The Royal Society of Canada Task Force on COVID-19 was formed in April 2020 to provide evidence-informed perspectives on major societal challenges in response to and recovery from COVID-19. The Task Force established a series of working groups to rapidly develop policy briefings, with the objective of supporting policy makers with evidence to inform their decisions. This paper reports the findings of the COVID-19 Long-Term Care (LTC) working group addressing a preferred future for LTC in Canada, with a specific focus on COVID-19 and the LTC workforce. First, the report addresses the research context and policy environment in Canada’s LTC sector before COVID-19 and then summarizes the existing knowledge base for integrated solutions to challenges that exist in the LTC sector. Second, the report outlines vulnerabilities exposed because of COVID-19, including deficiencies in the LTC sector that contributed to the magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis. This section focuses especially on the characteristics of older adults living in nursing homes, their caregivers, and the physical environment of nursing homes as important contributors to the COVID-19 crisis. Finally, the report articulates principles for action and nine recommendations for action to help solve the workforce crisis in nursing homes.

Objectives To explore current practices and decision-making regarding antimicrobial prescribing among Emergency Department (ED) clinical providers. Methods We conducted a survey of ED providers recruited from eight sites in three cities. Using purposeful sampling, we then recruited 21 providers for in-depth interviews. Additionally, we observed ten patient-provider interactions at one of the ED sites. SAS 9.3 was used for descriptive and predictive statistics. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using a thematic, constructivist approach with consensus coding using NVivo 10.0. Field and interview notes collected during the observational study were aligned with themes identified through individual interviews. Results Of 150 survey respondents, 76% agreed or strongly agreed antibiotics are overused in the ED, while half believed they personally did not overprescribe. Eighty nine percent used a smartphone or tablet in the ED for antibiotic prescribing decisions. Several significant differences were found between attending and resident physicians. Interview analysis identified 42 codes aggregated into the following themes: (1) resource and environmental factors that affect care; (2) access to and quality of care received outside of the ED consult; (3) patient-provider relationships; (4) clinical inertia; and (5) local knowledge generation. The observational study revealed limited patient understanding of antibiotic use. Providers relied heavily upon diagnostics and provided limited education to patients. Most patients denied a priori expectations of being prescribed antibiotics. Conclusions Patient, provider, and healthcare system factors should be considered when designing interventions to improve antimicrobial stewardship in the ED setting.

How was long-term care different in Ontario and British Columbia before COVID-19? Characteristics of residents Before the pandemic, the age and sex distribution of residents in LTC were similar in the 2 provinces (Table 2). 9,10 Although residents living in Ontario LTC homes appear to be more medically and functionally complex, it is unclear whether these are true differences or reflect differing documentation practices, which may arise as a consequence of different funding formulas. 15-17 Funding, staffing and direct care hours In 2018-2019, the average combined funding per resident per diem was higher in British Columbia ($222) than in Ontario ($203). 10,11 Most of this funding is used to pay staff in both provinces. 11,14 Some estimates suggest that, before the pandemic, residents in British Columbia received more daily hours of direct care (3.25) than residents in Ontario (2.71). 10,12 There are ANALYSIS HEALTH SERVICES