Canada: A Cross-Country Check-Up in Healthcare

Abstract:

In November 2008, during their Annual General Meeting, ACEN members initiated an open discussion of current changes in the healthcare system with a view towards clarifying what is happening across the country and the impacts of change on nursing leadership roles. Using a "cross-country check-up" approach, members shared their jurisdictions' experiences with six issues:

• Restructuring of healthcare governance and professional regulatory approaches;
• Changes to organizational care delivery systems and the scopes of practice of nurses and other disciplines;
• The aging of the nursing leadership and the lack of concerted succession planning;
• Funding challenges and cost-containment initiatives in light of increasing service demands;
• The focus on patient safety and quality of work life; and
• The need to invest in information technology.

Following the AGM, ACEN received funding from Health Canada's Office of Nursing Policy to extend the "cross-country check-up" discussion by seeking input from nursing leaders who did not attend the November meeting. This extended review was conducted by the Janet Davies Group and yielded a comprehensive pan-Canadian snapshot of the impact of changes on senior nursing leaders and their roles.