This month’s provincial budget renews a pledge to eliminate Ontario’s $12.5-billion deficit in the next four years. The commitment ensures that health care, which accounts for almost half of provincial spending, will continue to be under the microscope and the search to make the system more efficient will continue. The challenge is that much of …
Rahel Yetbarek sits with her feet up, looking out onto the city and the large swath of treed land that surrounds the freeway below her. The nurse is taking in the view over her lunch break, from the 10th floor rooftop garden at Bridgepoint, a Toronto hospital. Nearby, a few patients do the same. The …
Nearly two years ago, the federal government made significant cuts to its Interim Federal Health Program, which allows refugees to access essential health services, such as medical testing and treatment. As a result, many refugees have lost access to health care, medication coverage, vision and dental care. Furthermore, persecuted individuals from designated countries of origin, such as Hungary …
In the year since Healthy Debate published Fewer hospital staff on weekends put some patients at risk, evidence of a “weekend effect” at hospitals has continued to mount. Today, the Canadian Institute of Health Information released a new report which further reinforces that for some patients admitted to hospital on the weekend, there is a …
For the other side of the debate, read Monika Dutt’s Medical tourism is bad business for Canadian hospitals In recent weeks a few people have written about international patients in Canadian hospitals, “medical tourism” and the “slippery slope” that the writers all seem to believe will inevitably lead to two-tiered medicine. We are responsible for the …
Being hospitalized can have dramatic impacts on seniors’ wellness, and time spent in hospital contributes to loss of important functions such as strength and mobility – critical to their independence and wellbeing. Camilla Wong, a geriatrician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto says “hospitalization robs us of the things that are really important for older …
If you or one of your family members come down with an illness (such as pneumonia) and require hospitalization, you are likely to encounter two issues. First, you will more likely than not be looked after by a “hospitalist”, and second you will likely notice a need for more efficiency as a result of significant …
This is a story about Mr. D, a lovely 85-year-old gentleman who I cared for on our General Internal Medicine service. He suffered significant cognitive impairment due to both dementia and the deposition of protein in his brain caused by chronic inflammation (known as cerebral amyloidosis). He also had advance prostate cancer. As a consequence …
Health care system governance is important. CEOs of health care organizations need to report to someone and health care boards fulfill this oversight role. Besides recruiting and hiring a CEO, boards also hold CEOs accountable for achieving outcomes, act as mentors and support CEOs when necessary in taking the heat from the unhappy segments of …
Michael’s Story Michael was a 75 year-old living in Canada’s Prairies. His wife recently spent five days in hospital for a scheduled hip replacement. At the time she was admitted to hospital, Michael was on a one-week course of Amoxicillin, an antibiotic medication to treat a sinus infection. Michael spent a great deal of time …
Lately I have found myself on a few health care boards in both Alberta and Ontario. I have been impressed by the dedication of the board members, and the depth and breadth of expertise they provide. I am also convinced that having many board members who are not health care insiders provides an exceptionally important …
In the modern economy, many industries, such as aviation, retail and manufacturing, no longer slow down over weekends. Yet hospitals have mostly resisted this trend, even though demand for many forms of health care is no less on weekends than on weekdays. While most hospitals are open every day of the week, many operate with …
Katie’s story Three years ago, Katie (name and some details changed to protect her identity) was in a car accident on a rural road two hours outside of an urban centre. Her ankle was crushed in the accident, and after a delay of several hours due to weather, she was air-lifted to the nearest trauma …
After finishing medical school, new doctors go through several years of post-graduate, on-the-job training – known as residency – in order to become licensed to practice independently. Historically, residency has involved very long hours spent in hospital, so that residents see a high volume of diverse cases as well as provide patient care. As part …
Residents are an essential part of Canada’s 24/7 health system. They are in a unique position, serving as both care givers and physicians-in-training, and they have traditionally worked very long hours. This has led to tremendous national and international debate regarding the regulation of resident work hours. The European Union now limits residents to 52.5 …