Articles on Health-care system

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If vaccine access is shaped by structural factors, then solutions must go beyond changing individual behaviour. (Unsplash/CDC)

Why don’t some people get vaccinated? It’s more complicated than you think

Vaccine uptake is not just a behavioural issue. Challenges like childcare and transportation rarely come up in public conversations about hesitancy, but they play a major role in who gets vaccinated.
While the gender barriers are coming down, new research suggests that there remain significant geographical barriers in accessing diagnosis and treatment for both men and women with ADHD. (Unsplash+/Getty Images)

The high cost of undiagnosed and untreated ADHD: Unequal mental‑health access and the care economy

Mental health disorders such as ADHD are among the top five causes of disability in Canada, yet spending on mental-health care is often viewed as an economic drain.
A chronic condition is a health problem — physical, mental, developmental or age-related — that usually requires lifelong care, often causes disability, and sometimes shortens life expectancy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh 

‘It’s chronic disease, stupid!’ The central challenge facing health care

People living with complex chronic conditions are poorly served by our health-care system, which was designed to care for acute illness.
A wildfire is seen burning about 16 kilometres south of Port Alberni, B.C., in August 2025. Strengthening health systems for wildfire resilience will require resources, but If we fail to prepare, wildfires will continue to exacerbate the cracks in our health system. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Hammond

How wildfires and other climate disasters put health systems under extreme pressure

Wildfires are not just environmental events. They are public health crises that demand stronger, more resilient health systems.
Canada will likely need a mix of options to build the reliable, sustainable physician workforce Canadians need and deserve. (Pexels/Cottonbro Studio)

Family doctor crisis: 7 options to find the physicians Canada needs

While there is no single perfect solution, there are a number of approaches that all have potential to relieve Canada’s medical workforce crisis. It’s time to explore and pursue them.
Voters arrive to cast their ballots in advance polls for the 2025 federal election in Carstairs, Alta., Friday, April 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Why seniors’ care should have been on the election agenda

Why Canada needs to put seniors’ care back on the agenda, not only in this election but also in its aftermath.
Pan-Canadian licensing can improve health-care access in underserved areas and increase flexibility for physicians. (Shutterstock)

Why Canadian‑trained doctors should be allowed to practise anywhere in Canada without additional licensing

Despite a shortage of physicians, Canada still struggles with the question of whether a doctor licensed in one province should be automatically qualified to practice in others.
A tiger dam is placed across all lanes of the closed Trans-Canada Highway near the flooded Sumas River, in Abbotsford, B.C., in December 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

We hear about the health impact of climate‑related events. But what about the health‑care workers who respond to them?

Health systems are made up of people who are often members of the same disaster-stricken communities they serve. They respond to climate-related events, but are affected by them too.
All patients should have access to a primary care team with a minimum composition of a family physician and/or nurse practitioner, dietitian, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist, physiotherapist and social worker. (Shutterstock)

Access to care: 5 principles for action on primary health‑care teams

A newly created Primary Care Action Team has a lofty goal: to ensure all Ontarians have access to primary health care within five years. Here are five principals to consider to help achieve it.
Caesarean rates alone don’t reveal anything about the circumstances behind the clinical decisions. (Shutterstock)

Beyond birth statistics: Why measuring caesarean rates misses the mark

As a standalone statistic, the rate of ‘low risk’ caesarean births lacks the nuance needed to inform and improve individual care. Childbirth metrics must adopt a broader, patient-centred perspective.
A collective apology cannot speak to the range of experiences or contributions to harm of anti-Indigenous racism. As racism operates at multiple levels, so must accountability. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Reflections on the Canadian Medical Association’s apology to Indigenous Peoples

The Canadian Medical Association’s apology for harms to Indigenous Peoples is an opportunity to reflect on the gap between apologies and the work of true repair necessary for reconciliation.
In honour of National Nursing Week May 6-12, consider asking a nurse about their work life. Demand for nursing services in Canada far exceeds the current supply of nurses. (Shutterstock)

How the nursing shortage is affecting the health‑care system, patients and nurses themselves

Surveying more than 5,500 nurses about the realities of their work lives highlights how a shortage of nursing staff could compromise Canadians’ ability to access safe, compassionate care.
Person-centred care means treating people who face health issues as valued partners in health systems. (Priscilla du Preez/Unsplash)

Person‑centred health care means ensuring that affected communities are leaders and partners in research

Research partnerships with the people and communities affected help to challenge health inequities, and support person-centred care in health systems.

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