Canada lags behind on digital health
For example, re-organizing access to primary-care doctors by expanding hours on evenings and weekends might have an impact on emergency room overcrowding, she said.
It might also come down to boosting the amount of electronic communication between doctors and other parts of the health-care system, as well as between doctors and patients.
While progress has been made in increasing physician access to electronic medical records, Canada still lags behind other countries on the use of digital health applications, Lawand said.
For instance, only six per cent of Canadian respondents said they had online access to personal health information such as lab test results in the previous two years.
That compares with 27 per cent of patients in France and an 11 per cent international average overall. “These findings remind us that Canada can learn from other nations and explore how digital health solutions can be used to address wait times and access barriers,” said Michael Green, president and CEO of Canada Health Infoway, a federally funded organization working to accelerate the adoption of electronic health applications across the country.
Green said electronic communication platforms — such as patient portals, tele-home care and virtual visits — can improve access and cut wait times by reducing some in-person appointments with physicians.
Still, Canada was far from a complete bust in its rankings compared with the other countries.
In 21 of 28 areas that measured patient satisfaction, Canada’s results were similar to or exceeded the international average. “When we looked at measures of what we call patientcentred care, where patients have a good experience once they do get their foot in the door with their regular doctor, where care is well-co-ordinated for them, we see that’s really an area where Canada shines,” said Lawand.
Almost three-quarters of Canadians rated their quality of care as very good or excellent, well above the international average of 65 per cent, she said.
A report like this “really provides that international perspective,” she said.
“You might think you’re doing really well here at home in one thing, but when you compare yourself, especially beyond our borders, you can see maybe we can do a lot better.
“The report doesn’t provide all of the answers, but it does point to where we should be looking.”