more, Dr. Grad made important contributions.

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• The recent Family Medicine Forum in Montreal earlier this fall was a great chance to meet family physicians from across the country. Traffic was steady at the Task Force booth, with more than 280 visitors dropping by to learn about the group or pick up decision tools on screening for prostate, lung and breast cancer, abdominal aortic aneurysm, thyroid dysfunction and more.

• Task Force members Drs. Guylene Theriault and Donna Reynolds presented “Time needed to screen and treat” in a Canadian guideline for primary prevention of fragility fractures at the Guidelines International Network (GIN) conference earlier this fall. To help clinicians implement the new guideline, the group developed an infographic to visually address the perceived barrier to a risk assessment-first approach, summarizing the effect of screening for each approach, with the expected time of repeated screening of people from ages 50 or 65 up to 85 years. There was lively discussion amongst attendees, including consideration of using “time needed to screen” or “time-effectiveness” during guideline development.

• The Task Force hosted an in-person booth at the Congrès annuel de médecine 2023 conference in Montréal earlier in October.

• Screening for primary prevention of fragility fractures: how much time does it take?

• The Decibel The controversy over lowering the age of breast cancer screening – The Globe and Mail

• Debunking myths about screening

• Former Task Force member Dr. Nav Persaud has published a new guideline Preventive care recommendations to promote health equity. With 16 recommendations, the guideline aims to promote health equity for people who may be disadvantaged because of racism, sexism and other factors.

• Dissemination and implementation of clinical practice guidelines: a longitudinal, mixed-methods evaluation of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care knowledge translation efforts

• Screening for primary prevention of fragility fractures

• Health equity considerations in guideline development: a rapid scoping review

Update On Preventive Health Care With A Spotlight On The Primary Prevention Of Fragility Fractures – a CFPC webinar by Dr. Roland Grad.

Federal task force to weigh mammogram screening age amid debate over starting at 40

Osteoporosis Canada Updates Bone Health Guideline