January 7, 2003

A Bitter Pill; Living on AIDS Cocktails
Twenty years ago when someone was diagnosed with AIDS, there wasn't very much that doctors could do. Virtually nothing could stop the slide towards crippling illness and death. But in the mid-90s there was a breakthrough in treatment.

Researchers found that a cocktail of three drugs could beat down the AIDS virus and help the immune system fight back. People with AIDS began to live longer. There was even talk of a cure. But then, patients started to notice side effects from these powerful drugs. And, for some, the treatment became almost as bad as the disease itself.

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Studio Interview – Do Not Resuscitate Orders
If one of your family members was dying of a terminal illness in hospital and a doctor slapped a "Do-not-resuscitate" order on their chart without your knowledge, how would you feel? Some hospitals and chronic care facilities in Ontario do just that.

Do-not-resuscitate orders give doctors permission not to perform CPR on dying patients. Some doctors argue patients and their families should have the right to choose whether that happens while others say CPR not necessary when a person is expected to die.


Dr. Rob Buckman is an oncologist at Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre and a contributing editor to Your Health.


Dr. Neil Lazar is an intensive care specialist at the University Health Network. He also teaches at the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics.

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Medical Error: Sharon’s Story

Twenty years ago, Harvard University concluded health care is needlessly dangerous for patients. That's still true today, according to experts who study medical error. It's estimated that five to ten thousand Canadians die every year because of medical mistakes.

Studies say there's a one in ten chance that you'll suffer harm or injury as a result of treatment in hospital. Half of those incidents are preventable. But it's how the mistakes are dealt with that often causes the greatest anger.

Sharon Hampson’s story takes you into the experience of how one person’s mistake can completely alter the life of an unsuspecting patient.

Disclosure: The Aftermath of a Medical Mistake

Nobody likes to admit when they're wrong but when doctors don't reveal mistakes, the lack of disclosure may cause as much harm as the mistake itself. But some hospitals are making it policy that medical professionals reveal their mistakes to patients. This is the case at Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre - a leader in disclosure of medical error in North America – and hospitals like the Hospital for Sick Children and John Hopkins are adopting similar policies. Sunnybrook is also taking steps to prevent errors, like the one Sharon has to live with, from happening in the first place.

Sharon Hampson is working on behalf of patients everywhere to make sure what happened to her doesn't happen to them.

Dr Philip Hebert, is one of this country's leading experts on medical error and disclosure and the director of the clinical ethics centre at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre.