Should we believe what we read in professional journals?

When I pick up a professional journal, I am already convinced that what I read is based on impartial research and evidence. But should I be?
My assumption that articles are being provided by professionals with the public interest as a priority is the wrong assumption. I was unaware until just recently that pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies can be very generous in order to receive positive press about their latest drug or gadget. While, as a health care professional, I would like to believe that other health care professionals can provide unbiased research despite the gifts, I am not that trusting of human nature.
To be fair, journals are taking steps to prevent this practice of padding their publications with articles favouring the “latest and greatest.” Until it becomes routine, and every journal checks the background of their authors, I would suggest a double-check on that research your case may depend on.

Can there be a budget during a pandemic?

It is well established that we are about to face a flu season that will take a heavy toll on health care workers as well as the general public. Meetings are held to provide information and plans on how to cope, but there are also phrases like “we still have stay within budget” from administration. This sets a dangerous environment where the cost of caring for the ill and dying takes precedent over the actual care needed. Can there be a budget during a pandemic? Bureaucrats and politicians think so. Front line health care providers do not. Managers are pressured to keep their budgets under control under all circumstances.

As a nurse, I have to question just how safe patient care will be during this crisis. Increased staff shortages will be a certainty with health care workers ill themselves or caring for family members. Paying overtime for replacement staff is already discouraged so how do units replace badly needed staff to care for the ill in the hospitals? There will be a lack of equipment as unit budgets are stretched to pay for supplies. There are already reports of defective protective equipment from poor quality sources and from being stored under the wrong conditions.

The fallout from the H1N1 pandemic will resound for years. No doubt it will also find its way into lawyers’ offices and court rooms. Perhaps there the question of how much a pandemic will cost will be answered.

Canadian Health Care

There is a concerted effort in the US to establish a health care system which combines private health care and publicly funded health care. In some ads, the Canadian public health system is villified with "facts" which are not accurate. I will be the first to admit that our system has its problems but patients in urgent need do get timely care and their families are not financially devastated by that care.

That being said, the real truth about health care in Canada is that a private system has always co-existed with the public one. There has always been an option to pay a fee for access to private clinics, private diagnostic facilities and private surgical services. It is a business which exists within its own world and much of the general public remains completely unaware that a dual system exists.

I have worked within both of these health care options in Canada. Each has its strengths and its weaknesses. The future of health care will be a blend of the two and it remains to be seen if the mix will create a better system or weaken the one that is already in place. Holding health care institutions and providers accountable will ensure that patients will not have to pay a high price along the way.