Shortened hospital lengths of stay, and a growing number of people living with chronic diseases has meant that more Ontarians than ever are receiving health care services in their homes. In 2010, the Ontario Auditor General raised concerns about the quality and value of home care services, some of which remain outstanding. Resolving these issues …
Improving access to primary care has been a key priority of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for the past decade. The number of Ontarians who have a regular family doctor has increased dramatically. However, patients who are chronically ill continue to have problems accessing primary care. More family doctors and more rostered …
Increasing access to primary care providers, such as family doctors or nurse practitioners, has been a government priority. Better access to primary care is also associated with improved population health. Although the percentage of Ontarians with a regular primary care provider has increased in recent years, fewer than half can see their primary care provider …
In the run up to the Ontario election, the Liberal party has promised $60 million to support physician house calls. The number of doctors who make house calls has declined markedly over the past fifty years, and only a small proportion of Ontario family doctors currently provide ongoing care to patients in their homes. What …
Over the last fifty years, doctors have been making fewer and fewer house calls. There is little doubt that patients value physician house calls, particularly from a doctor with whom they have an ongoing relationship. Lack of appropriate training and mentors, financial disincentives, and the changing culture of family medicine are all barriers to increasing …
There is a striking paradox: while most Ontarians prefer to die at home, around 60% die in hospital. Only 30% of Canadians near the end of their life use palliative care services. Many experts believe that providing greater resources for palliative care does not currently appear to be an Ontario or federal government priority. Roger …
Many politicians, doctors and the public believe that aging of the population is the main cause of increased health care costs. If this is true, this paints an exceptionally worrying picture about the sustainability of health care in the future. However, somewhat surprisingly, the majority of researchers don’t believe that aging plays a major role …
The Ontario Health Quality council reported in 2010 that wait times for a long-term care bed in Ontario have tripled since 2005. A substantial number of people who are waiting for long-term care – and some who are currently in long-term care – could be cared for at home or in “assisted living” facilities …
About one in six beds in Ontario’s hospitals are occupied by patients who no longer need hospital care. These beds are called Alternate Level of Care (ALC) beds. Because ALC beds are not available for sick patients in the emergency department, ALC beds are an important cause of emergency department overcrowding. The term ‘gridlock’, used …