Health Committee on Nov. 30th, 2010

[Jane Billings]

There are data gaps in terms of the electronic health record, so we know we're not gathering--

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Can we specify what the gaps are, please?

[Jane Billings]

Well, we know there is underreporting in terms of the less serious injury that doesn't get picked up. With our networks going through some of the hospitals and emergency rooms, we know there is other data that we're not picking up. So we know our data isn't complete across a range of the various injury categories.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

And is there more work that we could be doing in terms of raising awareness, more work in education? People think football, they think hockey; they may not think gymnastics or diving.

[Jane Billings]

There are a number of factors at play here. Part of the issue with some of these injuries is that group of...I would say the teenaged boys and those in their early 20s who think it's not going to happen to them--they're invincible, helmets are sissy, and they'll bounce back. And of course that doesn't happen.

There are a number of associations or organizations, particularly in the brain area, that are trying to improve the tools we have for education, to improve the role models for safe sport, particularly for that group.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Could we be doing this through a federal communications program? For example, if you have children in sports, parents don't always.... That may not have been their sport and they may not know some of the risks that are involved. I think it's important to get that information out.

[Jane Billings]

A number of recommendations came out of the workshop we had a year ago December.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Could you let us know what they are?

[Jane Billings]

There was a huge thirst for strong leadership across injury prevention in a number of areas. There was a recommendation from this group that we develop a unified plan to address injury prevention in all its facets, and to strengthen the applied research to identify the effective interventions. So we are working with those organizations on what might be in that plan and what some of the priorities are. We hope to be much more articulate about what those might be in the future.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you, Ms. Billings.

Mr. Brown is next.

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

There are a few things I'd like to ask about.

I was curious when we talked about education campaigns specifically among seniors. I realize you've put information on the Health Canada website. I think of my own grandfather, who is 93 and would have no idea how to check the Health Canada website. He doesn't own a computer.

We talked about hip injuries. He has a car lot. He jumped out of a car and broke both his hips 10 years ago. In retrospect, I think at 83 you shouldn't be jumping out of cars. Now he goes to his car lot in a walker and continues to work. But obviously tips for seniors on how to avoid injuries would be very helpful. I think of all the health costs associated with injuries to seniors. Obviously there are significant costs on the health care system for simple injuries that lead into other complications.

What's the most effective way to have education campaigns among seniors? What do you find is working, given that we can't depend on digital methods?

[Jane Billings]

When we design a campaign, we identify who the audience is and how they get their information, and that varies for every age group. In the Division of Aging and Seniors we have several target groups that we want to get information to on the best interventions. One group is the health care providers, meaning both the medical practitioners and the caregivers in nursing homes or in individuals' houses. That's one tranche of audience. We also want to get the information to the seniors themselves, as well as to their families, so that their families will know what to look for and will be able to take care of their elders in an effective manner.

When we do that, we'll go in a number of different ways. We will work with a lot of the associations in the provinces and territories to make sure they have effective information and guidelines for practice. We'll go, for example, to the aging associations and to the college of physicians with information that can be disseminated to their various memberships. We'll do brochures that can sit in doctors' offices or in places where people go to shop. Examples are drugstores or the shops that sell equipment for older people.

In addition, we will use the web, because that layer of parents and kids will use the web to get information. Then, of course, we use documents like the public health officer's annual report.

We use speeches. Increasingly we've been giving speeches to groups such as associations of caregivers and nursing associations, for example, but it will differ with each one, and each year we have different programs in terms of what our target audiences are for that year and where our strategies might be.

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

Do you engage in advertising too?

[Jane Billings]

We do, but on a very limited basis. For example, we had a radio, TV, and newspaper advertising budget for H1N1. Currently we have a campaign out on getting your flu shot, which is coordinated with the provinces, but it's really expensive. That goes on the radio too. As well, we have the child safety campaign that's on right now.

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

How does Canada compare internationally in terms of education campaigns specifically for injury prevention in seniors? Will there be any data about how...?

[Jane Billings]

We don't have those data. I'm sorry.

[Patrick Brown, Conservative, Barrie, ON]

Okay.

Are there mechanisms to compare or collect best practices? Is that something we're looking at doing in the future?

[Jane Billings]

When we're looking at a campaign, we look at what the other countries are doing in terms of interventions and what they find successful. That will be a number of different items. Whether it's training the trainer, getting the applied research out there, or making sure we're hitting the right audiences, we'll look at what other countries have done. I don't think, though, that at this point we're contemplating doing a regular canvass of, say, the marketing campaigns of other organizations.

We do take part in a lot of international conferences. For example, at the International Union for Health Promotion and Education, which is triennial, last year we learned a lot about what other countries are doing in a number of different fields, including aging in seniors. We bring that all back, and we have our nets out to other governments in terms of best practices. We also work through the WHO and PAHO in terms of trying to get that information.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Brown.

We'll go to Ms. Leslie.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Thank you.

We heard a lot about partnering and disseminating information and data collection and action plans, but we heard Ms. Fuselli actually say that we need a national injury prevention strategy. There are numerous not-for-profits, governments, and community members who are looking for that. In the throne speech, this government committed to an injury prevention strategy. Can you give us an update on the actual strategy? When can we applaud its roll-out?

[Jane Billings]

We're hopeful that we'll be able to come forward in the near future with that strategy. It was announced in the Speech from the Throne, and we are working actively with the various organizations to put it together. As Ms. Fuselli stressed, this has to be a collaboration, so we need to ensure that we are doing our best to pull people together, working on the interventions and preparations. It's taking time.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Would I be correct in assuming that PHAC would be monitoring the strategy?

[Jane Billings]

Yes.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

So it will be coming out in the near future?

[Jane Billings]

We hope.