We continue to hear stories about Canadians without access to a family doctor. Linda Silas, an RNAO member and president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, co-authored an editorial in the Hamilton Spectator (Dec. 11) that suggests Canadians should look to nurse practitioners to help with the country’s ongoing health-care woes. “Canada routinely underperforms in international surveys of timely access to primary health care, such as access to a family doctor,” the editorial reads. “When this happens, patients often rely on the more expensive health services provided in our acute care system, arriving in hospital emergency rooms.” Nurse practitioners can help since they are highly skilled health-care professionals with advanced education, Silas writes. They can also diagnose, treat, prescribe medications, order tests, offer referrals, and admit or discharge in-patients, the authors explain. “Nurse practitioners represent an innovative opportunity for Canada to address its growing health-care needs,” especially for underserved populations.  (CTV News, Nov. 17)