I.

Demographics
Religion in Canada

Religion in Canada encompasses a wide range of groups and beliefs. Christianity is the largest religion in
Canada, with Roman Catholics having the most adherents. Christians, representing 67.2% of the
population in 2011, are followed by people having no religion with 23.9% of the total population. Other
faiths include Islam (3.2%), Hindus (1.5%), Sikhs (1.4%), Buddhists (1.1%), and Jews (1.0%). Rates of
religious adherence are steadily decreasing. The preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms refers to God. The monarch carries the title of "Defender of the Faith". However, Canada has
no official religion, and support for religious pluralism and freedom of religion is an important part of
Canada's political culture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Canada

III. Healthcare Delivery System

Health Issues

Patient safety, including the avoidance of medical errors or adverse events, is one of the most significant
issues facing health systems globally, and is a growing aspect of Canada's efforts to improve the quality
of health care provided across the health care system.
Major Health Issues:
 Total coverage and the high cost of care not provided by physicians in hospital - Canada has
established long-term care programs under the auspices of health and welfare services: across
the country, provincial and territorial governments offer a different range of services covered
under a variety of cost-sharing arrangements and eligibility requirements. However, lack of
minimum standards and coverage criteria across the country could erode the equity of the
welfare system. The demand for long-term care services will continue to increase due to a
combination of economic and socio-demographic factors, including improvements in treatment
outcomes, bed closures, and reductions in length of stay, improvements in homecare services,
and the ageing of the population.
https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1492&context=pharmacy_articles#:~:text=Main%20challenges%20to%20the
%20Canadian,geographic%20distribution%20of%20health%20care
 Limitations to Access to Healthcare (Geographical and Health Gaps) - Access to healthcare is a
strategic matter for Canadian populations in rural areas, away from the major urban centers,1 in
particular for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. Therefore, the guarantee of this right is of utmost
relevance given that Canada is the second largest country in the world, and it has very large
inhabited areas.
 Limitations to Public Coverage - Another disadvantage of the Canadian healthcare system is
that Medicare does not cover all medical services. Likewise, healthcare depends on where the
patient is being treated —in a hospital or not— and what province he/she lives in. For a
province to receive federal funds for healthcare programs, it must comply with the basic
requirements stipulated in the Canadian Healthcare Act, which include the “necessary medical
attention” in healthcare matters. However, this concept is not defined; it is discretional and up
to free interpretation by each province, including hospital care and the care given by family
physicians. On the other hand, some services not covered by the public healthcare system
actually should be considered necessary and therefore be covered.
 Aging of the Population - The federal government finances pensions for elders (Old Age
Security, or OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) for low-income people over 65
 years of age. We can foresee that healthcare sector expenses as a percentage of gdp will
continue to increase for the next few decades. This is because the Canadian population is aging,
and changes in public policies will be needed as a result. This aging trend is due to decreasing
fertility rates and increasing life expectancy. In 1971, only 8 percent of the population was made
up of people over 65; this figure increased to 14 percent in 2011, and it is still expected to
increase up to 36 percent by 2036 (Echenberg, Gauthier, and Leonard, 2011).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1870355018300168

VI. Nursing Informatics

EHR or the likes

Nursing staff use informatics solutions to identify patients who are at higher risk for serious conditions
and take preventative steps early. Automated alerts minimize the chance for medical errors by warning
providers about potential dangers such as a patient's allergy or a hazardous drug interaction.
EHR: Privacy and confidentiality, security breaches, system implementation, and data inaccuracies.
CPOE: Less Physician to Nurses interaction and Nurses to Patient interaction, generation of alert
warning, No look-alike sound-alike (LASA) warnings (e.g. when “penicillamine” was ordered instead of
“penicillin” (adjacency error), The level of severity of alert warnings.
https://healthcareglobal.com/hospitals/will-first-databanks-new-cpoe-improve-canadian-healthcare
https://academic.oup.com/jamia/article/23/2/311/2572489
ADC: Excessive use of overrides in cabinets with patient profiling, placing the patient at risk of allergic
reactions, drug interactions, and other hazards. Failure to recognize look-alike names in the design of an
ADC's alphabetic pick list or storage compartments, which can lead to choosing the wrong medication.
http://patientsafety.pa.gov/ADVISORIES/Pages/200509_21.aspx#:~:text=Excessive%20use%20of
%20overrides%20in,to%20choosing%20the%20wrong%20medication.
Smart Infusion Pump: Software Defects- Some pumps fail to activate pre-programmed alarms when
problems occur, while others activate an alarm in the absence of a problem. Other software errors can
lead to over- or under-infusion. User Interface Issues- Numerous reports of confusing or unclear on-
screen user instructions lead to improper programming of medication doses or infusion rates. For
example, the design of the infusion pump screen may not make clear which units of measurement (e.g.,
pounds versus kilograms) should be used to enter patient data, leading to inappropriate dosing.
Mechanical or Electrical Failures- Other problems reported include components, such as pump housings,
that break under routine use; premature battery failures; and sparks or pump fires.
https://www.cadex.com/blog/post/infusion-pumps