Short briefs on what is changing in healthcare in Alberta and across Canada, collected from official bodies and news outlets, each linked to its original source.
The manufacturer identified a software issue affecting all RotaFlow consoles on the market. This fault can prevent the device from charging its battery after the unit has operated in battery mode. Users should contact the manufacturer for further information regarding this device defect.
If you use RotaFlow consoles in your clinical practice, contact the manufacturer to determine how this charging issue affects your equipment's reliability.
Alberta has increased acute care capacity to over 9,000 spaces, including 221 permanent beds and 194 temporary beds. The province also launched a Provincial Integrated Operations Centre to coordinate resources and a Triage Liaison Physician program to place doctors in emergency waiting areas. Additionally, hospitals are implementing automated daily staffing reports to improve resource management.
You may see triage physicians in emergency waiting areas and use new automated staffing reporting tools to help manage seasonal patient surges.
A fatality inquiry heard that Prashant Sreekumar, 44, died on Dec. 22, 2025 after waiting about eight hours in the Grey Nuns emergency department in Edmonton for chest pain. A doctor testified the hospital's five general medicine units have run above capacity since at least 2024, with occupancy around 101 per cent in 2025, and that 20 to 30 per cent of beds hold patients who no longer need hospital care. The inquiry resumes in December.
The testimony puts numbers to ER overcrowding: more patients than beds, and a fifth to a third of beds taken by patients awaiting placement elsewhere.
Canada’s flu season began seven weeks earlier than usual, with national positivity rates exceeding the five per cent epidemic threshold by mid-October. While H1N1 is the dominant strain, experts note that current vaccines remain effective at reducing the severity of illness and the risk of hospitalization.
You can now offer patients the current flu vaccine, which remains effective against the dominant H1N1 strain.
Abbott has issued a recall for specific lots of i-STAT hs-TnI cartridges due to manufacturing variability. These cartridges may produce falsely elevated cardiac troponin I results because of reduced interference mitigation. There is no evidence of falsely low test results.
Check your i-STAT hs-TnI cartridge lots against the recall list and stop using any affected units immediately.
A study involving Manitoba researchers found that the time taken to start appropriate antifungal therapy is the most significant factor for survival in Candida septic shock. Patients treated within two hours of persistent hypotension had an 86% survival rate, with outcomes worsening by 5% for every hour of delay thereafter.
For patients with suspected Candida septic shock, prioritizing the rapid administration of appropriate antifungal therapy within the first two hours of hypotension is critical.
Health Quality Alberta has published a guide and toolkit designed to foster civility within health care environments. These materials aim to support safer care outcomes by improving professional interactions.
You can access the new guide and toolkit through Health Quality Alberta to help improve team communication and safety in your workplace.
Federal, provincial, and territorial health ministers met in Winnipeg on October 16, 2026, to discuss healthcare system reforms. Key priorities included improving workforce mobility for internationally educated professionals, advancing national public health data sharing, and ensuring the sustainability of long-term funding for rare disease treatments and community care services.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has declared the two-year national measles outbreak over, following two months without new linked cases. The outbreak resulted in 6,417 total cases across 10 provinces and territories, including 1,033 in Manitoba. Officials continue to emphasize the importance of routine vaccinations to prevent future transmission.
The author argues that expanding emergency departments to address overcrowding often fails if inpatient bottlenecks remain. Citing studies and national data, the piece suggests that increasing ED capacity without improving patient flow can worsen boarding times and strain nursing resources. Governments are urged to prioritize flow management and bed availability over physical facility expansion.
The federal government has extended health funding for mental health, addictions, home care, and community services by one year. This extension aligns with existing long-term care agreements and provides a new timeline for governments to discuss long-term funding formulas.
