Nurses across Canada are reducing wait times

"A new treatment regime initiated by a clinical nurse specialist in New Westminster, B.C., means cardiac surgery patients have fewer complications and spend less time in hospital. A nurse-managed outpatient chemotherapy clinic in Toronto decreases wait times for treatment. Intervention from a nurse practitioner reduces the need for hospitalization for long-term care residents across Ontario. Nurses working collaboratively with physicians has almost doubled the capacity of some family practices in Halifax. These are just a few examples of how registered nurses are developing innovative solutions to the challenges of wait times, as outlined in Registered Nurses: On the Front Lines of Wait Times, a paper the Canadian Nurses Association has released to coincide with the Taming of the Queue conference on March 26-27 in Ottawa. Concern about wait times in Canada has increased over the last decade to become the most important health-care issue among the Canadian public and health-care providers (Health Care in Canada Survey, 2007)." - CNW