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Regular examination of health workforce data is essential given the pace of health system and legislative changes. Health workforce studies pertaining to nurse practitioner (NP) practice are needed to examine the gaps between work activities, policy, human resource supply, or for population needs. Jurisdictional comparison studies can provide essential information about NP practice for governments to respond to health workforce deficiencies or engage in service planning. In Canada, there is limited provincial-territorial jurisdictional NP workforce data to support health planning or policy change. This descriptive cross-sectional study was to examine the similarities and differences in practice patterns of Canadian NPs. In 2016 and 2017, an electronic survey was sent to all 852 registered NPs in three Canadian provinces, yielding a large convenience sample of 375 NP respondents. The results of this study underscore the value of NPs' extensive registered nurse expertize as well as their ability to serve diverse patient populations, work in varied healthcare settings, and provide care to medically complex patients. The study findings also show that NPs in all three jurisdictions work to their full scope of practice, in both rural and urban settings. This study is the first to compare NP workforce data across multiple Canadian jurisdictions simultaneously. Studies of this type are valuable tools for understanding the demographics, education, integration, and employment activities of NPs and can aid governments in addressing workforce planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recommendations for using menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and bisphosphonates for postmenopausal osteoporosis management have changed over time. After the release of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial results in 2002, new evidence on risks and benefits of MHT became available, and newer guidelines generally specify that MHT should not be prescribed for prevention of chronic disease, including osteoporosis. This raises the question of whether bisphosphonate prescribing changed over time to compensate for the decrease in MHT use. Materials and Methods: We examined trends in dispensed prescriptions in Australia (national) and Canada (province of Manitoba) in relation to prescribing recommendations. Administrative data were used to describe dispensing patterns and changes for persons of all ages from 1996 to 2008, and for women aged 50 to ≥80 years from 2003 to 2008 in Australia and 1996 to 2008 in Canada. Results: In both geographic settings, MHT dispensing increased 1996–2001, peaked in 2001, and declined substantially thereafter (67% reduction in MHT prescriptions for Australia; 64% reduction for Manitoba, Canada to 2008). From 2003 to 2008, the number of MHT prescriptions declined among all age groups in both settings, with the highest declines among women in their 50s. Concurrently, bisphosphonate dispensing increased until 2005 (2001–2005: 260% increase in the number of prescriptions in Australia; 125% increase in Manitoba) and stabilized thereafter, in both settings. Annual bisphosphonate dispensing rates increased 4.1–10.9% for women in their 70s and 80s in Australia and Manitoba during the period studied. Conclusions: Based on dispensed prescriptions data, more recent guidelines for MHT and bisphosphonates use for postmenopausal osteoporosis, which were updated during the study period (and are still consistent with the current guidelines), appear to have been broadly adhered to in both settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that Manitoba is considering posting online physician profiles which may include a record of outcomes of the treatment provided by doctors in the province. Recommendation of the profiles following an inquest into the deaths of a number of pediatric cardiac patients in Winnipeg; Expense and difficulty in compiling the outcomes records.