It is no question that Canada’s cash-strapped healthcare system is under increasing pressure to meet the needs of its diverse population. One major health system challenge is the rising rates of chronic, preventable illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. These chronic conditions account for an estimated 153,000 Canadian deaths every year, nearly three- quarters of all deaths in…

  Lack of competition among providers has burdened our healthcare system with overcrowded emergency rooms, long waitlists for critical services, and poor quality of care1. Our system gives healthcare providers a financial incentive only to focus on serving a high volume of patients. But imagine having a parallel “private” system where innovation, performance and patient satisfaction matter more. The model…

The topic of wait times in the Emergency Department (ED) has been well documented and discussed since the early 1970s, with the amount of time people spend in EDs continuing to be a topic of interest to patients, policy makers, health care providers and health system planners.2, 3 One of the many possible explanations for overcrowding is the use of…

Ask any active Western University student and they will tell you that their school has one of the best campus recreation facilities in Canada. The gym is consistently one of the most populated buildings on campus. The problem? Wait times. Locating an open treadmill or bench can take up half of your workout. It wasn’t until second year that I…

Canadians are generally thought of as very friendly and helpful people willing to give you the shirts off of their backs. The majority of them, when asked, are willing to give you their organs after they’re gone…just don’t ask them to put it in writing! One of the challenges that every province in Canada faces is the low percentage of…

As we all know, physicians and pharmacists represent a major part of the health care system, and play a major role in the health of the patients. They have mutual responsibilities toward the patient in their goal of providing optimal drug therapy. Thus, in order for them to successfully achieve this goal they need to work cooperatively and collaboratively to…

The challenge of caring for the aging population is one of the most pressing problems the Canadian healthcare system is facing. The aging of Canada’s population is accelerating, with the number of seniors projected to increase from 4.2 million in 2005 to 9.8 million in 2036, representing 13.2% and 24.5% of the total population, respectively.1 Rising health care costs due…

1 in 9 women Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime[1]. This statistic indicates that at some point in my life, there is a good chance that I will witness or experience the devastating impacts of the disease firsthand. It is easy to see how a cancer diagnosis can take a physical and emotional toll on…

A huge opportunity to address the problem of social isolation among seniors in long-term care (LTC) facilities lies in digital technology and social media. Currently, over 40 % of individuals in LTC facilities and nursing homes have no visitors[1]. This lack of contact with family and friends, compounded by well-intentioned but over-worked care staff, often leave LTC residents isolated. Researchers…

The realization It’s happened more than once in the past few months; routine procrastination (away from my health and immunology studies) on social media outlets such as Facebook takes a turn away from mind-numbing time filling to aggravated commenting on threads dealing with none other than vaccine controversies. Having an RN for a mother and being (relatively) educated on the…