Healthcare provider remuneration mechanisms are one
of the key policy levers that decision-makers can harness
to influence health-system performance.(1) In Canada,
remunerating physicians is the second-largest source of
public expenditures accounting for 21% of all health
spending in the country.(2) With...
There is a well-documented global trend toward
increased consumption of energy-dense and high-fat
foods, combined with increases in sedentary lifestyles.(1)
These changes have contributed to a global epidemic of
overweight and obesity, as well as significantly increased
risks for many diseases, including...
Health systems are moving away from traditional
primary care (e.g., by increasingly shifting to group
practice and interprofessional teams rather than solo
practice primary-care providers), which is often siloed
and results in barriers to timely access to care.(1) The
Ministry of Health of British Columb...
Opioid addiction has emerged as a pressing publichealth challenge in recent years. From January 2016 to
March 2018 more than 8,000 opioid-related deaths were
recorded.(1) In 2018, the number of apparent opioidrelated deaths continues to rise, with more than 1,000
deaths in the first three months of the y...
There are growing concerns globally of the health and
social harms caused by alcohol.(1) The harmful use of
alcohol resulted in approximately three million deaths
worldwide in 2016 (5.3% of all deaths globally).(1)
Increases in the global burden of disease attributable to
alcohol highlight the importance...
Nurses have a long tradition of informally working in
expanded roles in rural and remote communities in
Canada (e.g., outpost nurses).(1; 2) The formalization of
the nurse practitioner role in Canada began in the mid1960s as a response to four interrelated factors: 1)
introduction of publicly funded heal...
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is used “to describe
a broader spectrum of presentations and disabilities resulting
from alcohol exposure in utero.”(1) FASD affects fetal and
brain development and may result in limitations to any of an
individual’s: memory; sensory integration; social
commun...
Dementia is a complex condition and refers to
“progressive brain syndromes which affect memory,
thinking, behavior and emotion.”(1) While the
experience of dementia is different for each person, it
eventually progresses to an individual not being able to
care for themselves and requiring assistance w...
The environment in which children are growing up
today is very different than that of previous generations.
There has been tremendous innovation in how society
operates, with the rapid expansion of technology,
globalization of businesses, new careers and
opportunities, and increasingly diverse communitie...
Education is key to equipping individuals with the
necessary skills to meaningfully contribute to society.(1)
Rapid developments in technology, workforce changes
and the effects of globalization mean that societies are
evolving at a faster than ever pace. Responsive
education systems are needed to proper...
