Many people have horror stories about health care, about the time they were improperly diagnosed or had to wait hours in an emergency room or for months for elective surgery. But on the other side of the coin, perhaps we don’t see how much those people who are providing the treatment are struggling as well.
The number of Alberta Health Services’ registered nurses, practical nurses and radiation therapy that are on long-term disability have doubled in three years, according to Freedom of Information documents obtained by the Alberta Liberals. The cost for United Nurses of Alberta members on long-term disability doubled as well, growing from $8.5 million in 2012 to almost $17 million in 2015, according to the same documents.
The number one cause of long-term disability was mental illness, showing a glimpse of the toll that stress and frustration health professionals are facing, with Alberta Liberal leader David Swann slamming AHS for its “dysfunctional culture” last week in a press release and saying this is a sign that the problem lies in the work culture, not people taking advantage of the system. Those who work on the frontlines surely know best where the problems lie but they are restricted from speaking out about the issues and the solutions.
Surely there are ways to improve the roll out of health care. Last week, Eric Lavoie, president of the Nurses Practitioners Association of Alberta, pointed out nurse practitioners – who are trained as registered nurses but who also have a two-year clinical master’s degree – were being under-utilized and there was no comprehensive plan to incorporate them into the health care system. These nurse practitioners can do some of the same tasks as doctors, including treating common conditions, prescribing drugs or providing referrals or ordering tests, with Lavoie pointing out using them effectively could help bring health costs down.
Such a suggestion is not the silver bullet to solving AHS’s problems, but it’s obvious there are better ways for the massive health organization to conduct its business. The end goal should be a healthier health care system, with a better working environment for professionals and better outcomes for patients.
The answer doesn’t lie in more talk or surveys. What we need is not the treatment of AHS symptoms, but a cure of its disease, and that takes clear-headed, decisive action.
