Eva Tsakonas

Background Canada has a long history of the use of clinical evidence to support healthcare decision making. Given improvements in data holdings and analytic capacity in Canada and stakeholder interest, the purpose of this study is to reflect on perceptions of the value of real-world evidence in pricing and reimbursement decisions, barriers to its...

Background: The use of medical staff from various medical specialties as trauma team leaders (TTL) is a subject of debate and varies from one region to another. This survey reports the current situation among Canadian trauma centers. Methods: Trauma centers were identified on the Internet through the provincial health ministry and regional health a...

To assess the longterm effect of delaying therapy with second-line agents in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One hundred nineteen patients who participated in a 9 month placebo controlled randomized trial of hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) were followed prospectively for an additional 3 years. Those randomized to HCQ are referred to...

The ability of antimalarials to moderate severe disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is plausible but undemonstrated. We evaluated the long-term effectiveness of maintaining treatment with hydroxychloroquine sulphate (HCQ) to prevent major flares in quiescent SLE. Forty-seven patients with quiescent SLE who had been randomized to...

PURPOSE: Studies of the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in rheumatoid arthritis have had methodological flaws and have failed to produce definitive results. The benefits and toxicity of hydroxychloroquine sulfate in 120 patients with rheumatoid arthritis of less than 2 years duration are assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 36-week randomized double-bl...