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23 Sep 2020

De/Implement: CWC Implementation Research Webinar Series | Patient Perspectives on Reducing Unnecessary Prescription Medications: Lessons from a De-implementation Study
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
De/Implement is a monthly webinar series about the application of implementation science to reduce unnecessary tests and treatments in health care. Hear national and international experts discuss evidence-based strategies to de-implement common and routine practices that do not add value to patient care.
Event Details
22 Sep 2020

Taking the Challenge: Using Blood Wisely Launch Events
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Choosing Wisely Canada and Canadian Blood Services are launching a new campaign that challenges hospitals to reduce inappropriate red blood cell transfusions. Join one of the two launch events to kick-start your efforts with the Using Blood Wisely campaign. Ready to take the challenge? Register here for the September 22 launch event.
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9 Sep 2020

Choosing Wisely Talks | Safeguarding the National Blood Supply: Donations, appropriate use, and planning for the future in uncertain times.
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
This month, we’re talking blood stewardship. Blood is a vital but limited resource that’s affected by donation levels at one end of the supply chain and transfusion practices at the other end. What are some strategies for ensuring that Canada’s health care system has a healthy blood supply? Join a panel of experts in a conversation about this vitally important topic.
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29 Jul 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Pandemic Pregnancy: Interim Schedule and Safety Considerations for Prenatal Visits During COVID-19
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On July 29, Dr. Tali Bogler, Family Physician at St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team led a conversation on an interim schedule for prenatal care to reduce unnecessary in-person contact during COVID-19.

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22 Jul 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Perspective and Response of the Canadian Nurses Association to the Unintended Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On July 22, Aden Hamza, Policy Advisor at the Canadian Nurse Association (CNA), led a conversation on CNA’s policy initiatives and advocacy efforts to support nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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15 Jul 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Ramping Up In-Person Office Visits in Primary Care in the Aftermath of COVID-19
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On July 15, Dr. Tara Kiran, Family Physician at St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team led a conversation on how to weigh the benefits and risks of virtual and in-person care for patients and providers as we ramp up in-office primary care services.

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8 Jul 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Choosing Wisely in Virtual Care as we Emerge from the COVID-19 Pandemic
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On July 8, Dr. Sacha Bhatia, Chief Medical Innovation Officer at Women’s College Hospital and Cardiologist, led a conversation on the shift to virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic and what this means for the future of our health care system.
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24 Jun 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Sustainably and Safely Supporting the Medical Needs of Long-Term Care Residents in the COVID-19 Pandemic
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On June 24, Dr. Andrea Moser, a family physician at Baycrest Geriatric Health Sciences, led a conversation on avoiding unnecessary transfers to hospital for long-term care (LTC) residents and efforts to provide increased medical care and supports in LTC.
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17 Jun 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Ensuring Appropriateness and Quality in Cancer Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On June 17, Dr. Christopher Hillis, Hematologist at Hamilton Health Sciences, led a conversation on how applying resource stewardship principles can contribute to safe and quality cancer care during and as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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10 Jun 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Reintroducing Surgery without Reintroducing Low Value Care
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On June 10, Dr. Eric Bohm, Orthopaedic Surgeon and Dr. Thomas Mutter, Anesthesiologist from the University of Manitoba led a conversation on avoiding the re-introduction of routine preoperative testing for low-risk surgeries that do not add value to patient care.
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3 Jun 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Re-opening, Warily: Re-Thinking Clinical Practice in a Time of Physical Distancing
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On June 3, Dr. Roland Grad, Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine at McGill University led a conversation on re-thinking and prioritize primary care services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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26 May 2020

Choosing Wisely Canada’s Virtual National Meeting
11:00am EST - 4:00pm EST
Choosing Wisely Canada is offering a virtual event to highlight the efforts of our community since we cannot come together in person. Join us on Tuesday, May 26 from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2 p.m.–4 p.m. for our Virtual National Meeting, in collaboration with the Canadian Medical Association. The virtual event is free and open for anyone who is interested in joining.
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20 May 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Choosing Wisely in Emergency Medicine During COVID-19
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On May 20, Dr. Constance LeBlanc, Associate Dean in the Office of Continuing Professional Development, Department of Emergency Medicine at Dalhousie University, led a discussion on how emergency medicine has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring patients visiting emergency departments are accessing appropriate care.
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13 May 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Pivoting During the Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities for Continuing Professional Development and Choosing Wisely
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On May 13, Dr. Kelly Burak, Associate Dean of Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, led a conversation on pivoting during the pandemic and the challenges of planning for the future in these uncertain times.
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6 May 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Advance Care Planning and Goals of Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On May 6, Dr. Amit Arya, Lecturer, Division of Palliative Care at McMaster University and Assistant Professor at University of Toronto, led a conversation on the importance of advance care planning and goals of care discussions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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29 Apr 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Safety Considerations with Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin in the Management of COVID-19
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On April 29, Dr. David Juurlink, internist and head of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, led a discussion on safety considerations with chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in the management of COVID-19.
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22 Apr 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Less is More: Resource Stewardship in Primary Care During COVID-19
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On April 22, Dr. Kimberly Wintemute, a family physician in Toronto and Primary Care Co-Lead for Choosing Wisely Canada, led a conversation on the reorganization of primary care clinics in response to COVID-19.
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15 Apr 2020

Weekly Virtual Gatherings During COVID-19 | Using Resources Wisely in the Time of COVID-19
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On April 15, Dr. Wendy Levinson, Chair of Choosing Wisely Canada, and Dr. Sandra Vandero, Slow Medicine Italy, led a conversation on the new Choosing Wisely recommendations and the immediate response efforts to COVID-19.
Event Details
1 Apr 2020

Choosing Wisely Talks | Quality Improvement Fundamentals: Implementing Choosing Wisely in Primary Care: POSTPONED
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Recognizing this is a busy time for health care professionals, we have decided to postpone the webinar to allow for more participation in the future. We are considering new dates to reschedule the webinar and will be in touch as soon as possible.
Event Details
18 Mar 2020

De/Implement: CWC Implementation Research Webinar Series | Patient Perspectives on Reducing Unnecessary Prescription Medications: Lessons from a De-implementation Study: POSTPONED
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Recognizing this is a busy time for health care professionals, we have decided to postpone the webinar to allow for more participation in the future. We are considering new dates to reschedule the webinar and will be in touch as soon as possible.

Event Details
4 Mar 2020

Choosing Wisely Talks | Treating the Side Effects of Drugs with More Drugs: Strategies for Coping with Prescribing Cascades
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Join Dr. Barb Farrell, pharmacist in the Geriatric Day Hospital at Bruyère Continuing Care and Scientist with the Bruyère Research Institute in Ottawa, and Dr. Lisa McCarthy, pharmacist and Scientist at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, on Wednesday March 4th, where they will introduce the concept of prescribing cascades, present common examples and discuss the evolving understanding of how to prevent, investigate and manage them.
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19 Feb 2020

De/Implement: CWC Implementation Research Webinar Series | Using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to Identify Barriers/Enablers to Implementing Choosing Wisely Canada Recommendations
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
This webinar will provide an overview of using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to identify barriers and enablers to inform selecting strategies for implementing Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations. Join us on Wednesday February 19, with Dr. Amanda Hall, an Assistant Professor in the Primary Healthcare Research Unit in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University and Dr. Justin Presseau, Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Assistant Professor in the School of Epidemiology & Public Health and School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa.
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5 Feb 2020

Choosing Wisely Talks | Identifying Barriers and Implementing Approaches to Reducing Unnecessary Diagnostic Imaging
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Diagnostic imaging is one of the largest areas of medical overuse. As demand for these services remains high, inappropriate imaging can significantly impact system capacity and increase wait times. For conditions such as low back pain (LBP) and osteoarthritis of the knee, imaging is often a routine part of care but usually will not help patients get better. On Wednesday, February 5, we will be joined by Dr. Amanda Hall to hear how physician-reported barriers to using evidence-based recommendations for LBP in clinical practice could be driving inappropriate LBP imaging. We will also be joined by Dr. Greg Garvin to share St. Joseph’s Health Care London experience with reducing inappropriate MRI knee studies after implementation of an appropriateness checklist.
Event Details
29 Jan 2020

De/Implement: CWC Implementation Research Webinar Series | Audit and Feedback as a Tool for De-Implementation
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Presenting on Audit and Feedback (A&F) for this month’s IRN De/Implement webinar is Dr. Jamie Brehaut, a Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and an Associate Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa. Participants will gain insight on the literature surrounding the efficacy of A&F interventions for de-implementation and will learn about recent recommendations and ongoing research efforts to improve A&F interventions.
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22 Jan 2020

Becoming a Choosing Wisely Canada Hospital
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
A number of hospitals across Canada have taken significant steps to eliminate unnecessary tests and treatments and in the process, have become Choosing Wisely Canada Hospitals. Find out how your hospital can be part of this movement.
Event Details
15 Jan 2020

De/Implement: CWC Implementation Research Webinar Series | Health Care Providers are People Too: Applying Behavioural Approaches to Target Choosing Wisely Canada Recommendations
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
This webinar will provide an overview of how contemporary behavioural theories and frameworks can aid with the development of Choosing Wisely Canada de-implementation initiatives. Join us on Wednesday, January 15 at 12:00 p.m. (ET) for this webinar presented by Dr. Andrea Patey, a Senior Research Associate at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Assistant Professor (adjunct) in the Faculty of Medicine, Queen’s University.
Event Details
8 Jan 2020

Choosing Wisely Talks | Knowledge to Action: Why we Need Quality Improvement in the Emergency Department
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Emergency Departments (EDs) are often the highest volume area of a hospital, in part due to their provision of care for patients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With increasingly large patient volumes and growing pressure to manage patients as efficiently as possible, comes the potential for overuse of tests and treatments. Join emergency physicians Drs. Lucas Chartier and Shawn Dowling on Wednesday, January 8 at 12 p.m. (ET), as they discuss the synergy of quality improvement and Choosing Wisely in the ED, including compelling cases and examples. The goals of the webinar are to have attendees reflect on their work and how they can incorporate these ideas locally.
Event Details
18 Dec 2019

De/Implement: CWC Implementation Research Webinar Series | Appropriate Prescribing: The MedSafer Study for Safer Prescribing in Older Hospitalized Adults
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Many older adults are often prescribed multiple medications for different health conditions. While some of these medications are necessary, polypharmacy and inappropriate medication use can be harmful and result in poor outcomes in older adults.
This webinar will provide an overview of the usage of polypharmacy and deprescribing within Canada. Join us on Wednesday December 18, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. (ET) for this webinar presented by Dr. Emily McDonald, an attending physician at the McGill University Health Centre, and an Assistant Professor at McGill University.

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4 Dec 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | Building Quality Improvement Capacity to Enable Choosing Wisely Implementation
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
It is widely recognized that implementing Choosing Wisely recommendations is a necessary next step to achieving system-level improvements in health care. However, a lack of capacity among health professions can be a key challenge in driving successful implementation efforts to reduce unnecessary use of health care resources. On Wednesday, December 4th Dr. Brian Wong, Associate Professor and Director of Continuing Education and Quality Improvement in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, will be joining us to describe innovative strategies aimed at building capacity through training and education across the learning continuum.
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20 Nov 2019

De/Implement: CWC Implementation Research Webinar Series | Measuring Low-Value Care in Canada
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Canadian low-value care experts, Dr. Sacha Bhatia and Mr. Zachary Bouck discuss their lessons learned from the measurement and evaluation of Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations; benchmarking unnecessary ordering practices and creating indicators in both acute and primary care settings that have been adopted locally and nationally.
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13 Nov 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | Double Down on Antimicrobial Stewardship: Practical Ways to Use Antibiotics Wisely to Manage Respiratory and Urinary Tract Infection in Community Practice
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
The Using Antibiotics Wisely campaign has leveraged antimicrobial stewardship efforts to reduce unnecessary antibiotics for the two most inappropriately treated conditions: respiratory tract infections (RTI) in primary care and urinary tract infections (UTI) in long-term care. Join Drs. Jerome Leis and Andrea Moser on Wednesday, November 13 for a review of practical tips on how to use antibiotics judiciously in the management of these conditions, based on practice change recommendations developed by healthcare professional across the country.
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8 Nov 2019

Choosing Wisely Canada: Your Questions Answered
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Choosing Wisely Canada is hosting a one-hour webinar for patients and the public to learn more about the campaign. The webinar will be presented by Choosing Wisely Canada's Dr. Wendy Levinson, Chair and Todd Sikorski and Amy Ma, Patient and Public Advisors.
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30 Oct 2019

The College of Family Physicians of Canada: Family Medicine Forum 2019
Oct 30, 7:00am PST - Nov 2, 7:00pm PST
Taking place at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Family Medicine Forum is an annual conference for family physicians, hosted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Event Details
25 Oct 2019

2019 Choosing Wisely with Academic Detailing Conference
Oct 25, 8:30am AST - Oct 27, 12:00pm AST
Hosted by Choosing Wisely NS, the 2019 Choosing Wisely with Academic Detailing Conference is a one and a half day small group event designed to engage audiences in case based, inter-professional informed discussions.

Event Details
2 Oct 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | Addressing Patient Requests for Unnecessary Test and Treatments: The Art of Conversation
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Best evidence suggests the patient you are seeing right now doesn’t need imaging for their low back pain. The patient thinks imaging will help his recovery like it did for his neighbor. There are other patients in the waiting room and you’re already behind. What do you do? Can you communicate the message that imaging is not needed, build trust, and stay on time?
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23 Sep 2019

Practising Wisely | Reducing Unnecessary Testing and Treatment
9:00am EST - 4:00pm EST
Hosted by the Ontario College of Family Physicians, Practising Wisely will focus on reducing over-prescribing, over-imaging, over-screening and over-monitoring.
Event Details
19 Sep 2019

Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario: 2019 Conference
Sep 19, 8:00am EST - Sep 20, 6:00pm EST
Taking place at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Ontario, AFHTO's 'Health System Integration Built on the Foundation of Team-Based Primary Health Care' features many relevant Choosing Wisely themes including patient and family-centred care, and comprehensive team-based care.
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18 Sep 2019

De/Implement: CWC Implementation Research Webinar Series | It Ain’t (Just) What You Do, it’s (Also) The Way That You Do It: An Introduction to Implementation Science
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
To provide evidence-based treatments and reduce unnecessary care, identifying what needs to change is only half the battle – figuring out how to change is the next step.  In this webinar, Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Transfer and Uptake and Senior Scientist at the Centre for Implementation Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, will introduce us to implementation science and discuss how we implement change using models, theories and frameworks using case study examples. 

This webinar is the first in a series on Implementation Science. Future webinar topics include barriers assessments, process and outcome evaluations and work in progress discussions from others who are currently implementing CWC recommendations.

Event Details
4 Sep 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | Is QI as easy as Pii? Harnessing Quality Improvement in Family Medicine
12:00pm ET - 1:00pm ET
The College of Family Physicians of Canada’s (CFPC) newly launched Practice Improvement Initiative (Pii) harnesses quality improvement (QI) approaches, practice-level data, and research to enable family physicians, family medicine residents, and the teams they work in to undertake QI. Pii aims to leverage, scale-up, and share existing QI resources and create new ones where there are gaps. On Wednesday, September 4th, we will be joined by Dr. José Pereira, Director of Research in Academic Family Medicine, CFPC to hear more about the Pii program as well as explore how family physicians could earn Mainpro+ credits for implementing quality improvement in their practices.

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6 Jun 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | What the Doctor Ordered: Improving the Use and Value of Laboratory Testing
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
In February 2019, The C.D. Howe Institute released a commentary titled What the Doctor Ordered: Improving the Use and Value of Laboratory Testing, stressing the distinct opportunity for quality improvement around laboratory testing in Canada. The article, co-authored by Dr. Christopher Naugler and Rosalie Wyonch, further details the importance of prioritizing patient outcomes when it comes to lab testing, addressing variation, as well as reducing inappropriate testing and limiting unnecessary cost to the system. Join us on Thursday June 6th, to hear from Dr. Christopher Naugler, Department Head and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Calgary.
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28 May 2019

ASPIRE Workshop
May 28, 8:00am EST - May 31, 6:00pm EST
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, along with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, will be offering an ASPIRE workshop May 28 - 31, 2019, in Ottawa, Ontario.

Improve your skills in teaching patient safety and quality improvement.
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27 May 2019

Choosing Wisely Canada National Meeting 2019
9:00am EST - 5:00pm EST
Taking place in Montreal, Quebec at the Centre Mont-Royal, Choosing Wisely Canada's National Meeting is an opportunity for clinicians, patients and system leaders to come together to discuss, engage, and network on topics related to reducing unnecessary tests and treatments.
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2 May 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely: Changing the Conversation in Residency
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Residency is a critical period for physicians to gain as much experience as possible as they prepare for independent practice. Behaviours, including resource stewardship, are developed in residency and continue throughout careers. Join us Thursday May 2 to hear from Dr. Chris Hillis, a hematologist at McMaster University and Postgraduate Medical Education Specialist at Choosing Wisely Canada, and Dr. Chandandeep Bal, a PGY 1 resident at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
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18 Apr 2019

Diving into Overuse in Hospitals | Organizational Leadership & Promoting Culture Change
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
The Ontario Hospital Association, in partnership with Choosing Wisely Canada and Health Quality Ontario, will be hosting a three-part webinar series to support Ontario hospitals that may be looking to start, or advance, their local Choosing Wisely efforts. The third webinar of the series, Diving into Overuse in Hospitals: Organizational Leadership & Culture Change, will be held on Thursday April 18th at 12 p.m. ET.

For this webinar we will be joined by two hospitals taking the ultimate plunge, integrating Choosing Wisely into their hospital’s culture and demonstrating transformative leadership, as described in Level 3 of the Starter Kit : North York General Hospital and Bluewater Health.
Event Details
9 Apr 2019

How to Talk About Unnecessary Tests and Treatments
6:30pm AST - 8:30pm AST
Taking place in Halifax Nova Scotia, Choosing Wisely Nova Scotia is hosting a public discussion for patients and providers to talk about unnecessary tests and treatments, and to explain why these conversations are important.
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4 Apr 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | How ‘The Rock’ Chipped Away at Routine Biochemical Testing in the Community: Eastern Health’s Success Story
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
In 2015 data showed that urea, LDH, AST, CK, ferritin, and uric acid were being ordered in high volumes by family physicians in Eastern Health (EH), the largest health authority in Newfoundland and Labrador. Partnering with Quality of Care NL, EH was able to reduce these six tests by 20-70% in just two years by implementing a range of interventions. Tune in to Choosing Wisely Talks Thursday April 4 at 12 ET to learn more about EH’s experience significantly reducing potentially unnecessary biochemical testing and the importance of high leverage interventions as well as academic detailing.
Event Details
28 Mar 2019

Diving into Overuse in Hospitals | Using Quality Improvement to Drive Change
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
The Ontario Hospital Association, in partnership with Choosing Wisely Canada and Health Quality Ontario, will be hosting a three-part webinar series to support Ontario hospitals that may be looking to start, or advance, their local Choosing Wisely efforts. The second webinar of the series, Diving into Overuse in Hospitals: Using Quality Improvement to Drive Change, will be held on Thursday, March 28th at 12 p.m. ET.

For this webinar, we will be joined by two hospitals that have experience in implementing Choosing Wisely recommendations using quality improvement (QI) methods and frameworks outlined in Level 2 of the Starter Kit: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Hôpital Montfort.
Event Details
7 Mar 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | Nurses’ Valuable Role in Developing and Implementing Choosing Wisely Canada Recommendations
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Nurses make up 48% of all health-care professionals in Canada and play a major role as leaders and advocates in reducing overuse of unnecessary tests, treatments and interventions. They are ideally placed to engage in conversations about appropriate care with patients. Join us on Thursday, March 7, to hear from the Canadian Nurses Association on how it has partnered with Choosing Wisely Canada to develop nurse-led Choosing Wisely Canada lists in collaboration with nursing specialties.

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13 Feb 2019

Diving into Overuse in Hospitals | 5 Quick Wins to Get Started
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
The Ontario Hospital Association, in partnership with Choosing Wisely Canada and Health Quality Ontario, will be hosting a three-part webinar series to support Ontario hospitals that may be looking to start, or advance, their local Choosing Wisely efforts. The first webinar of the series, Diving into Overuse in Hospitals: 5 Quick Wins to Get Started, will be held on Wednesday, February 13th at 12 p.m. ET.

For this webinar, we will be joined by two hospitals that have demonstrated leadership in implementing the quick wins described in Level 1 of the Starter Kit : St. Michael’s Hospital and Trillium Health Partners.
Event Details
7 Feb 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | Facilitating the Spread of Healthcare Improvement : Experience from the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) & Provincial Partner Organizations
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
CFHI is working closely with organizations and provinces in Canada to improve patient care through quality improvement, taking us from ‘the land of pilot projects’ to the land of spread and scale. For February’s Choosing Wisely Talks we will be joined by CFHI to learn how they support healthcare organizations adapt, implement, spread and measure improvements with organizations in New Brunswick and Quebec.
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31 Jan 2019

Diving into Overuse in Hospitals | Campaign Launch
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Diving into Overuse in Hospitals is a new campaign that aims to reduce unnecessary tests and treatments in hospital settings. The goal is to encourage hospitals across Canada to join the global Choosing Wisely movement by making changes, small or large, to reduce overuse. Join the launch webinar January 31st at 12pm ET to learn more!

Event Details
10 Jan 2019

Choosing Wisely Talks | Overdiagnosis and Overuse in Québec : What We Know and What We Can Do
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
For the first time ever, and to kick off the 2019 series, Choosing Wisely talks will be in French and speak to the experience of clinicians and organizations engaging in the Choisir avec soin campaign in Quebec. Dr. Rene Wittmer, a Montreal based family physician as well as a facilitator and member of the scientific committee for the CFPC and Practicing Wisely, will be joining us for January’s webinar.
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6 Dec 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | What Health Care can Learn from the NBA: The Importance of Data in Improving Performance
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
In 2010 the NBA adopted data and analytics to optimize player performance. Not surprisingly, this improved the accuracy of players’ shots, made them shoot to their best abilities, and brought transparency to scores. If this is what data did for basketball imagine what it can do for health care! For December's CW Talks we will be joined by Dr. Sacha Bhatia. Dr. Bhatia will explore how data can improve physician and team performance and discuss current barriers to transformative data analytics in healthcare through a Choosing Wisely context.
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14 Nov 2018

The College of Family Physicians of Canada: Family Medicine Forum 2018
Nov 14, 9:00am EST - Nov 17, 5:00pm EST
Taking place at Metro Convention Centre in Toronto, Family Medicine Forum is an annual conference for family physicians, hosted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Choosing Wisely Canada will have a booth at this year's forum to share primary care resources related to the campaign.
Event Details
1 Nov 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | Using Antibiotics Wisely: How to navigate cold and flu season
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
‘Tis the season! Join us Thursday November 1st from 12pm-1pm ET to hear how the Using Antibiotics Wisely campaign has progressed since last year’s Antibiotic Awareness Week. Participants can look forward to Dr. Guylene Theriault, Choosing Wisely Canada Primary Care Co-Lead, speaking about practice changes the Working Group has put together and showcasing selected clinical tools that match to each syndrome helping front line clinicians choose wisely when it comes to antibiotic prescriptions for upper respiratory infections.
Event Details
24 Oct 2018

Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario: 2018 Conference
Oct 24, 9:00am EST - Oct 25, 9:00am EST
Taking place at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Ontario, AFHTO's 'Relationship Design with Starfield in Mind' features many relevant Choosing Wisely themes including scale and spread of programs, and the future of regional approach to health care. This year's AFHTO conference focuses on the importance of primary health care and investing in interprofessional team-based care for better patient care in Ontario.
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17 Oct 2018

Health Quality Ontario: Health Quality Transformation 2018
8:00am EST - 8:00pm EST
Taking place at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto, Health Quality Transformation focuses on putting quality into action with themes focused on improvement, measurement, and fostering a culture of quality in health care. Choosing Wisely Canada will have a booth a this year's conference to share and discuss new campaign resources.
Event Details
10 Oct 2018

Canadian Society of Internal Medicine: 2018 Annual Meeting
Oct 10, 9:00am EST - Oct 13, 5:00pm EST
Taking place in the Banff Centre in Alberta, CSIM's Annual Meeting brings together clinicians, educators, researchers and trainees in internal medicine. This year's conference features a workshop on implementing a Choosing Wisely recommendation on safe opioid prescribing.
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4 Oct 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely Spread: What It Takes and What We’ve Learned
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Over the past two years, five hospitals and six family health teams in Ontario have worked jointly on a groundbreaking initiative to implement and spread the Choosing Wisely recommendations across their sites. They have achieved significant reductions in overuse across more than 10 clinical areas, but have also encountered a number of challenges along the way. Join us for retrospective on the project, ARTIC-Choosing Wisely: An Idea Worth Spreading. The webinar will be delivered by the project leads of this initiative at North York General Hospital.

Event Details
27 Sep 2018

Ontario College of Family Physicians: Practising Wisely
Sep 27, 9:00am EST - Oct 3, 4:00pm EST
Ontario College of Family Physicians' Practising Wisely workshops focus on reducing overuse using the latest evidence and tools. Upcoming workshops are available in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec.
Event Details
13 Sep 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | Pharmacists Embracing the Principles of Choosing Wisely
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Did you know The Canadian Pharmacists Association has a list of 'Six Things Pharmacists and Patients Should Question'? For September's webinar we'll hear from Dr. Shelita Dattani, Director of Practice Development and Knowledge Translation, and Dr. Phil Emberley, Director of Practice Advancement and Research, about why it was imperative the CPhA join the campaign as well as to hear about how pharmacists can incorporate Choosing Wisely concepts in practice.
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25 Jul 2018

The Excellence in Quality Improvement Certificate Program (EQUIP) 2018-2019
Jul 25, 8:00am EST - May 10, 5:00pm EST
The EQUIP program’s enriched content and deeper dive into QI methodologies should make projects more likely to succeed, and will pre pare participants to maximize their project’s impact and receive academic recognition for their work.
Event Details
7 Jun 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | Using Data to Drive Change: Audit and Feedback Best Practices
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
When health care providers have a solid understanding of their performance and ordering patterns in comparison to their peers, it can help drive change and improve health outcomes for all. For June’s Choosing Wisely Talks, presented by the Canadian Medical Association, we will be joined by data driven quality improvement expert, Dr. Noah Ivers - Scientist and Family Physician at Women’s College Hospital, Toronto.
Event Details
3 May 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely in Northern Rural and Remote Communities
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
There are many unique challenges and opportunities for tackling overuse in rural and remote communities. For May’s Choosing Wisely Talks we will be joined by Drs. Sarah Cook and David Pontin, from the Northwest Territories, to discuss the implementation of Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations within the realities of northern and rural Canada.
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23 Apr 2018

Choosing Wisely Canada National Meeting 2018
8:00am EST - 5:00pm EST
Taking place at the Globe and Mail Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Choosing Wisely Canada's National Meeting is an opportunity for clinicians, patients and system leaders to come together to discuss, engage, and network on topics related to reducing unnecessary care. Registration and call for abstracts are now open!
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5 Apr 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | De-implementing Wisely: Using Implementation Science to improve uptake of Choosing Wisely Recommendations
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
To reduce unnecessary or harmful care, identifying what needs to change is only half the battle - figuring out how to change is the next step. Join Choosing Wisely Canada and Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw, Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Transfer and Uptake and Senior Scientist at the Centre for Implementation Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, where he will guide participants through the science of implementation and how these methods can be used locally to improve de-implementation of unnecessary care at your institution.
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1 Mar 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | Opioid Wisely: A New Campaign from Choosing Wisely Canada
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
On March 1st, the Opioid Wisely campaign launches with the release of 7 new specialty-specific opioid recommendations. In addition to the opioid recommendations already published, this brings the total number of Choosing Wisely Canada opioid related recommendations to 14. Tune in to see the new recommendations and accompanying patient resources. Joining us will be Dr. David Juurlink, one of Canada’s leading experts on appropriate opioid prescribing, discussing how clinicians can prescribe opioids more safely, as well as some of the barriers to practice change.
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1 Feb 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | Mastering the Art & Science of Communicating Evidence with Patients
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Sometimes patients don’t fully understand the risks and benefits of treatment options, and sometimes clinicians don’t either! This lack of understanding often leads to overuse. Join us and our Primary Care Co-Lead, Dr. Kimberly Wintemute, for February's Choosing Wisely Talks where will discuss what the literature says clinicians could be doing better in terms of communication with patients - and what tools exist to help them get there.
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4 Jan 2018

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely: We’ve told patients to ask us, but what do WE need to ask ourselves?
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Choosing Wisely Canada encourages patients to ask clinicians 4 questions about tests and treatments they think might be unnecessary. But what questions should clinicians ask themselves? Join us and Dr. Sam Campbell on January 4th for a webinar on 5 questions clinicians should ask themselves to ensure that they are ordering the right test and what results they can expect.
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7 Dec 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | Beyond the Mask: Implementing Choosing Wisely Recommendations in Anesthesiology
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
For December's Choosing Wisely Talks we will hear from Dr. Chris Harle, Chair of Ontario Anesthesiologist on how they developed their Beyond The Mask Choosing Wisely Implementation Guide, and how it could be scaled nationally.
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28 Nov 2017

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and Canadian Patient Safety Institute ASPIRE Workshop
Nov 28, 9:00am EST - Dec 1, 5:00pm EST
Taking place in Ottawa, Ontario, the ASPIRE program is a national faculty development certificate program dedicated to advancing the teaching and education of patient safety, quality improvement and resource stewardship.
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22 Nov 2017

Practising Wisely Day
8:00am EST - 5:00pm EST
Hosted by the Ontario College of Family Physicians at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, Practising Wisely will focus on reducing over-prescribing, over-imaging, over-screening and over-monitoring.
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18 Nov 2017

Lab Utilization Symposium
9:00am EST - 5:00pm EST
Hosted by St. Michael's Hospital, at the Chesnut Conference Centre in Toronto, Lab Utilization Symposium will focus on strategies for improving best practices in lab medicine.
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8 Nov 2017

College of Family Physicians of Canada Family Medicine Forum 2017
Nov 8, 9:00am EST - Nov 11, 5:00pm EST
Taking place at Palais des congrès de Montréal, Québec, Family Medicine Forum is an annual conference for family physicians, hosted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
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2 Nov 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | Antibiotic Wisely: Sharing Proven Strategies to Reduce Unnecessary Antibiotic Use
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Just in time for Antibiotic Awareness Week, Dr. Jerome Leis, Physician Lead of Antimicrobial Stewardship and Medical Director of Infection Prevention & Control at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, will share with Choosing Wisely Talks participants interventions proven to be effective in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use across different healthcare settings.
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25 Oct 2017

Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario: 2017 Conference
Oct 25, 9:00am EST - Oct 26, 5:00pm EST
Taking place at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Ontario, AFHTO's 'Improving Care Together' focuses on optimizing use of resources and reducing unnecessary treatments. The program will highlight how to make the most of opportunities and minimize challenges, both locally and regionally, to improve health, health care, and value for the people of Ontario.
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5 Oct 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | How Small Changes Make a Big Difference: Alberta & Manitoba Vitamin D Testing Case Studies
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
For October's webinar tune in to hear from Dr. Christopher Naugler, Choosing Wisely Alberta, and Ms. Sarah Kirby, Choosing Wisely Manitoba, about how their respective provinces saw 91.4% and 86% reductions in vitamin D testing, as well as how the strategies they used might be applied to other types of routine testing.
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7 Sep 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | Back to School: Students & Trainees Choosing Wisely
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
For our season premiere, and back to school special, Choosing Wisely Talks we will be joined by Dr. Neil Kalra, Dr. Chris Hillis, and Karen Born, PhD to learn how residents and trainees are implementing the campaign in specialties such as radiology or through local quality improvement projects.
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17 Aug 2017

Preventing Overdiagnosis 2017: Towards Responsible Global Solutions
Aug 17, 9:00am EST - Aug 19, 5:00pm EST
Hosted by the Québec Medical Association at the Québec City Convention Centre, Preventing Overdiagnosis 2017 will be the first bilingual conference on overuse and too much medicine.
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1 Jun 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | Overutilization in Lab Medicine: Challenges and Opportunities
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Michelle Sholzberg, Dr. Lisa Hicks, and Dr. Julie Gilmour reviewed pervasive patterns of overutilization and discussed strategies to address this phenomenon without negatively impacting care.
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4 May 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | Behavioural Sciences 101: How Behavioural Insights Can Help Reduce Unnecessary Care
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Meera Paleja will discusses how Behavioural Insights have provided alternative approaches to tackling behaviour change challenges in the healthcare domain, and how this approach may be useful in achieving Choosing Wisely’s goals.
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6 Apr 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | Taking Action on Overuse Framework and Change Package for Reducing Low-Value Care
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Michael Parchman, Senior Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and the Director of the MacColl Center for Health Care Innovation, explained how the Taking Action on Overuse framework and change package can be used as a roadmap for engaging care teams in reducing unnecessary care and making efforts last.
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2 Mar 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | Advancing Patient Engagement Through Information Design
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Shawn Dowling and Ms. Heather Hair, from Alberta’s Emergency Strategic Clinical Network (ESCN), informed participants about their infographic-based patient implementation strategy on CT scans for MTBI.
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27 Feb 2017

Choosing Wisely Canada National Meeting 2017
9:00am MST - 5:00pm MST
The 2017 Choosing Wisely Canada National Meeting was held on Monday, February 27, 2017 in Calgary, Alberta, hosted by Choosing Wisely Alberta.
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2 Feb 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | Say Yes to Less: Making it Easier to Choosing Wisely at SickKids, Toronto
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Jeremy Friedman of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, addressed the importance of Choosing Wisely in pediatric practice, and discussed SickKids’ own Choosing Wisely ‘top 5’ list.
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12 Jan 2017

Choosing Wisely Talks | Deprescribing in Primary Care
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Kimberly Wintemute, Ms. Emelyn Barlett, and Ms. Kate Walsh of Toronto focused on deprescribing in primary care.
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1 Dec 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely Canada Holiday Special: A Year in Review & Snapshot of What’s to Come
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Choosing Wisely Canada co-founders, Dr. Wendy Levinson, Chair, and Tai Huynh, Campaign Director, highlighted the collective progress of the Choosing Wisely Canada community in 2016.
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3 Nov 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Hone Your Skills: Are You An Effective Deprescriber? Tackling sedative-hypnotic drugs in older adults
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Cara Tannenbaum, the Principal Investigator of the EMPOWER trial, shared the evidence-based benzodiazepine deprescribing tool she created for community-dwelling seniors.
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6 Oct 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely and Patient-Centredness: Mutually Exclusive? A Primary Care Perspective
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Anthony Train, Calgary, and Dr. Kimberly Wintemute, Toronto, focused on four common clinical scenarios in family medicine that illustrated the tension family docs face when they need to say no to patient requests for low-value care.
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8 Sep 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Tackling Overuse in Hospitals, Sinai Health System, Toronto
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Christine Soong, from Sinai Health System (SHS), Toronto, presented their hospital-based Choosing Wisely interventions to reduce overuse.
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2 Jun 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Lose the Tube: Reducing Inappropriate Catheter Use at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Jerome Leis, Infectious Diseases specialist and general internist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, discussed his work on reducing inappropriate catheter use at Sunnybrook.
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5 May 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Canadian Institute for Health Information: Pan-Canadian Indicators of Overuse
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Leads from the Canadian Institute for Health Information discussed three Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations that are being measured across multiple regions: mammography screening, antipsychotic use for insomnia in kids and preoperative testing in low risk surgery.
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7 Apr 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Kaiser Permanente of Georgia’s Choosing Wisely Regional Implementation
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Scott Pugel, Kaiser Permanente Georgia, discussed their evidence-based care initiatives.
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30 Mar 2016

Choosing Wisely Canada National Meeting 2016
9:00am EST - 5:00pm EST
On Wednesday, March 30th, 2016 Choosing Wisely Canada held its Inaugural National Meeting at the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon in the Toronto Reference Library.
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3 Mar 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely at Fletcher Allen Health, University of Vermont
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Justin Stinnett-Donnelly presented the grassroots Choosing Wisely approach he and Dr. Virginia Hood’s led at Fletcher Allen Health Care, University of Vermont.
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4 Feb 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics in Long Term Care, Seniors Health Strategic Clinical Network of Alberta Health Services
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Mollie Cole, Manager of Seniors Health Strategic Clinical Network, Alberta Health Services, presented on behalf of the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics (AUA) Toolkit Working Group.
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14 Jan 2016

Choosing Wisely Talks | Making Choosing Wisely Bloody Easy! Nova Scotia Health Authority & Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Irene Sadek, from Nova Scotia Health Authority, and Dr. Yulia Lin, from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, presented local efforts to improve the quality of transfusion practice such as single vs. double unit transfusion, and hemoglobin thresholds.
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3 Dec 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely Canada’s 2015 Year in Review
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Choosing Wisely Canada core team members presented the new and exciting initiatives underway in 2015.
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5 Nov 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Lisa Hicks, hematologist and Choosing Wisely physician lead at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto presented their newest implementation projects.
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1 Oct 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely Manitoba, Diagnostic Services Manitoba & George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Eric Bohm and Jim Slater, Diagnostic Services Manitoba & George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation, presented on pre-operative testing audit & feedback trials that were conducted in Manitoba and their communications toolkit for physicians and other healthcare providers.
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3 Sep 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | North York General Hospital Choosing Wisely Implementation, Toronto
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Donna McRitchie, Vice President of Medical and Academic Affairs, and Mark Fam, Program Director of Strategy and Diagnostics, explained how North York General Hospital reduced test ordering by 40% in the Emergency Department.
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4 Jun 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely Canada Measurement Overview
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Sacha Bhatia, Choosing Wisely Canada’s Evaluation Lead, focused on measurement presented initiatives underway in several different provinces.
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7 May 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely Alberta & Partnerships for Implementation
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Medical leaders from across Alberta shared their experiences in implementing Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations and partnering for success.
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2 Apr 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | Choosing Wisely at the University of California, San Francisco
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Christopher Moriates, Co-chair, Costs of Care/ABIM Foundation Teaching Value & Choosing Wisely Challenge, discussed the Choosing Wisely implementation experience at UCSF.
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5 Mar 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | Overview of Implementation Approaches: Canadian & US Experience to Date
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Tai Huynh, Choosing Wisely Canada’s Campaign Director, reflected on the various ways in which organizations in Canada and the United States are implementing Choosing Wisely recommendations.
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5 Feb 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | Reducing Clinical Variation at Sutter Health, Sacramento, California
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Dr. Michael van Duren, Vice President of Variation Reduction at Sutter Health in California, discussed their experience with using data in conversations with physicians, and practice patterns as they relate to the overuse of certain tests, treatments or procedures.
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8 Jan 2015

Choosing Wisely Talks | Nova Scotia Health Authority, Vancouver Coastal Health & Providence Health Care
12:00pm EST - 1:00pm EST
Geoff Wilson, Director of Patient and Public Engagement at Nova Scotia Health Authority (formerly Capital Health), presented their patient and public focused communications plan for January – April 2015.
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