Canada ranks low on patient safety in international comparison

Canada ranks low on patient safety in international comparison.

E12 CMAJ, January 7, 2014, 186(1) © 2014 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors There is a “clear opportunity for improvement” on patient safety in Canada, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Canada ranks below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD) average on several patient safety indicators, states the institute’s new report Benchm...

Creating patient safety capacity in a nation's health system: A comparison between Israel and Canada

Injuries to patients by the healthcare system (i.e., adverse events) are common and their impact on individuals and systems is considerable. Over the last decade, extensive efforts have been made worldwide to improve patient safety. Given the complexity and extent of the activities required to address the issue, coordinating and organizing them at a national level is likely beneficial. Whereas ...

The Dilemma of Physician Shortage and International Recruitment in Canada

The perception of physician shortage in Canada is widespread. Absolute shortages and relative discrepancies, both specialty-wise and in urban-rural distribution, have been a daunting policy challenge. International Medical Graduates (IMGs) have been at the core of mitigating this problem, especially as long as shortage of physicians in rural areas is concerned. Considering such recruitment as h...

The Case for Investing in Patient Safety in Canada

Disturbing the Doxa of Patient Safety; Comment on “False Dawns and New Horizons in Patient Safety Research and Practice”

In a recent edition of this journal, Mannion and Braithwaite provide a succinct analysis of the emergence, and ultimately limited impact, of what they term the current ‘Safety I’ movement in healthcare. They describe the arc of this field from denial, through engagement via mechanisms and approaches imported from other industries, to the current situation where, despite ‘best efforts,’ error ra...