Discussions

The locals have been amazingly friendly and helpful. I struck up a conversation with two families travelling with three small children to the same destination. I couldn't help but marvel at the parents’ disciplinary skills. Especially impressive was how they could, with a straight face, incorporate the word “darling” with “please get off the dirty floor.” I had with me many little Canadian flag pins and they were mesmerized when I gave each of them one. They promised to cheer for the Canucks, as well.

CASN collaborating with Infoway to help ensure tomorrow's nurses are ready to practice in a tech-enabled environment.

In tough times, the best way to ensure more of us survive is by sharing ideas, experiences and lessons learned.

In fear of morning rush-hour tube traffic, we elected to cab it to our hotel. The traffic was surprisingly civilized, and the driver lamented that London businesses were not seeing the economic boom they were hoping for from the Olympics.

Dr. Cathy Andrew, a family physician in Toronto, is hopping the pond to watch the Olympics in London. She’ll be cheering on our Canadian athletes from the sidelines and sharing her on-the-scene observations with CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca readers in this blog.

Pro-homeopathy author shares some observations from his most recent Point of View debate on the practice.

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, premier Dalton McGuinty and healthcare stakeholders have studied, commented and dissected these barriers every which way. There is strong, across-the-board support for increased access to diagnostic testing and direct referral to specialists. So why do our patients continue to be disadvantaged by longer wait times and delays while nurse practitioners collaborate with physician partners in order to obtain the necessary approvals?

The primary takeaway I have from nearly five years of managing a place such as the Ontario Ministry of Health is that leadership time, not money, is the scarcest resource. You cannot possibly fathom, until you sit there, just how difficult it is to make change. It’s that learning that makes me a bit skeptical about whether mergers are really the best investment of time for healthcare leaders.