Articles on Health-care workers

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A healthcare worker wears an N95 respirator mask and other personal protective equipment. (Dick Zoutman)

The CSA’s revised standard on respirators should help us all breathe easier

Dick Zoutman, Queen's University, Ontario; Julia M. Wright, Dalhousie University; Mark Ungrin, University of Calgary, and Ryan Tennant, University of Waterloo

New draft standards for respirator use recognize the importance of protecting workers and patients in health-care settings, where there is a higher risk of pathogen exposure
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?

Christopher Buse, Simon Fraser University; Sandra Smiley, University of British Columbia, and Tim K. Takaro, Simon Fraser University

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.
Presenting their ‘human self’ as well as their ‘professional self’ allows doctors to role model healthy behaviours for peers and trainees, and be more relatable to their patients and the public. (Shutterstock)

Doctors engage the public by bringing a human side to social media

Alice Fleerackers, University of British Columbia and Lauren A Maggio, University of Illinois Chicago

Doctors use social media for reasons ranging from the strictly professional to the highly personal: They connect with colleagues, raise awareness of social issues and educate the public on health topics.
Women — particularly racialized women — are more likely to be in positions at the lower end of the health sector’s pay scale, that also require close and prolonged contact with patients. (Shutterstock)

Canada’s health‑care crisis is gendered: How the burden of care falls to women

Julia Smith, Simon Fraser University

Not only is the health sector feminized, but women — particularly racialized women — are more likely to be in jobs at the low end of the pay scale, but that require prolonged contact with patients.
A fundamental component for training health-care professionals is interacting with patients and families. (Shutterstock)

Solving Canada’s shortage of health professionals means training more of them, and patients have a key role in their education

Lisa McKendrick Calder, MacEwan University; Eleftheria Laios, Queen's University, Ontario; Kerry Wilbur, University of British Columbia; Lorelli Nowell, University of Calgary, and Whitney Lucas Molitor, University of South Dakota

Each encounter that health-care students have with patients and families helps them understand real-world patient needs. That means all Canadians have a role in educating future health-care providers.
Nurses of the University College Hospital protest in London on Feb. 6, 2023. The walkout is part of a wave of health worker strikes and demonstrations in recent months. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Health‑care worker strikes in the United Kingdom: Are there lessons for Canada’s health crisis?

Veena Sriram, University of British Columbia and Sorcha A. Brophy, Columbia University

U.K. health worker protests echo issues in Canada. They are also a harbinger of future labour disputes and systemic collapse if austerity, underinvestment and neglect of health workers continue.
Canada has a shortage of doctors. That’s why making it difficult for internationally trained doctors to practise here is so mystifying. (Francisco Venancio, Unsplash)

Why is Canada snubbing internationally trained doctors during a health‑care crisis?

Simran Purewal, Simon Fraser University; Evelyn Encalada Grez, Simon Fraser University, and Paola Ardiles, Simon Fraser University

Canada is sidelining qualified doctors while many Canadians struggle to find health care. Here’s what we can and must do better for internationally trained physicians.
Building safer workplaces requires leaders who understand how years of resource constraints, unhealthy work environments, abuse from patients and a pandemic have contributed to overwhelming burnout and job dissatisfaction among workers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

How health‑care leaders can foster psychologically safer workplaces

Angela Coderre-Ball, Queen's University, Ontario; Colleen Grady, Queen's University, Ontario, and Denis Chênevert, HEC Montréal

The future of our health system depends on recruiting and retaining passionate and highly skilled health-care workers. It’s essential to build work environments where they feel supported and safe.
Patient safety incidents are the third leading cause of death in Canada. (Shutterstock)

When health care goes wrong: It’s time for transparency in patient safety

Fiona MacDonald, University of Northern British Columbia; Allison Kooijman, University of British Columbia; Carolyn Canfield, University of British Columbia; Nelly Oelke, University of British Columbia, and Robert Robson, McMaster University

Patient safety incidents were already a leading cause of death in Canada. With that crisis converging with the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care is being pushed to a breaking point.
Common approaches used to encourage internationally educated health-care professionals to work in smaller communities often focus primarily on attraction, but do not address the reasons why they tend to leave. (Shutterstock)

How rural Canada can attract and retain international health‑care providers: Address discrimination, provide support

Natalya Brown, Nipissing University; Melissa Kelly, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Victoria Esses, Western University

Small communities struggle to retain needed internationally educated health-care professionals. Challenges will persist until the compounding effects of social and professional isolation are addressed.
Health-care workers protest over stalled contract negotiations with the provincial government in Montréal in October 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Workers, not warriors: 4 lessons from health worker protests during COVID‑19 that could help avert a looming workforce crisis

Veena Sriram, University of British Columbia and Sorcha A. Brophy, Columbia University

To prevent a shortage of health workers, public expressions of appreciation need to be backed by policies that provide dignity, decent working conditions, accountability and appropriate remuneration.
Police officers speak to a health-care professional outside the emergency department at Toronto General Hospital during a protest against COVID-19 measures in September 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young 

Patient aggression and physician burnout: The makings of a human resources crisis in health care

Colleen Grady, Queen's University, Ontario

Although demanding, disruptive and violent patients are a major contributor to physician burnout, solutions to address this increasing problem are not a priority.
In addition to patient care, many doctors also have heavy administrative burdens, including insurance company requests and government forms that advocate for their patients’ needs, as well as all the challenges of running an office. (Shutterstock)

The doctor won’t see you now: Why access to care is in critical condition

Eric Cadesky, University of British Columbia

Less than half of Canadians can see their doctor same-day, and millions don’t even have a family doctor. Improving access to care means providing doctors with the support they need to focus on patients.
Intensive care nurse Kathryn Ivey’s Tweet illustrates the impact of the pandemic on health-care workers. Used with permission. @kathryniveyy/Twitter

High rates of COVID‑19 burnout could lead to shortage of health‑care workers

Robert Maunder, University of Toronto and Gillian Strudwick, University of Toronto

Rates of burnout have increased alarmingly among health-care workers during the pandemic. Unless the system provides more support to its already depleted workforce, staff shortages may get worse.

Related Topics

  1. Burnout
  2. Coronavirus
  3. COVID-19
  4. Doctors
  5. Health care
  6. Health-care system
  7. Infection control
  8. Nurses
  9. Pandemic
  10. PPE

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