Mounting concern that health professional/patient interactions are often less than therapeutic has led to many initiatives aimed at finding ways to put the care back into the health care system. In Canada, one such initiative is the creation of the Patient Experience department of Alberta Health Services. Find the full article here.
A growing number of Canadians are turning to mobile and virtual health options to improve their health care experience. According to a new report from PwC Canada, almost half of Canadians believe that mobile health apps will make health care more convenient over the next three years. Find the full article here.
We're back with another edition of 'Top Reads of the Week'! When promoting content, we look to material that not only interests patients and their families, but to material that sheds light on the importance of the patient perspective. Please contact us and share what you think is especially fascinating, innovative, or reflective of the changes that you want to see in our healthcare system.
Patients, families key to changing the system. When Glenn Fahner was paralyzed after a fall during a fishing trip in August 2009, he was sent to Michigan for care because there were no appropriate hospital beds for him in Ontario.
The heartbreaking stories of two women who believe their fathers were let down by the health-care system in their final days were just the kind of experiences Sholom Glouberman came to Sudbury to hear. Glouberman said he had "quite a day" Monday in Sudbury, meeting with people and trying to understand how Health Sciences North is working to engage people in a different kind of health care.
Find the full article here.
The only way to fix the problems plaguing Canada's health-care system is to involve patients in that change, says the president of the Patients' Association of Canada.
When the Canada Health Act was passed in 1984, Canadians were dying of acute and infectious diseases. Today, we die of chronic illnesses, which we can live with for years, says Sholom Glouberman. Find the full article here.
Catherine Cross -- The federal government is considering making adverse drug reaction reporting mandatory for doctors and other health care providers, says Health Canada.
Health Canada is concerned that adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are underreported. The Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology estimates that only 5% of suspected ADRs are reported... Every year, drug distributors submit a summary of all ADR reports to Health Canada, stating whether the reported ADRs change the drug's risk-to-benefit profile.
Adriana Barton -- Despite a health care system burdened by high costs and patients facing long waits for medical procedures, many Canadians are getting unnecessary diagnostic tests and surgeries that may leave them worse off, physicians say.