Canadian centre of expertise for electrical injury

I read with interest Dr Primavesi’s article1 about electrical injuries, as there is admittedly a paucity of publications in this area. He stated in his article that “[t]here is no centre of expertise in Canada for individuals who have sustained an electrical injury.” In fact, I am proud to say there is.

St John’s Rehab in Toronto, Ont, where I am a hospitalist caring for burn patients requiring inpatient rehabilitation, is the only hospital in Ontario solely dedicated to specialized rehabilitation. We offer Ontario’s only burn rehabilitation program.

St John’s Rehab is also the site of Canada’s only dedicated electrical injury rehabilitation program. Our multidisciplinary rehabilitation team includes myself, a family and emergency physician, and a burn surgeon and works with patients and their families to offer comprehensive assessment and care to people who have been living with the adverse, often invisible, effects of electrical injuries.

To provide the best possible care at all stages of recovery, St John’s Rehab has partnered with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, also in Toronto. They are the only 2 hospitals in Canada currently publishing research on electrical injuries. People from across the country have been assessed and treated for these injuries since the Electrical Injury Program began in 2003.

Please visit our website for more information (www.stjohnsrehab.com/programs_services/outpatient/electrical.aspx).

• Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada