After many years of success, EvidenceNetwork.ca is no longer in operation. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the organization over the past decade including our dedicated researchers, newspaper editors, readers and funders. However, now it is time to move onto new ways of looking at knowledge mobilization and policy. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Shannon Sampert at s.sampert@uwinnipeg.ca.

Backgrounders

Our backgrounders are intended to help journalists, and others, understand the context and current available evidence on specific public policy issues in just a few, brief pages.

Backgrounders do not provide a viewpoint or opinion on a topic, but rather, detail the history of an issue and highlight why the issue is of importance today. They also point the reader to the most reliable, balanced research, so that they may pursue the topic in more depth or fact-check the key details easily.

Backgrounder: The impact of poverty on health

Does more healthcare create better outcomes? In other words, do more medications, tests and interventions necessarily result in healthier patients?
It turns out more care is, all too often, unnecessary care.

Why more healthcare is not always the answer

Does more healthcare create better outcomes? In other words, do more medications, tests and interventions necessarily result in healthier patients?
It turns out more care is, all too often, unnecessary care.

Backgrounder: Improving nutritional information on food labels to help consumers make healthier choices

Data indicate several problems related to the dietary habits of Canadians; Canadians are over-consuming snacks, fats and foods not belonging to the basic food groups.

Backgrounder: Surgical wait times for publicly funded health services in Canada

Public opinion polls show many Canadians worry about surgical wait times. Anecdotal media reports and heated political debates encourage this worry. But the question remains: Are Canadians waiting too long for surgery?

Fiche d’information: Les affaires juridiques Chaoulli et Day et la prestation publique et privée des soins de santé

Afin de comprendre ce que représentent les cas Chaoulli et Cambie Surgeries, il faut préciser les différences entre les soins de santé publics et les soins de santé privés au Canada.

Court challenges to one-tier medicare

Two court cases with strong implications for the future of the Canadian health care system have been frequently mentioned in the news. Understanding the Chaoulli and Cambie Surgeries cases involves clarifying the difference between public and private health care in Canada.

Backgrounder: Canada’s aging population and the need for changes in health care delivery

For decades, health care researchers have been writing about the implications of the aging of the demographic bulge produced by the boom-bust sequence. Despite some scare mongering commentaries in the media, there won’t be a sudden, overwhelming impact on health care costs.

Backgrounder: The Dutch health care system

The Dutch health care system is often cited as an example of an efficient, universally-accessible system that has successfully integrated a strong competitive market component into it. In a June 2014 report by the Commonwealth Fund, the Dutch system was ranked in the middle of the pack of the 11 countries under study.