The purpose of this report is to present health care stakeholders in Canada with an overview of information related to the use of  wastewater epidemiology, or wastewater surveillance, for the detection of viral and bacterial pathogens.

This report describes what wastewater surveillance is and how it works, summarizes the evidence regarding its use in Canada and internationally, and presents ethical considerations.

Robotic systems for orthopedic surgery are used primarily in procedures to treat osteoarthritis, degenerative spinal diseases, or spinal alignment or curvature abnormalities. They are intended to improve implant placement accuracy and precision and may lead to improved clinical outcomes. Reported benefits associated with robotic-assisted surgery include shorter recovery time, reduced length of inpatient stay, and fewer short-term surgical revisions.

What Is the Issue?

• Dementia refers to symptoms affecting cognition (including memory), behaviour, and mood, which can significantly impact daily activities and independence. Conditions that may contribute to the development of dementia include Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and stroke. As the population ages, the number of people in Canada living with dementia will continue to increase.

The class of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors is an integral part of the management of type 2 diabetes. Recent published clinical evidence has provided further guidance on the role of SGLT2 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes, as well as other indications such as heart failure and chronic kidney disease. This Environmental Scan will assess the current reimbursement of the SGLT2 drug class relevant to public drug programs.

Key Messages

• Self-testing has become recognizable to most people in Canada as a way to reduce the spread of infections. HIV self-testing has recently become available in Canada and is an approach to HIV screening intended to complement existing HIV testing currently offered in medical and community settings. Self-test kits can be used in the home, alone or in the presence of another person, and they may help overcome barriers to HIV diagnosis, and help Canada achieve its commitments to end the HIV and AIDS epidemics by 2030.

This Horizon Scan summarizes available information regarding rapid point-of-care testing for the detection of Treponema pallidum, the bacteria that causes syphilis. Rapid point-of-care testing to screen people for a possible case of syphilis can allow health care providers to screen people where they are, rather than relying on access to traditional health care settings, and they appear to have adequate sensitivity and specificity. At the time of writing, no rapid point-of-care test is licensed for use in Canada.

As the number of Canadians living with dementia rises, so does the demand for dementia-related care across the country.

We facilitated a roundtable discussion to hear about clinicians’ perspectives and researchers to help develop a current portrait of care of dementia care in Canada and gain insights regarding health system readiness and current barriers to delivering quality and equitable care to patients.

The vagus nerve has been reported to help regulate processes in the body, including digestion and respiration, as well as cardiovascular and muscular functions. It also plays a role in the nervous and immune systems and modulates inflammation responses. Researchers have hypothesized that stimulating the vagus nerve could increase autonomic nervous system activity to promote a beneficial anti-inflammatory response in people experiencing acute respiratory distress syndrome due to COVID-19.