Staying #Up2Date 🚨

Do Benzos in Pregnancy Carry Added Risk?

A cohort study of 450K pregnancies found that benzodiazepine use was associated with increased risks of preterm birth (RR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.18-1.23) and small for gestational age (RR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.00-1.09) after accounting for competing effects. The latter was a small association found to be sensitive to analytic method. The drugs had the most impact on pregnancy during the second trimester — suggesting that those expecting should be mindful of benzodiazepine use during their pregnancy. 

Processing Speed Emerges as the Key Cognitive Deficit in Schizophrenia

A systematic review and meta-analysis helped characterize cognitive impairments in people with schizophrenia. Assessment of 115 studies found that processing speed is often most impaired for patients with schizophrenia, as measured by symbol coding tests. These findings may be attributed to an underlying mechanism that drives global cognitive impairment and altered brain connectivity in schizophrenia, and warrants further study. 

When Sleep Suffers, So Does Mental Health 

A cohort study of 30K patients examined how obstructive sleep apnea contributes to the development of mental health conditions. Those at high risk of OSA were found to have a 40% higher risk of mental health conditions at baseline and follow-up. Integrated screening and intervention strategies could help those with OSA better identify and manage any mental health struggles. 

QuickChart: Smarter Notes, Less Stress

By: Dr. Joel Moktar

Clinical documentation has become one of the most significant pressures facing modern medical practice. Across Canada, physicians are spending substantial portions of their professional and personal time on paperwork, often at the expense of sustainability and well-being. While digital tools and AI scribes have emerged in recent years, many fail to address the realities of complex patient care and often fall short where it matters most: accuracy, nuance, and real-world clinical workflows.

QuickChart was built to solve this problem differently.

From the outset, our goal was not simply to reduce typing or automate dictation. We wanted to build a platform that truly captures the multimodal experience of managing complex patients — the way care is actually delivered in complex clinical environments. Encounters rarely consist of a single conversation alone. They involve imaging, referral letters, lab results, operative planning, medication lists, interdisciplinary communication, and increasingly, virtual care. Documentation tools must reflect this reality to be genuinely useful.

One of the core design principles behind QuickChart was the ability to seamlessly incorporate multiple sources of clinical information into a single, coherent medical record. Physicians can upload PDFs such as referral letters, imaging reports, or prior consult notes. They can take photos of handwritten medication lists or external documentation and integrate these directly into the clinical note. This allows the record to reflect the full context of the encounter, rather than relying solely on voice transcription.

We also recognized that modern healthcare is team-based. Documentation is no longer the responsibility of a single individual working in isolation. QuickChart supports team-based accounts, enabling physicians, assistants, trainees, and administrative staff to collaborate within the same environment, while maintaining appropriate access controls. This reflects how clinics actually function and reduces duplication of effort across the care team. 

QuickChart is intentionally EMR-agnostic. Many physicians move through multiple hospitals and clinics each week, using several different EMRs with inconsistent workflows and limitations. While we are building integration with several large EMR partners, we focused on providing a consistent clinical workspace that follows the physician across care settings, allowing notes to be generated once and integrated wherever they are needed.  

Another major limitation we observed in existing tools was their separation from clinical communication. Telehealth platforms, dictation software, and documentation tools often exist in silos, forcing physicians to move between systems and fragmenting the patient record. QuickChart already integrates virtual visit capture from other applications, but soon we will be launching our own Telehealth platform directly within QuickChart - so you can phone call or video conference patients, and the conversation is transcribed within our ecosystem. Whether a consultation occurs in person, by phone, or via video, the documentation workflow remains consistent and centralized.

Perhaps the most critical differentiator, however, is accuracy. Documentation is not just a record - it is a clinical, legal, and communicative instrument. Inaccurate or generic notes create downstream risk and additional work. From the beginning, we prioritized note quality over speed alone.

QuickChart was designed around specialty-specific workflows, customizable templates, and structured clinical reasoning. To objectively assess performance, we developed a third-party, blinded evaluation tool to measure documentation accuracy. Using this system, QuickChart consistently achieves 98%+ accuracy for specialist notes, outperforming other scribe solutions even in complex cases. This level of performance is not accidental; it reflects deliberate design choices, extensive clinician feedback, and continuous refinement based on real-world use.

Hot Off The Press 🔥

1: 🕯️ A 44-year-old Edmonton man died after waiting hours in the ER for chest pain, prompting Alberta Health to launch a formal review and an independent investigation. Family members say he was healthy and active, underscoring concerns about how quickly patients with potentially life-threatening symptoms can receive care.

2: 🧬 Health Canada has approved a new treatment for adults battling recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a rare form of head and neck cancer. Tisleizumab, which is being sold under the name Tevimbra, will be used in combination with chemotherapy drugs. The drug was first approved in China in 2019, and later in the US in 2024. 

3: 📸 Heading south this winter? Don’t forget your passport… and your best neutral face. As of Dec. 26, all non-US travellers, including Canadians, will be photographed when entering and leaving the US under an expanded biometric border program, and in some cases, officials will also be able to capture travellers’ fingerprints. American officials say the measure will improve security and help track visa overstays, while privacy advocates warn the data could be stored for decades.

4: 🎮 Feeling burned out at work? Revisiting childhood video games like Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi could help. A new study finds playing these nostalgic, low‑pressure games sparks a sense of childlike wonder, boosting happiness and reducing burnout. Researchers say carving out even a few minutes for these familiar digital escapes can give your brain a much‑needed emotional reset.

5: 🧠 A new drug may reverse or slow the progression of ALS disease. The drug, tofersen, targets the SOD1 mutation, which affects about 2% of people with ALS. The drug targets the mRNA that produces the toxic SOD1 protein, reducing its production. More than 20% of patients who received tofersen early showed improved strength and function at 3 years.  

Postcall’s top clicked stories of 2025

You clicked. We counted.

These were the stories that grabbed your attention most this year — the ones you actually opened, read, and shared. Some topics surprised us. Others… didn’t. (And yes, very few of you followed the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.)

Postpartum depression gets its first pill
Canada approved its first pill designed specifically for postpartum depression, prompting questions about how it will fit alongside existing treatments — and who it’s really for.

Recyclable K-Cup pods and a proposed class action
A Canadian class action challenged the way K-Cup pods were eco-marketed, bringing public (and our readers’) attention to how environmental claims are assessed.

Novo Nordisk’s slipped patent
Did Novo Nordisk want its key Canadian patent to lapse, shortening its exclusive hold on a blockbuster drug — or was it an extremely expensive oversight?

Vitamin D, revisited
A major Endocrine Society guideline re-examined who benefits from vitamin D supplementation, revising its advice on routine testing and supplementation in most healthy adults.

Your weekly meals on a platter
Readers ate up this practical guide to meal prep for healthcare workers, built around repeatable recipes that fit into long, unpredictable schedules.

Serious conservation gets a laugh
The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards brought awareness to environmental issues through this lineup of wild, unintentional comedians.

Notable Numbers 🔢

12: the age at which kids face higher risks of sleep deprivation, obesity, and depression. A recent study found the earlier a child gets a smart phone, the greater at risk they are for developing these conditions.

5: The number of expert backed tips to help Canadians stick to their 2026 financial New Year’s resolutions, from taking stock of your 2025 finances to building stronger saving habits and automating your goals.

40: The age you’ll need to be to book a breast cancer screening in Manitoba by the end of 2026. Starting Jan. 2, those 45 and up can schedule without a referral, with the age dropping as the year goes on. Manitoba joins several provinces in updating guidelines, a move that advocates say could save thousands of lives.

Postcall Picks ✅

⚡ Boost: your workflow with QuickChart, and AI-powered documentation designed for real-world clinical care, team collaboration, and less after-hours work.

🛍️ Save: on Lululemon’s “We Made Too Much” Boxing Day sale, with discounts across leggings, jackets, hoodies, and more — a chance to grab some comfy activewear without paying full price.

🥗 Make: this bright and healthy quinoa, roasted vegetable, and feta salad. Toss colourful roasted veggies with fluffy quinoa, a squeeze of lemon, olive oil, and a sprinkle of feta for a dish that’s light, nourishing, and perfect for resetting after the holiday indulgence.

📖 Read: how much sidewalk salt is too much? Turns out, a little goes a long way. Using just the right amount keeps walkways safe without turning your yard into a winter wasteland — or upsetting local pets and plants.

🎥 Watch: this Youtube video to see how new space telescope data is revealing cracks in our understanding of the universe. From galaxy formation to cosmic voids, scientists are spotting mysteries that could spark the next big revolution in physics.

Taking the Pulse 🫀

Doctors, what are your 2026 personal goals? We want to hear from you!

Relax

First clue: Part of NYE and NYC

Need a rematch? We’ve got you covered. Check out our Crossword Archive to find every puzzle we’ve ever made, all in one place.

Think you crushed it? Challenge your physician friends to beat your time.

Meme of the Week

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