Environmental Scan - Government of Nova Scotia

Physician Resource PlanningAn Environmental ScanQuality of care considerations are a central priority to PRP and are further emphasized by Department ofHealth and Wellness in one of the guiding principles for this project (“Preserve and enhance quality of care -acceptable, appropriate, accessible, efficient, effective, and safe”).A complete approach to quality care addresses both the clinical and academic domains.Figure 27 Quality Domains - Physician WorkforceDepartment of Health and Wellness,DHA, and other key stakeholderstrategy, priorities, budgets, and policyare key determinants in PRP. Policyderivedtargets for access, as haveemerged nationally for jointreplacement and cataracts, driveplanning, budgets, and access.Nova Scotia Department of Health andWellness policy impacting thedimension of quality (e.g. access) willinfluence PRP. PRP will need to alignwith measures supportive of qualitytargets.8.2 Core ServicesThe application of ‘core’ services is complex at the detailed level. Conceptually, what is intended is anunderstanding, based on evidence, of the population health service need that residents must be able to accessas quickly and efficiently as possible.8.2.1 British ColumbiaThe Interior Health Authority of British Columbia spans an area four times the size of Nova Scotia (215,000sq.km. versus 55,000 sq.km.). Only 11 of the 58 incorporated communities in the health authority have apopulation of 10,000 or more. Interior Health is also home to 55 First Nations communities, the majority ofwhich are rurally located. The DHA is divided into four health service district areas (HSDAs) and 31 local healthauthorities (LHAs). Its geography is very challenging for travel, making definition and application of coreservices an essential component of health system planning. Commute time was an equal or more heavilyweighted factor than kilometre distance from point A to point B.The Interior Health Authority defines core health services, as follows:52 | Page Social Sector Metrics Inc. & Health Intelligence Inc. | 12/31/2011