Latest / Morning Medical with Dr. Chow / Martha's Rule in England, Winnipeg ER Wait Times, and Sweeteners' Cognitive Impact

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Martha's Rule in England, Winnipeg ER Wait Times, and Sweeteners' Cognitive Impact · Morning Medical with Dr. Chow

• 0:00
  Good morning, everyone!
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  Welcome to another episode of Morning Medical with Dr.
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  Chow.
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  I'm your host, Dr.
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  Chi-Ming Chow.
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  In today's episode, we're diving into some important updates in the world of healthcare,
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  starting with a heartening development out of England.
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  Today, we're discussing the rollout of "Martha's Rule" across all acute hospitals in
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  England.
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  This initiative is named after Martha Mills, a young girl who tragically passed away at the
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  age of thirteen due to sepsis.
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  Her family's concerns about her care were not addressed adequately, leading to a campaign for
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  change.
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  Now, Martha's Rule is providing families with a lifeline to seek urgent second opinions if
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  they're worried about the care their loved ones are receiving.
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  Since its pilot launch in April 2024, Martha's Rule has been implemented in 143 hospital sites
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  across England.
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  The results have been significant, with nearly five thousand calls made to the helpline.
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  Out of these calls, 241 led to potentially life-saving interventions.
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  This initiative empowers families, carers, and patients to speak up and request an urgent
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  review from a critical care team if they notice any deterioration in the patient's condition
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  and feel their concerns are not being taken seriously.
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  Martha's mother, Merope Mills, has been a vocal advocate for this change.
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  She emphasized the importance of a more equal doctor-patient relationship and celebrated the
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  rollout on what would have been Martha's eighteenth birthday.
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  Merope Mills has also called for the expansion of this rule to cover the entire United
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  Kingdom, citing the need for equal access to such a crucial safety net.
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  The data from NHS England highlights the effectiveness of Martha's Rule.
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  Of the calls made, a significant portion led to changes in care, addressing delays in
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  investigations or treatments, and resolving communication issues.
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  This initiative not only saves lives but also fosters better communication and understanding
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  between medical professionals and families.
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  The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has expressed gratitude to NHS staff and the Mills
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  family for their efforts.
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  He has promised to share the results with his counterparts in Scotland, Wales, and Northern
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  Ireland, with hopes of implementing similar systems across the UK.
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  Merope Mills shared a touching email from a listener who believes that Martha's Rule saved
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  a child's life in their family.
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  This story is a powerful reminder that while we may not always see ourselves as patients, any
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  of us could find ourselves in need of this kind of support.
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  The impact of Martha's Rule is still being evaluated, with hopes for future expansion into
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  hospitals that provide longer-term care and other healthcare settings.
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  Meanwhile, similar initiatives are being considered in other parts of the UK, such as
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  the Call4Concern scheme in Wales.
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  Let's turn our attention to Winnipeg, where patients and healthcare professionals are
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  grappling with a persistent issue: long emergency room wait times.
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  Some patients at Winnipeg emergency rooms have been vocal about their frustrations, and the
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  Manitoba Nurses Union has observed a rise in wait times across the city over the last two
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  months.
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  Take the case of Arlene Kennington, a Winnipeg resident who found herself returning to the
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  Health Sciences Centre's emergency department for a second time.
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  On Tuesday, she sought medical care due to alarming symptoms such as loss of vision and
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  hearing, coupled with extreme dizziness.
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  After undergoing some initial tests, she was asked to wait in the waiting room.
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  After eight hours of waiting, from approximately one in the afternoon until nine
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  in the evening, she decided to leave.
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  "And you do not see a doctor for eight hours.
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  You might as well go home and feel like that where you're comfortable," she shared,
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  expressing her fear and frustration.
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  Arlene's decision to leave was influenced by other patients sharing their experiences of
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  waiting upwards of twenty hours for care.
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  Staff cautioned her about the long delays, with a night nurse mentioning potential extended
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  wait times.
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  With her symptoms persisting, Arlene reached out to her physician, who insisted she return
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  to the emergency room, regardless of the wait time.
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  Another patient, Norm Penton, had a slightly different experience.
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  He visited the Health Sciences Centre on Tuesday with neck and back issues and was seen
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  relatively quickly.
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  However, he noticed others were not as fortunate.
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  "There were a few ladies that came in triage with me, and when I woke up this morning they
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  were still in the waiting room, more than twenty hours," he recounted.
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  The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's website, My Right Care, provides real-time
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  snapshots of current wait times at various emergency departments.
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  On Wednesday evening, St.
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  Boniface Hospital and the Health Sciences Centre's adult emergency department reported
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  the longest wait times, at ten and ten and a half hours respectively.
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  Grace Hospital had a wait time of seven and a quarter hours, while the Children's Hospital
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  was at four and a quarter hours.
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  These figures serve as a guide and can change rapidly, according to a spokesperson for the
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  health authority.
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  Despite efforts by the Manitoba government to address the issue, such as forming a Lower Wait
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  Time and System Improvement Team in May, progress seems elusive.
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  This team was designed to strategize and alleviate blockages in the healthcare system,
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  but the Manitoba Nurses Union President, Darlene Jackson, has voiced concerns over the
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  lack of noticeable improvement.
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  "We have not seen a reduction in wait times, so I'm not sure what's happening with that team
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  right now," she remarked, expressing hope that the team would not merely serve as a temporary
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  fix.
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  The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority attributes some of the recent surges in
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  emergency room volume to the aftermath of the Labour Day long weekend.
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  A spokesperson highlighted that emergency department volumes and wait times can fluctuate
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  significantly, influenced by ever-changing demands.
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  They assured that protocols are in place to manage capacity and ensure urgent care needs
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  are prioritized.
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  Nonetheless, they acknowledged the challenge faced by Manitobans who expect timely,
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  high-quality healthcare when they need it.
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  Our final story today takes us to the world of nutrition and brain health.
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  A recent study published in the journal Neurology sheds light on the potential
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  cognitive risks associated with the consumption of artificial sweeteners, particularly in
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  middle-aged adults.
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  This study, led by Dr.
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  Claudia Kimie Suemoto from the University of São Paulo, followed over twelve thousand civil
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  servants in Brazil for a median period of eight years.
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  The findings are quite intriguing, especially for those between the ages of thirty-five and
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  fifty-nine.
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  The research indicates that higher intakes of low-calorie and no-calorie artificial
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  sweeteners are linked to faster cognitive decline in middle-aged individuals.
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  This decline was observed in both verbal fluency and global cognition.
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  Interestingly, the study found no such association in individuals aged sixty and
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  older.
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  It seems that the impact of these sweeteners may be more pronounced in the middle years of
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  life, a time when many people are juggling numerous responsibilities and stressors.
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  The study specifically highlighted the consumption of sweeteners such as aspartame,
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  saccharin, acesulfame-k, erythritol, sorbitol, and xylitol.
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  These were associated with faster declines in memory and verbal fluency.
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  However, the natural sugar tagatose did not show any link to cognitive decline.
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  This suggests that not all sweeteners are created equal when it comes to their effects on
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  our brain health.
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  For people with diabetes, who are more likely to use artificial sweeteners as sugar
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  substitutes, the highest levels of sweetener consumption were linked with faster downturns
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  in memory and global cognition.
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  This underscores the need for further research to confirm these findings and explore
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  alternative sweeteners that might be safer for brain health, such as applesauce, honey, maple
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  syrup, or coconut sugar.
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  Dr.
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  Thomas Holland from Rush Medical College in Chicago commented on the study, noting the
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  potential implications for clinicians.
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  He pointed out that the vascular effects of some sweeteners, like erythritol, could raise
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  concerns for brain health, especially since cerebrovascular disease underlies many forms of
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  dementia.
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  The study's rigorous statistical modeling strengthens the confidence in these cognitive
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  associations.
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  The researchers used food frequency questionnaires to assess the participants'
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  sweetener consumption, grouping them into tertiles.
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  Those in the highest tertile consumed an average of one hundred ninety-one milligrams
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  per day, with sorbitol being the most consumed sweetener.
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  While the study provides valuable insights, the authors acknowledge the limitations, such as
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  potential misreporting bias and the fact that food consumption was measured only once at
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  baseline.
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  As we continue to uncover more about the relationship between diet and brain health,
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  this study is a reminder of the importance of being mindful of what we consume, particularly
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  in our middle years.
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  The conversation around artificial sweeteners and their potential impacts on cognitive
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  function is far from over, and further research will be crucial in shaping dietary guidelines.
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  And that wraps up today's episode of Morning Medical with Dr.
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  Chow.
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  I hope you found these updates informative and thought-provoking.
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  Remember, staying informed is the first step towards better health.
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  Join me again tomorrow as we continue to explore the ever-evolving world of medical and
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  health news.
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  Until then, take care and stay healthy!