1) Challenges To The Health Care System P.30-31 Flashcards
Is Canada’s healthcare system without challenges despite being heralded as a prime example of universal health coverage?
- No, it is not without challenges
- Universal health coverage is an aspiration requiring continuous commitment
- Adequate depth and scope of coverage must be politically achievable and fiscally feasible
What must a successful healthcare system do to address challenges?
- Continue to evolve and realign resources
- Meet changing population needs
- Foster evidence-informed care
- Ensure equitable access to care
- Contain costs
Why is health system reform and nursing engagement necessary?
- To address the major challenges facing the healthcare system
- Challenges necessitate reform to the system
- Nursing engagement is needed to advocate for and implement reforms
What has fueled the ideological debate about how the Canadian healthcare system should be funded and delivered?
- Rising healthcare costs
- Increasing wait times
What is the position of right-wing political groups on healthcare funding?
- Assert that healthcare costs are rising at unsustainable rates
- Call for privatization of the healthcare system
What is the position of left-wing political groups on healthcare?
- Argue for restructuring of the healthcare system
- Increased breadth of healthcare coverage
What has been the impact of the rise of neo-liberalism in the 1990s?
- Increased health inequalities
- Weakened social provisions
How do the ideological premises of the political party in power influence healthcare?
- Dramatically influence health and public policy
- The future of the healthcare system is subject to their views and priorities
What is the professional obligation of nurses regarding the healthcare system?
- Be civically engaged
- Advocate for equitable and accessible healthcare services meeting Canadians’ needs
What will pose the biggest threat to human health and well-being worldwide over the coming decades?
- Climate change
What climate change impacts will Canadians face?
- Increasing extreme cold and heat events
- Weather-related natural disasters
- Poor air quality
- Waterborne and foodborne contamination
- Exposure to ultraviolet light
- Changing patterns of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases
What will determine the extent of climate change impacts on human health?
- How fast the climate changes
- How well the healthcare system adapts to associated challenges and risks
What is urgently needed to mitigate the health effects of climate change?
- Nursing engagement, advocacy, and leadership
- Addressing vulnerabilities of the healthcare system
- Fostering resiliency in the healthcare system
What were the major health care needs of Canadians in the 1960s?
- Treatment of acute injuries and diseases
- Care was primarily delivered in hospitals
How did Canada’s health care system meet the needs in the 1960s?
- Built a reactive, hospital-doctor focused system
- Treatment services dominated
How have Canadians’ health care needs changed since the 1960s?
- Needs are primarily centered on chronic disease management and care
- An increasing number of Canadians are living with chronic diseases
What portion of health care costs do hospital services represent?
- 26.4% of total health expenditures in 2019
- Hospital spending accounts for the largest portion
What is the issue with the focus on acute care settings?
- Bulk of spending is on acute care rather than primary health care (PHC)
- Lack of community supports for chronic disease management
What is the consequence of lack of community supports?
- Many Canadians with chronic conditions require costly hospitalizations
- Strains the health care system further
What should nurses advocate for?
- Establishment of a strong PHC-focused health care system
- Upstream approaches to health care
How many people worked in health-related occupations in Canada in 2019 compared to 2012?
- In 2019, over 1.4 million people worked in health-related occupations
- In 2012, 1.7 million people worked in health-related occupations
- The number of people employed in the healthcare sector has decreased despite population growth
What has the decrease in healthcare workers led to?
- Many job vacancies, particularly in rural/remote areas and specialty areas
- Compromised accessibility to healthcare services for many Canadians
What percentage of vacant positions in 2019 were nursing positions?
- 30% of vacant positions in 2019 were nursing positions
What has made the shortage of healthcare professionals more evident?
- The COVID-19 pandemic
What is a critical component of a successful healthcare system?
- Health human resource planning
What factors must be considered for effective health human resource planning?
- Broader healthcare system challenges (wait times, patient safety, bed closures)
- Population demographics and trends (aging population, urbanization)
How much is Canada’s population of older persons expected to grow over the next 20 years?
- Expected to grow by 68%
- As the baby-boom generation enters senior years
What characterizes the aging process for many older Canadians?
- Chronic diseases and conditions
- Prompting need to access more healthcare services
To support aging in place, what services need to be available and accessible?
- Appropriate home-based services (e.g. home care)
- Appropriate community-based services (e.g. independent living support)