July

Hyperbaric chambers are used in public settings such as Vancouver General Hospital, occupational settings such as commercial dive operations, and user-fee settings such as private medical clinics.

British Columbia, like many Canadian provinces, has areas of both high and low population density (oral communication, P. Blumel, cartographer, Province of BC, 22 September 2005). People living in the expanse of BC beyond the well-populated southwest region have historically had more difficulty accessing specialty and subspecialty medical care.[1,2]

Background

Health care providers should strive to understand the physical, emotional, and social impacts of having chronic disease. Theoretically, such patient-centred knowledge can be incorporated into chronic disease treatment strategies designed to improve or enhance function in everyday life and improve or enhance health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Improved HRQOL may also lead to fewer office visits and hospitalizations and hence reduce health care costs.[1,2]

Background