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Martha Rivers Porado

@marthaporado.bsky.social

1.7K followers 6.4K following 230 posts

Editor of the independent go-to news source for Canada’s doctors and pharmacists: CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca, online home of the Medical Post and Pharmacy Practice + Business magazines #MedSky I've seen more movies than you.

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · Nov 11

The Medical Post's Doc Daily newsletter has all the news you need as a Canadian physician in one place (for free!):
-Clinical insights from new studies
-Opinions from your peers
-Political news pertaining to the profession
-Quizzes, contests and more! canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca?view=register

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

The Medical Post Magazine @themedicalpost.bsky.social · 6d

Which children are at high risk for long QT syndrome?

Children and adolescents with long QT syndrome, a rare genetic heart disease, are at significant risk of developing life-threatening arrhythmias, according to a German study.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

The Medical Post Magazine @themedicalpost.bsky.social · 5d

Reason #53: A single subscription, multiple ways to stay informed. Get the content you need through our newsletters, the full magazine, and our peer-to-peer discussion areas. The Medical Post delivers information across all platforms to meet your professional needs.

#MedicalPost60
buff.ly/ReWhkdB

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

The Medical Post Magazine @themedicalpost.bsky.social · 5d

Patients who were intoxicated during the assault or while seeking treatment after the fact face greater difficulty accessing sexual assault evidence kits (SAEKs), according to a new study published in the journal Violence Against Women this summer.

Who does and doesn't get a sexual assault evidence kit in hospital?

‘They are not supposed to withhold care based on whether they believe an assault survivor’s claims, yet our data suggest that some rural healthcare providers do precisely that.’

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

Pharmacy Practice + Business magazine @pharmacypractice.bsky.social · 12d

BREAKING: Premature baby dies of measles in Alberta

Premature baby dies of measles in Alberta

In July, Alberta recorded the most measles cases in North America on a per-capita basis.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

The Medical Post Magazine @themedicalpost.bsky.social · 13d

If patients have patchy hair, hair loss, or hair that won’t grow because it keeps breaking off, a contributing culprit could be the type of hair brush they are using. Here's out guide to 10 different brush types and what they're actually for!

Untangling which brushes can exacerbate hair problems for your patients

If patients have patchy hair, hair loss, or hair that won’t grow because it keeps breaking off, a contributing culprit could be the type of hair brush they are using.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 15d

Leaving family med: Filling a community need in diabetic wound care

‘The gratification that one gets when you are able to save a person's limb, that's pretty big . . .. That kind of a win doesn't occur too often in family medicine.’

Leaving family med: Filling a community need in diabetic wound care

‘The gratification that one gets when you are able to save a person's limb, that's pretty big . . .. That kind of a win doesn't occur too often in family medicine.’

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 15d

How to increase the number of Indigenous physicians in Canada: report

A new impact paper based on lived experience outlines ways to eliminate barriers.

How to increase the number of Indigenous physicians in Canada: report

A new impact paper based on lived experience outlines ways to eliminate barriers.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 15d

New Canadian consensus guidelines on managing male and female pattern hair loss

A panel of Canadian experts has developed consensus recommendations for the management of androgenetic alopecia in male and female adults.

New Canadian consensus guidelines on managing male and female pattern hair loss

A panel of Canadian experts has developed consensus recommendations for the management of androgenetic alopecia in male and female adults.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

Colin Leslie @colinleslie.bsky.social · Sep 9

It was 60 years ago this week that the Medical Post was first published and we have a great web page with fun highlights of the Medical Post’s past, quizzes and more: canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/medicalpost60

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 18d

Let's discuss: How do you talk to pregnant and hope-to-be pregnant patients about pain and fever relief?

A deluge of questions could be coming your way.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 19d

I mean..........

Interim report on Alberta health contract scandal not finished, won't be made public

Athana Mentzelopoulos claims individuals high in government interfered in overpriced health deals for private surgical companies and medical suppliers while she was head of Alberta Health Services.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

Susan Kaye Quinn is Writing Solarpunk 🌞🌱 @susankayequinn.bsky.social · 20d

They've lost the 9yos

JA Westenberg
@Daojoan@mastodon.social

My 9 year old and his classmates have started using “that’s AI” to mean “I don’t believe you.”

Me: we’re having dinosaur meat for dinner

Kiddo: that’s AI
Sep 24, 2025, 07:36 AM

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 20d

Infectious Disease physicians welcome you all. We have been in this state perpetually since 2020!

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

Ashley Lynch ✂️🎞️ @ashleylynch.bsky.social · 21d

Curb Your Enthusiasm theme

Reid Southen @rahll.bsky.social · 21d

Surprise surprise, I've been saying this for years.

petapixel.com/2025/09/23/m...

Article, movie studio Lionsgate is struggling to make AI generated films with partner Runway, their catalog is too small, even Disney's is too small.

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes @lemoustier.bsky.social · 25d

🧪 How many times and in what different ways do we need confirmation that genAI is crap for anything except the simplest tasks?
*Because it doesn't read, or comprehend, or think*.

(also, hilariously, it's the same AI Oxford Uni has just paid some huge sum to licence for all staff & students)

Screen grab of article text:
"Science

The results were mixed. The LLM did
summarize scientific fndings in
language that was accessible to
nonexperts it avoided technical terms
and jargon, for example). It also
effectively summed up commentary
content, such as Science's Policy Forums, for a lay audience. However, it tended to sacrifice accuracy for simplicity. The
ChatGPT Plus summaries required
rigorous fact-checking by SciPak writers.
Also, extensive editing for hyperbole was
needed. For example, ChatGPT Plus had
a fondness for using the word
"groundbreaking." It also struggled to
highlight more than one result from
multifaceted studies. When asked to

summarize two papers at once, it could
only cover the first of the two submitted.
It ultimately defaulted to jargon if
challenged with research particularly
dense in information, detail, and
complexity."

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 26d

Some of these headlines might seem . . . a little dated 😆. But others look like we used them in our Doctor Daily newsletter just yesterday.

Take the Medical Post's anniversary quiz to see if your knowledge of Canadian medical history can help you guess what year we published these headlines.

QUIZ: When did the Medical Post publish these headlines?

We look back at 60 years of headlines to take a stroll through medical history in Canada—but sometimes headlines could just as easily have been written today.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

Montreal Gazette @mtlgazette.bsky.social · 27d

COVID vaccines no longer free for all Quebecers — here’s who still qualifies

The Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires estimates that the total bill could be between $150 and $180.

bit.ly

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 27d

"The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada revisited its position in light of reports questioning whether there is a link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism in children."

Canadian obstetricians say Tylenol is still safe to take in pregnancy after position review

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada revisited its position in light of reports questioning whether there is a link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism in childr...

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 27d

Slenyto: first Rx melatonin product for treating insomnia in children with ASD

Health Canada is also proposing to add ‘melatonin or its salts’ to the Prescription Drug List when used for any sleep-related use in the general pediatric population.

Slenyto: first Rx melatonin product for treating insomnia in children with ASD

Health Canada is also proposing to add ‘melatonin or its salts’ to the Prescription Drug List when used for any sleep-related use in the general pediatric population.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

Tara Moriarty @moriartylab.bsky.social · 28d

Canadian COVID Forecast: Sep 13 - Sep 26, 2025
Severe: NL, PEI, SK
Very high: CAN, AB, BC, MB, NB, North, NS, ON
High: QC
Moderate: none

About 1 in 81 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.

This image shows gauges with the September 13-26, 2025 COVID Forecast scores for Canada, the provinces, & territories. From left to right:

Canada: 13.4 - VERY HIGH
Alberta: 14.8 - VERY HIGH
British Columbia: 14.1 - VERY HIGH
Manitoba: 14.4 - VERY HIGH
New Brunswick: 14.6 - VERY HIGH
Newfoundland and Labrador: 15.8 - SEVERE
North: 14.1 - VERY HIGH
Nova Scotia: 14.7 - VERY HIGH
Ontario: 14.9 - VERY HIGH
Prince Edward Island: 15.6 - SEVERE
Quebec: 9.8 - HIGH
Saskatchewan: 15.1 - SEVERE

A text box reads: "The COVID Forecast is calculated from 3 equally weighted categories: 1) Current infections and spread; 2) Healthcare system impact; 3) Mortality. Within each category, there is one sub-category for trends over the most recent week (Trends) and one sub-category for current parameter values relative to a specified baseline (Current values). Trends and current values are weighted equally when determining the final score for a category. All Forecast input data and sources are available here (https://datastudio.google.com/embed/u/0/reporting/42b886cf-d661-488e-b7d8-5c5836b55ab6/page/p_2yqs028mwc). Past Forecast scores are available in the table below. Forecast scores are grouped into 4 ranges: MODERATE (1 to <5, white), HIGH (6 to <10, yellow), VERY HIGH (10 to <15, orange), SEVERE (>15, red)."

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 29d

The Medical Post (@themedicalpost.bsky.social) officially turned 60 on Sunday.

I was already proud to work in independent journalism serving healthcare pros, but looking back over decades of headlines and the medical history they're tied to is really something.

Headlines from over 60 years at the Medical Post

Here is a highly selective, and occasionally offbeat, trip across six decades of medical history, using archival headlines from the Medical Post (and our online home, CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca), su...

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 29d

COVID cases rising in several provinces | CBC News

Wastewater and other disease indicators for COVID are beginning to increase in parts of Canada, infectious disease physicians say, as students and teachers return to school and people begin to congreg...

www.cbc.ca

Martha Rivers Porado @marthaporado.bsky.social · 29d

The Pitt and other medical shows finally acknowledge 'backbone' of health care: Filipino nurses | CBC News

Filipino nurses and support workers are essential to Canada's health-care system, yet they have frequently been under-represented in media portrayals. But two new medical shows are shining a light on ...

www.cbc.ca

Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

National Media Awards Foundation @canadamediaawards.bsky.social · Sep 12

📚 #B2BReadingList

🏆 Best How-To Article or Series — @themedicalpost.bsky.social
In Clinic, @kylietaggart.bsky.social shares evidence-based tips for physicians on sleep, fertility, and pain. Smart, timely, and practical.

🔗 zurl.co/YJ2Vo

#NMAB2B #HealthJournalism #MedicalMedia

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Reposted by Martha Rivers Porado

The Medical Post Magazine @themedicalpost.bsky.social · 29d

Marking a medical career in anniversaries

From the terror of year one to the golden reflections at 50, each anniversary tells a story of growth, survival and service.

Marking a medical career in anniversaries

From the terror of year one to the golden reflections at 50, each anniversary tells a story of growth, survival and service.

canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca

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