In April 2001, the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada was established. The Honorable Roy Romanow was given the mandate to “inquire into and undertake dialogue with Canadians on the future of Canada’s public health care system” and “to develop recommendations that will ensure the long-term sustainability of a high quality, universally accessible, publicly administered health care system, for all Canadians.”

The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) recognized an obligation to share in this public dialogue, to communicate the current state of emergency medicine, and to identify the components necessary to achieve excellence in emergency care. The CAEP Advocacy Committee was asked to develop a document that would educate and enlighten the Commissioner. Basic themes were identified, and authors from across the country were invited to write brief, factual essays with achievable recommendations. The resulting series of essays was presented on April 30, 2002, at the Health Care Commission’s open public hearing in Calgary, Alberta.

This article, part 1 of a 2-part series, includes discussions of Urban Emergency Care Delivery, Rural Emergency Care, Emergency Care for Children, Prehospital Care and Emergency Medical Services, and National Standards for Hospital Emergency Services.

Most people who have been through a residency program would agree that there are times that one’s personal resources are taxed. Those who have a “significant other” undoubtedly experience a mixed blessing. Having a partner to share your life provides great emotional support and good times. However, meeting your commitment to a partner can be challenged by severely limited uncommitted time, chronic sleep deprivation and concurrent responsibility to read, prepare presentations, moonlight, etc. Many marriages fail during the residency-training period due to the inability of couples to resolve these conflicts. So, what happens when you introduce children into this situation? How does pregnancy and the subsequent parenting role affect couples when they are pursuing residency training?