National Expert Commission

Canada’s health-care system provides multiple services that are cherished by its citizens, and it works well for many of us. But – given that the health needs of Canadians are growing and changing – there is vast room for improvement. Access problems, wait times, inefficiencies and rising costs threaten the effectiveness of our system to improve health service delivery.

It is agreed that the current Canadian health-care system has not kept pace with the changing health-care and wellness needs of Canadians. To meet this challenge, in May 2011, the Canadian Nurses Association launched a National Expert Commission entitled “The Health of Our Nation – The Future of our Health System.” The Commission will recommend ways in which the system can be transformed to put the patient and family first, with a renewed focus on quality care in both community and institutional settings.

The Commission will address key questions in a number of areas, such as: How do we shift and re-align health services to make better use of existing resources, including the skills of registered nurses? How can we reduce duplication and maximize teamwork to make our health system smarter and more effective?

Between July 2011 and June 2012, the Commission will consult with nurses and other health professionals, political leaders, members of the public and the media. The focus of the Commission will be to:

gather evidence;

detect gaps;

outline recommendations aimed at accelerating the implementation of policies and programs that improve quality, access, efficiency and affordability of services within Canada’s publicly funded, not-for-profit health system.

identify nursing innovations; and

The Commission will table its final recommendations in June 2012. Read more at www.cna-aiic.ca

Time to get mHealth moving

Using mobile devices to collect and share health data can make healthcare cheaper, faster and more equitable, argues Jody Ranck.

You can’t see health data as they flow from clinic to decision-maker — but they are absolutely critical for informing good policies and allocating resources appropriately.

Countless lives are lost each year because of limited access to health information. If an infectious disease breaks out in a remote village, for example, it can take weeks for surveillance data collected on paper to reach central systems — and in that time, the outbreak could have become an epidemic.

But equipped with a mobile phone, a health worker in a remote area can send real-time data on symptoms observed in an outbreak to the health ministry.

Using mobile phones in this way, known as mHealth, can dramatically reduce the damage caused by disease. It can also prevent drug stock-outs and improve patient care.

Developments in modern ICT — moving beyond the computer, fax and landlines to mobile devices — are key to improving the ease and efficiency of health data flows, ultimately giving people greater and more equitable access to health services.

The mobile solution Read more at www.scidev.net

The Editor’s Letter

Mary Jo Haddad

Enabling child health is the main focus of my career. While I am often inspired by the great strides that have been made in terms of fostering child health, my many encounters with children and their families, healthcare providers and health system policy and decision-makers also make me acutely aware of the significant health-related obstacles young people still confront. Very few – if any – of us are satisfied with the current state of children’s health. We know we can do better, and we believe we ought to do more. In order to bring about positive changes for children, we must move swiftly, decisively and in a carefully planned and coordinated manner.

This journal series – Child Health in Canada – was born out of a spirit of collaboration and a fierce determination to improve children’s physical and mental well-being. It is also a call to action to address the specific issues that impede children’s health. The goals of the series are not tame; its aims are to inform public policy and to improve systems of care across the country and, in so doing, to enhance child health outcomes.

My vision for this series is also anchored in pride and optimism. These feelings arise from working with brilliant, talented and passionate child health experts, individuals who are motivated to improve the lives of children in our communities, schools, homes and hospitals.

Child Health in Canada will be composed of four issues, each one focused on a theme that is critical to the overall subject:

Social determinants of health

Mental health

Health systems performance

Innovation Read more at www.longwoods.com

Bad decisions for global health

Lack of access to knowledge is the main limitation to human development. Since WHO’s Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI) was launched in 2002, 137 publishers have provided content from 7000 journals free to local, non-profit institutions in 105 eligible countries. In 2010 alone, according to Kimberly Parker (WHO’s HINARI programme manager), 400 new journals were added to the network. HINARI offers the opportunity of access to hitherto inaccessible knowledge for the most resource-poor countries in the world.

When news came last week that several large publishers—including Elsevier (our publisher), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, and Springer—had withdrawn journals from HINARI’s Bangladesh programme (and other countries too, such as Kenya and Nigeria, although the full extent of withdrawal remains unclear), there was a collective cry of betrayal. When challenged, one publisher, that of Science, immediately reversed its decision. Unknown to editors at The Lancet, our journals were also part of this withdrawal. Elsevier too, has now reinstated its journals into HINARI for Bangladesh. We welcome that decision. As far as we are aware, neither Springer nor Lippincott Williams & Wilkins have yet restored their earlier withdrawals. Read more at www.thelancet.com