Emergency Care

Ontario taxpayers bearing the burden of ‘OHIP for all’ policy

Ten days into the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario's public health insurance policy was expanded to include all uninsured patients, like temporary workers and tourists. But more sustainable solutions are needed in place of “OHIP for All.”

Exodus in health care begs the question: ‘What will make you stay?’

When we don’t acknowledge or commemorate the quiet departures of our coworkers, it leaves those of us who remain unsettled and asking, ‘why stay?’ if it is barely noticed when someone leaves.

An Excerpt from Death Interrupted

Chapter 5 of Death Interrupted: "Declaring Death: Who Decides When the End Has Arrived?"

Omicron and medical conferences – a balancing of risks

Large, in-person medical conferences can be risky in the Omicron era. Yet, proponents say these risks can be mitigated, and resuming in-person learning and networking are necessary to advance medicine and support a profession at its breaking point.

Deadly cracks in a broken mental-health system

While struggling with any illness, it is reassuring to feel that there is a place to go for help if things deteriorate beyond your ability to handle it. This is a sense of comfort I have lost. I have been forced to face the reality of what the emergency department can provide for mental health crises – not a lot. But there's more we could do.

In support of addiction and mental health patients in emergency departments

If our health-care system claims to be equitable and considerate of patients with addiction and mental-health concerns, it has to resolve the issue of boarded mental-health patients in emergency departments, which can lead to higher overall wait times for emergency care.

‘I do not want to be spat on, punched or kicked’: Exodus of emergency physicians accelerating

As anti-vaxx protests continue in front of hospitals across Canada, emergency physicians are saying enough is enough and leaving their profession behind.

Emergency departments at a ‘tipping point’

Emergency departments are in the “last stage of system failure.” Experts are calling for Canada to rethink how we use the departments to fill growing gaps in non-emergency care.

‘The well is starting to run dry’: Emergency department physicians speak out

Representatives of Toronto Women in Emergency Medicine, a group of emergency physicians working in hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area, were asked to reflect on their experiences of the most recent wave and what health-care systems can do to survive the next one.

Granola bars, gift cards and phone chargers: The little extras nurses carry to get colleagues and patients through tough times

Nurses hold the health-care system together, even as many are suffering from burnout and leaving the profession. In this photo-essay, nurses speak about the little things they carry with them to stay motivated and connect with patients and colleagues.

Shortage of physicians, support systems puts health care in northern Ontario in jeopardy

The holistic style of community care that is the backbone of health care in rural northern Ontario is in jeopardy. If we care about equity, those in northern Ontario must have equitable access to the opportunity to live and die well in their communities.

Children’s visits to emergency departments surge as winter looms

Pediatric emergency departments are seeing record numbers of visits since some families can’t see their family doctors or go to walk-in clinics. More patients mean longer waits, hindering care for some children with emergency conditions.

Restoring dignity: A teenager’s insights into inpatient psychiatric admission

As a 19-year-old with bipolar disorder, I waited eight hours in the ER for a doctor. My brain may not have been bleeding, but I felt like my brain was on fire. Here's what I learned about improving care for patients experiencing a mental health crisis.

Hospitals in crisis: Emergency personnel in southwestern Ontario sounding the alarm

Emergency departments in southwestern Ontario are at a breaking point. Crowding has reached unprecedented – and dangerous – levels, forcing patients to wait close to 20 hours and leaving some regions without available ambulances.

‘Do I really need this in my life?’ Concerns grow over violence in ERs

Emergency departments are struggling to deal with staff shortages, and the violence that health-care workers face is a big reason why people are quitting the field. Doctors and nurses are calling for measures to curb the violence.

Not on the same team: Police presence in health-care settings is at odds with professional obligations and trauma-informed care

The presence of police in health-care settings can undermine the ability of doctors, nurses, and others to provide high-quality, patient-centred care. It's time we critically interrogated the role of police in these spaces.

‘You can’t manage what you don’t measure’: Hospitals slow to recognize increasing number of dementia patients

In our hospitals, we have no systems in place to identify people living with dementia, measure how many there are or how their dementia impacts our care. And hospitals are not implementing programs to improve.

How one ER partnered with a mental-health organization to care for youth in distress

Young adults recovering from mental illness and substance use are working in the emergency room of a Toronto hospital to give young patients in psychological distress the support they need.

I’ve got cancer. Will I get the care I need during a pandemic?

How long is too long? Assessing wait times in Canadian EDs