Statement from the Canadian Nurses Association regarding Unleashing Innovation report

OTTAWA, July 17, 2015 /CNW/ - The long-awaited final report from the advisory panel on health-care innovation, established by Minister of Health Rona Ambrose, is full of rich recommendations that give us much to consider. The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) appreciates how heavily patients and their needs factor into the report and its recommendations. It is a solid roadmap for any federal government to follow in establishing a better health-care system and a healthier nation.

CNA sees the following three themes from the report as a turning point toward a primary health care approach for Canada's health-care system, one that emphasizes family-centred care, health promotion and disease prevention.

1. Integration: The report mentions the use of integrated health-care delivery to address social needs and determinants of health, protect and promote health, and prevent disease. This is a potentially positive development for Canada's health system, which has traditionally been acute-centric. Every day, registered nurses see first-hand how income, education, housing and employment are major factors in a person's overall health.
2. Interprofessional: The report promotes the adoption of interprofessional care models and examinations of provider activity and patient outcomes. CNA and other health-care provider groups have been longtime champions of interprofessional care, which the evidence indicates is a smarter use of health human resources and a more effective way of delivering the most appropriate care to patients.
3. Access: In its recommendations for enhanced information technology, mobile and digital health solutions and open data, the report underscores the need for better access to health information. From the provider perspective, it is vital to have a patient's health history travel with them so they can make well-informed recommendations. Better access also allows patients and their families to be meaningfully engaged in their own care, which leads to improved health outcomes.

It is encouraging as well to see the report include a focus on aboriginal health and involve First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples with improving health infrastructure and resources in their communities. Lastly, the call for a new refundable health tax credit recognizes the very real costs many Canadians face without a national pharmacare plan.

Consultation and collaboration with providers like registered nurses and nurse practitioners will be key to the report's successful implementation. For the immediate future, CNA will convene with other health-care provider groups to closely examine the recommendations and discuss how we can support that implementation.

CNA is the national professional voice representing 135,000 registered nurses in Canada. CNA advances the practice and profession of nursing to improve health outcomes and strengthen Canada's publicly funded, not-for-profit health system.

SOURCE Canadian Nurses Association

Kate Headley, Manager of Communications, Canadian Nurses Association, Telephone: [phone], ext. 561, Cell: 613-697-7507, E-mail: [email protected]