Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Value for money: putting the patient first
Robert Ouellet1, Joseph Mayer, Owen Adams
1Canadian Medical Association.
Insights
Canadian healthcare spending is high, ranking fifth per capita and eighth as a percentage of GDP among OECD countries. Improving healthcare value requires addressing hospital sector analysis, electronic health record adoption, and patient-centered outcomes, learning from international models.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Health Policy Analysis
- Comparative Health Systems
Background:
- Canada exhibits high per capita healthcare spending and a significant percentage of GDP dedicated to health, ranking among top OECD nations.
- Existing analyses of Canadian healthcare value for money face challenges, including limited hospital sector data and slow electronic health record (EHR) adoption.
- International comparisons reveal potential strategies for optimizing universal, publicly funded health systems to mitigate long waiting times.
Discussion:
- Analysis of the hospital sector is lacking.
- Learning from rate variation analysis is crucial.
- Slow adoption of electronic health records (EHR) hinders efficiency.
- Measuring health outcomes is essential for evaluating value.
Key Insights:
- Value for money in Canadian healthcare requires a comprehensive approach.
- Integrating patient needs alongside supply-side cost control is vital.
- International comparisons offer insights into efficient universal healthcare systems.
Outlook:
- Future research should focus on patient-centered value metrics.
- Policy interventions must consider international best practices for reducing wait times.
- Adoption of health information technology, like EHRs, needs acceleration.
Abstract:
Canadians spend more on healthcare than people in most other countries. We are fifth in the OECD in terms of health spending per capita, and eighth out of 28 countries in terms of health spending as a percentage of GDP. Given these facts, it is appropriate to discuss the issue of value for money in healthcare. In their paper, McGrail et al. present four challenges to improving value for money in Canadian healthcare: a lack of analysis of the hospital sector; the need to learn from rate variation analysis; the slow uptake of the electronic health record (EHR); and the need to measure health outcomes. Our paper addresses each of these points, but also proposes that a broader outlook is needed to come to grips with this question. It is essential to go beyond supply-side cost control, and also take into account the needs of the patient. Moreover, we need to look beyond our borders to learn how other countries have been able to evolve universal publicly funded health systems without long waiting times.
Related Concept Videos
01:13Patient-centered Care
01:29Professional Values
The values that are the foundation of the nursing profession are altruism, autonomy, human dignity, and social justice.
First, altruism refers to the concern for the welfare and well-being of others without personal...
01:27Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
01:27Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
01:22Nursing Ethical Principles I
Autonomy
Autonomy underscores the significance of a patient's self-determination and freedom from external control. In healthcare, respecting the...
01:22Ethics and Bioethics