Health Care = Social Network?

                In the words of Roy Romanow, “medicare remains one of the single greatest symbols of our uniqueness of Canadians” and it just got better. After this week’s lecture and seminar discussion, it is clear that health care reform is needed to relieve the burden on our health care system. With rising health care costs, longer emergency room wait times and barriers to access care (such as lack of timely services and poor communication between health care professionals) it is time to focus our attention to health promotion rather than the treatment of illness and disease.

                In March of 2006, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre was the first hospital in Canada to launch MyChart, an innovative electronic health records service which patients can access from their very own home. What started off as a pilot project for patients with osteoporosis has now become the way of the future in many downtown Toronto hospitals.  On Sunday, January 23, the Toronto Star reported on Nancy Leonardis, a 32-year old woman pregnant with twins who keeps track of her health from home while on bed rest for the next 3 months.  (see http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/926713--medical-records-at-the-click-of-a-mouse if you are interested in reading the article). This groundbreaking method of technology allows patients to access lab results, diagnostic imaging reports, review their prescriptions and connect with their health care providers and physicians. The implementation of this service has made the health care system more efficient and comprehensive to people, while empowering patients to take control of their health head on. This timely access to medical information focuses on a patient-centered care approach in keeping with the 10 Principles of Health Care Reform. In addition, this program provides clinical autonomy to individuals while integrating the health care system into their everyday life. This program allows increased communication and coordination between all of the patient’s health care providers at the convenience of the click of a mouse. Patients are never left in the dark as it reinforces a participatory model of health, moving from an ‘expert’ to ‘partner’ model of health care.

                However, as convenient and integrative this system may be, concerns have been raised over patients being bombarded with too much information and incomprehensible medical jargon.  Not everyone has the luxury of owning a computer which would prevent them from benefitting from this initiative. What are your thoughts on this program?

See the clip below for an outline of the benefits of this medical advancement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfGKiaMn51c 

                Building on today’s seminar discussion, I strongly believe that the Canada Health Act should include the provision of long-term care to enhance the quality of the health-care system of the future. As the population ages, there is an increasing need for long-term care facilities and private care workers in the home, however these essential services come at no small cost. With insufficient funds being the main issue, money would have to be taken out of preventative care and put towards the care of senior citizens. The bottom line is, one area of health care will always benefit at the expense of another.

Moving Towards Equality....One Patient at a Time

Upon reflecting on the past two weeks of lecture and seminar, I was quickly reminded of a medical series I have been following in the Toronto Star newspaper. A 26-year old man living in Mount Forest, Ontario nearly died of a rare blood disorder called PNH before gaining access to a $500,000 a year drug treatment. Lucas Maciesza's fight for medical treatment drove provincial policy makers to reconsider the five principles of the Canada Health Act and the Ontario Public Drugs Program is considering the request to cover emergency and beyond-budget drugs. This policy change is meant to reinforce the value of equity in the Canadian values of Medicare, providing necessary care to all Canadians regardless of where they live and what services they require. Revising policy legislation, a vital health promotion strategy is a step towards a more comprehensive, accessible and universal health care system.
See http://www.thestar.com/article/926516--ontario-expands-coverage-for-compassionate-drug-access for more information on this story.

In seminar, the point was made that "fairness" one of Medicare's four values was extremely subjective. Growing up with both of my parents being health care workers, I myself feel like I am at an advantage when it comes to receiving adequate health care. My father being a radiologist, I have been able to "bud" the line on many occasions for diagnostic testing of any kind. One particular experience demonstrates how it is often "who you know" that will get you ahead.

In July of this past year I found myself in the emergency room of York Central Hospital where my father has worked for over 20 years. The sea of people waiting to be seen was incredible, the waiting room crowded to capacity, with everything from crying babies to bleeding wounds, my father forging ahead to show the triage nurse his hospital ID. From across the hall my father began waving at the ER doctor on-call and before I knew it I was in and out of the hospital in under 30 minutes. It was a bittersweet feeling of satisfaction and shame as I walked out, passing people who had been waiting over 5 hours to be seen in a much worse state than I was. In that moment, I realized that as much as we would like our health care systm to render fairness and equality for all, there are always going to be shortcuts along the way, and this time I was the one benefitting.

As nutrition professionals, I believe it is our duty as health care workers to embrace the strategies of health promotion in order to provide people with the skills they need to live a more healthy life. As agents of change, we must collectively strive for a healthy population through nutrition education and community health promotion. By reaching people in their everyday context, we can create a healthy social and physical environment including food and supplementation programs right in their own communities. Prevention and awareness are key aspects of community nutrition that can empower individuals to take control of their lives as well as reduce the burden on the health care system.