Canadian Health Care

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Canadian health providers are well aware of the consequences they face if they harm a patient, practise beyond the scope of their knowledge, or are negligent. They are accountable to both their College of Physicians and Surgeons and their hospital board, and possibly even the courts. As a result, Canadian doctors are strongly motivated to practise sound, evidenced-based medicine, and patients can be compensated for any type of malpractice-related injuries.

Doctors, medical staff, and hospitals in other countries are certainly subject to regulations and legal accountability; however, navigating a foreign health care or legal system can be difficult and costly for non-citizens. Without an intimate knowledge of the culture, it is difficult to …show more content…

Although hospital standards will vary greatly from one country to the next, it is important to note that your experience may be very different from what you are used to here in Canada.

Provincial legislation and various non-governmental associations hold Canadian hospitals to high standards of organization, cleanliness, infection control, and safety. And while they are certainly not perfect, hospitals in Canada enjoy a strong reputation for quality around the world. Canadian hospitals are also required to accurately and regularly report on the health outcomes they achieve.

In certain countries, care facilities may not be accountable for their health outcomes, and in some cases reporting practices for these outcomes may not be readily accessible or available at all. The Joint Commission is an American accreditation agency that has partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to establish standards of patient safety in hospitals internationally. It is critical that you check any overseas hospital for accreditation by The Joint Commission if you are considering health care …show more content…

In addition, you will be relying on the foreign medical staff or the medical tourism company to provide your Canadian doctor with the medical records from your overseas treatment as well as any recommendations for post-operative care. Your doctor at home may come across translation issues or missing information that you will need to retrieve in order to ensure the follow-up care you receive is appropriate. Also, if you do require further care from a domestic surgeon, there is an increased possibility that medical data and/or health recommendations could be missed because you have not received continual care throughout the course of your treatment. If your doctor is unfamiliar with the treatment you received or does not obtain any follow-up documentation, it can affect their ability to properly monitor your recovery in Canada, which, in turn, can have an impact on your future

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