This information is intended for health care professionals.
For health professionals, validated resources and screening tools can contribute to identifying, assessing, diagnosing, managing, or informing about many aspects of their patient’s physical or mental health and wellness. The consistent use of screening tools can also be valuable in monitoring a patient’s health over time.
The tools listed in this section are provided with a public health perspective in mind.
In Ontario, Rowan’s Law (Concussion Safety), 2018, protects amateur athletes in sport and school settings. Among other provisions, Rowan’s Law sets requirements regarding removing athletes from sport and returning to school and sport after a suspected or confirmed concussion.
The law requires that if a student or athlete has a concussion or a suspected concussion, they must be removed from participating in their respective sport. This includes removal from training, practice, and competition. The student or athlete can only return to sport after they have been medically assessed (Government of Ontario) and cleared to return to training, practice, and competition by a physician or nurse practitioner (Government of Ontario).
Visit parachute.ca for concussion resources for health professionals. Visit Ontario.ca for more information regarding Rowan’s Law for health care providers.
Primary care providers are in a unique position, particularly through the 18-month enhanced well-baby visit, to improve the odds that children will meet their developmental potential. As a child’s last regularly scheduled visit with a primary care provider before they enter school, it is a critical opportunity to examine and evaluate a child’s progress and to identify areas where there may be some difficulties.
For more information visit 18monthvisit.ca (machealth.ca).
Health professionals can implement evidence-informed interventions to help older adults and their families and caregivers identify and address behavioural risk factors and home hazards.
Addressing falls prevention in Ontario would have a positive impact on the health care system by reducing:
- avoidable visits to the emergency department
- hospitalizations
- alternate level of care volumes
- admissions to long-term care homes
As a health professional, you play an instrumental role in falls prevention. Learn more about the Stay on Your Feet strategy, training opportunities, and programs.
Useful resources:
Join the Fall Prevention Community of Practice LOOP (Parachute Canada), which brings together health professionals, caregivers, researchers, and other key sectors to build capacity in the field of falls prevention.
In Northeastern Ontario, Ontario Health, the five public health units, and many other community partners work together to plan and implement the Stay on Your Feet strategy, which promotes ways for older adults to be strong, active, and social. The collective goal is to prevent falls among older adults aged 65 years and older.
The Clinical Best Practice Guidelines: Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls (Registered Nurses Association of Ontario) is an evidence-based tool that outlines multiple strategies and interventions to reduce or mitigate falls and falls-related injuries.
The Centre for Effective Practice has a Fall Prevention and Management section on their website, which offers a variety of resources designed to help providers prevent and manage falls among older adults in the primary care and long-term care settings. They also offer virtual academic detailing on several topics, including falls prevention and management.
As a health professional, you can help your clients reduce their sedentary behaviour (including screen time) and increase their physical activity. It is very likely that your clients are already looking to you for guidance about their health-related behaviours, so you are in an optimal position to influence their choice
Have the conversation
One way of supporting individuals to increase their physical activity and decrease their sedentary behaviours is to have a conversation about their “whole day”, using a 24-hour clock. Adding up the amount of time spent on sleep, physical activity (participation in moderate to vigorous activity), followed by reviewing their behaviours over the remaining amount of time will help you and your client gain a better understanding of a regular day.
Many individuals participate in large amounts of sedentary behaviours and research show that many children, youth and adults spend several hours participating in recreational screen-time daily.
How much screen time is too much?
The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology developed 24-hour movement guidelines for all ages. The guidelines provide recommendations on physical activity sleep, and sedentary behaviours including the use of screens. The guidelines suggest:
- no screen time at all for infants and toddlers under 2 years of age
- no more than 1 hour per day of screen time for children 2 to 4 years of age
- no more than 2 hours per day of recreational screen time for children and youth 5 to 17 years
- no more than 3 hours of recreational screen time for adults 18 to 64 years and older
The 4Ms of screen time
Assist your clients to make goals that will help them meet the recommendations. The less time spent in front of screens, the greater the benefit. A great way to help them set goals is to encourage them to use the 4 Ms (minimize, mitigate the risk, be mindful, and model healthy screen use) from the Canadian Pediatric Society.
MINIMIZE screen time by reducing the amount of time spent in front of a screen. Replace sedentary screen time with physical activity.
MITIGATE (reduce) the risks associated with screen time. It’s important that parents and caregivers are aware of the child’s screen selection and time.
Be MINDFUL (more intentional) when using screens. Think about the quality of the material you are viewing on screens and their impact on health. Think about ways you can replace screen-time with active time.
MODEL healthy screen use. Encourage and participate in activities unrelated to screens, such as reading, outdoor play, puzzles, drawing, and crafts.
The 4 Ms support healthy, active lifestyles, particularly for people who might spend a lot of time in front of screens.
Useful resources
The Child Nature Alliance of Canada’s ‘Risk Benefit Assessment Toolkit’ fosters a balanced approach to risk and safety.
The Canadian Paediatric Society developed tools and resources for clinicians such as counselling guides, position statements, posters and presentations.
Active Kids, Healthy Kids is a Canadian Paediatric Society program to help paediatricians, family physicians, and other health professionals promote physical activity, nutrition, and other healthy choices.
As a health professional, you can help your clients to quit smoking and vaping. It is very likely that your clients are already looking to you for guidance about their health, so you are in an optimal position to influence their behaviour. Brief contact interventions (BCI) is a quick intervention that allows you to identify who smokes or vapes and facilitates access to effective cessation interventions. It can be delivered in 3 simple steps: ASK, ADVISE, and ACT:
- ASK about smoking or vaping during every reasonable interaction.
- ADVISE that quitting is one of the best things they can do for their health.
Additional resources
I quit for me: Facilitator’s guide for a group program (Health Canada): a smoking and vaping cessation program for youth
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Resources for Providers: smoking and vaping cessation information and tools
IT’S TIME toolkit (CAMH) – culturally-relevant tobacco cessation tools for Indigenous Peoples