Dr. James Downar
ICU physician | University Health Network
Toronto, ON, CANADA
Specialist in palliative care and medical ethics
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Biography
James Downar is a Critical Care and Palliative Care Staff Physician at the Toronto General Hospital. He graduated from McGill Medical School and completed residency programs in Internal Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, and Palliative Care Medicine at the University of Toronto. He also completed a Master’s degree in Bioethics at the Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto. His research interests focus on communication and decision-making for seriously ill patients, as well as expanding the role of palliative care in the critical care environment and for non-cancer illnesses. He is the current chair of the Postgraduate Education Committee of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians.
Industry Expertise (5)
Health Care - Services
Health Care - Providers
Health Care - Facilities
Health and Wellness
Research
Areas of Expertise (5)
Palliative Care
Medical Ethics
End of Life Care
Critical Care
Internal Medicine
Education (3)
University of Toronto, Joint Centre for Bioethics: M.Sc., Bioethics
McGill Medical School: Residency, Internal Medicine, Critical Care and Palliative Care
McGill Medical School: MD, Medicine
Affiliations (2)
- Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians : Chair, Postgraduate Education Committee
- Critical Care Canada : Scientific Faculty
Media Appearances (4)
'Physician-assisted death is going to become legal': Canada's right-to-die debate almost over, doctors say
National Post online
2014-04-07
The debate “is about to become obsolete,” said Dr. James Downar, a critical care and palliative care physician at Toronto General Hospital. “Physician-assisted death is going to become legal in Canada in the very near future by one means or another and crucial questions need to be answered,” he said, including when does suffering become “intolerable” and how long must it last before doctor-assisted death could be granted? Would psychological or “existential” angst be grounds for seeking a lethal injection?
Dr James Downar: death is as precious as life
BestEndings online
2013-02-18
He seems far too young to be dedicated to minimizing suffering at life's end, but that is, indeed, Dr Downar's mission. His three specialties are inter-related: critical care, ethics and palliative care. Palliative care changes the focus from cure to comfort. This sensibility doesn't fit with the military language often used in healthcare situations: battling, fighting, giving up, winning, losing. Dr Downar's take puts that tough language into 'life's end' perspective...
Saving Death is as Important as Saving Life Says UHN Palliative Physician
UHN online
2012-09-03
Dr. James Downar is a thoughtful, engaged and passionate teacher. Especially about death—or palliative care to be precise. When he first started medical school at McGill, Dr. Downar stated definitely in his goals that he was not interested in palliative care. But working with palliative care physicians and caring for dying patients convinced him otherwise. Dr. James Downar.jpgAfter graduating in 2002, he now has three specialties: palliative care, critical care and ethics. He brings all three together in his work at the ICU and on the palliative care service at TGH...
Teaching doctors a new approach to the end-of-life process
The Globe and Mail online
2012-07-15
Designed by James Downar, a critical care and palliative care physician at Toronto General Hospital, the unique program is part of a growing push among members of the medical community to revamp the way doctors, patients and families approach the end-of-life process. Many patients die uncomfortable, sometimes painful, deaths in the intensive care unit when they could have benefited from the support of palliative care. The reluctance to confront the inevitability of death and continuing to pursue aggressive treatment can do unnecessary harm to patients and relatives during what is already an extremely difficult period, according to Dr. Downar...
Event Appearances (2)
Non-beneficial Treatment in Canada following the Resouli Decision
PEI Palliative Care Conference and Long Term Care Conference Summerside, PEI
2014-06-12
Oral Ketamine for Chronic Pain
CANMAT Mood & Brain Conference Toronto, ON.
2014-01-24
Articles (5)
Why Do Patients Agree to a "Do Not Resuscitate" or "Full Code" Order? Perspectives of Medical Inpatients
Journal of General Internal Medicine
2011-01-01
BACKGROUND The majority of patients who die in hospital have a “Do Not Resuscitate”(DNR) order in place at the time of their death, yet we know very little about why some patients request or agree to a DNR order, why others don't, and how they view ...
What should we say when discussing “code status” and life support with a patient? A Delphi analysis
Journal of Palliative Medicine
2010-01-01
Background: Patients and clinicians often find it difficult to discuss wishes regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or “code status.” Some authors have published effective communication styles, but there are currently no published guidelines for the ...
Perceptions of "futile care" among caregivers in intensive care units
Canadian Medical Association Journal
2007-01-01
Background: Many caregivers in intensive care units (ICUs) feel that they sometimes provide inappropriate or excessive care, but little is known about their definition of “futile care” or how they attempt to limit its impact. We sought to explore how ICU staff define medically ...
Bench-to-bedside review: high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome
Critical Care
2006-01-01
Abstract Mechanical ventilation is the cornerstone of therapy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Paradoxically, mechanical ventilation can exacerbate lung damage–a phenomenon known as ventilator-induced lung injury. While new ...
Strepococcal Meningitus Resulting from Contact with an Infected Horse
Journal of Clinical Microbiology
2001-01-01
ABSTRACT We report a case of group C streptococcal meningitis in a woman with a history of close animal contact as well as head trauma as a result of a kick by a horse. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures grew Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus, as did a ...
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