Ontario's minister of health, Sylvia Jones, has indicated the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) to go ahead with regulatory changes that could get thousands more internationally trained nurses into practice more quickly as staffing shortages have led to temporary emergency department closures across the province. The college has said this could potentially help close to 6,000 active international applicants currently living in Ontario.
Nearly 30 percent of Canadians report “chronic difficulty” accessing care, according to a new survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, which found that an equivalent of nine million people said that it was difficult or impossible to access emergency and non-emergency care, including surgery, diagnostic testing and specialist appointments. These results are revealed as Canada’s healthcare system continues to grapple with staffing shortages, long wait times and emergency room closures.
On our latest episode of the Caring Support Podcast, we talked about patient engagement, digital health, and much more with Dr. Maida Affan, a healthcare marketing and communications professional with experience in clinical, wellness content marketing, and digital strategies.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore discussed the upcoming respiratory virus season this week and indicated Ontarians likely won’t see a return to COVID restrictions, though masking may again be needed. “I don’t see the place for any further public health measures at a population level in Ontario given the high level of protection that we have,” Moore said.
Virtual health care has seen substantial growth since the onset of the pandemic, with increased investments and infrastructure emerging province-wide and across Canada. Virtual care researchers say all signs point to a future where more Canadians receive care from home, while improvements in technology open the door for more advanced health monitoring from afar.
Caring for other people is one of the hardest and most difficult things that anyone can do, but it also brings great joy and satisfaction to those who commit to it. Like in any other role, there are many lessons to be learned when one becomes a caregiver, either professionally or in a family setting. However, we believe this is something that doesn't get addressed as much as it should. So, to discuss this important topic further, we recently invited self-care coach Nicole Dauz to our podcast.
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