Burnout

At a breaking point: Workforce sustainability in home and community care needs smarter HR

The workforce pressure on our increasingly strained health-care system is not a Human Resources (HR) problem; it’s a human problem that affects every single person in the chain of care, from physicians and Personal Support Workers to the administrative teams who hold it all together.

Pharmacists are often the first to see mental health issues. They should be trained to respond

Mental Health First Aid training could strengthen pharmacists' ability to assist patients in distress and could serve as a vital first touch point for patient care.

Schooling or suicide: The ethical responsibility of educational institutions

Students are dying silently in the places meant to shape their futures. Schools cannot prevent every tragedy, but they also cannot ignore the role they play.

In rural Canada, burnout looks different

Burnout in Northern Ontario is not simply about being tired. It is about being stretched across distance, across roles, and across unmet needs. It reflects the broader challenge of delivering care in a vast country with uneven resource distribution.

‘It made everything worse’: Nurses say WorkSafeBC delays recovery after violent incidents

Nurses reporting workplace violence say they face long waits, complex rules and rigid treatment pathways from WorkSafeBC.

Medicine can be better: A wish list for our health-care system

Health Debate editor-in-chief, Dr. Seema Marwaha, shares her wishes for Canada's health-care system as a general internist, educator, journalist and incoming president-elect of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada.

Feeling blue? It’s not just you. Canadians live in a ‘winter depression hotspot’

Seasonal affective disorder or – the appropriately acronymic SAD –  will impact an estimated 15 per cent of Canadians during their lifetime.

Burnout in health care: A personal reflection and evidence-based perspective

Coping with burnout requires a combination of personal resilience and systemic support. Health-care institutions must prioritize the emotional and psychological health of their staff.

New Year’s resolutions from health-care professionals: Advocate, avoid burnout and remember to love

At a time when the problems in Canadian health care can feel overwhelming and reaching our goals seems a daunting task, we wanted to know what health-care experts have on their personal resolutions list for 2025. 

Nursing is harm reduction: Providing care in the midst of our overdose crisis

"In the face of Canada’s overdose crisis, I see harm reduction as a fundamental aspect of nursing practice – it is a necessity, in addition to treatment and prevention."

Why are we not using evidence-informed workload management in health care?

Excessive staff workloads lie at the root of the current human resources crisis in health care. With nurses and front-line staff leaving the profession in droves, we need better workload management.

Canadian universities are fumbling mental health support for student-athletes

Canadian post-secondary institutions need to step up to the plate to improve mental health services for student-athletes. Fear about legal liabilities cannot continue to override action to support psychological well-being.

‘I can’t quite shut it off’: Prevalence of insomnia a growing concern for women

As women juggle their responsibilities, these duties can take a toll, both emotionally and practically. Societal pressures, maternal concerns and the challenge of balancing multiple roles contribute to women's increased susceptibility to insomnia.

OurCare Quebec: ‘Patients are frustrated and afraid of what is to come’

Like most Quebecers, I'm worried about our failing health-care system. We as patients are left feeling frustrated and afraid of what is to come.

Come for the black bears and huskies. Stay to ‘transform how we deliver health care’

"Self-determination doesn't happen when all of your clinicians are flying up from the south, working for a week and then flying home.” Medical resident Maria Raveendran writes on her experience working in the remote northern Ontario community of Moose Factory Island.

Resolutions and solutions: Health-care experts set goals for 2024

In a time of upheaval and undoubtedly significant professional strain, we wanted to know what health-care experts themselves had on their New Year’s resolution lists.

Holiday wishes for our beleaguered health-care system

Health-care workers and experts share their wishes for Canada's health-care system this holiday season.

OurCare Manitoba: System is nearing collapse but we have faith it can be changed

The Manitoban primary care system is at risk. We cannot just stand to the side watching as issues mount. We need change now, while we can still turn things around. Here's how we fix it.

Anxiety vs. stress: The right definition will lead to better mental-health care

Conflating stress and anxiety in medical settings can have serious implications for patients. New research on "social prescribing" could pave the way for more effective treatment.

Canada’s diverse caregiving community in dire need of federal strategy

Canada is a nation of caregivers. But caregivers and care recipients alike are at risk for burnout. We need a concerted policy response that meets caregivers where they are.