Access to connected health information is high among Canadian physicians, but patients aren’t so fortunate
Canada Health Infoway, a company that works with partners to accelerate the development, adoption, and effective use of digital health across Canada, has released the 2018 Canadian Physician Survey (CPS).
Developed and conducted in collaboration with national physician associations, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and the Canadian Medical Directory (Scotts Directories), the survey polled almost 1,400 practising physicians on topics such as electronic medical record (EMR) adoption and use, access to connected health information, and patient access to virtual care services.
Based on the 2018 CPS, 4% of primary-care physicians and 9% of specialists say that patients in their practice can visit with them online via a face-to-face virtual visit. In contrast, another recent Infoway survey found that over 40% of Canadians are interested in virtual care services.
Among the positive impacts of digital health e-services that Canadians have cited, the top ones include avoiding a phone call to the clinic (26%), saved time (26%), improved ability to manage their own or their loved ones’ health (21%), better ability to track their appointments (21%), and improved ability to work in partnership with their healthcare providers (17%).
The 2018 CPS also found that:
- 84% of primary care physicians and 89% of specialists report having access to connected health information from care settings outside their main practice
- 82% of primary care physicians and 77% of specialists say they provide more efficient care with electronic records
- 38% of primary care physicians and 47% of specialist physicians currently offer patients at least one virtual care or e-service
- 24% of primary care and 40% or specialist practices/clinics are now accessible to patients via email, but the majority of physicians do not spend any time during their workday communicating electronically with patients.
“Canadians continue to tell us that they want access to digitally-enabled health services, including the ability to email their doctors and book appointments online,” said Infoway President and CEO Michael Green. “Canadians deserve modern, 21st century health services, and our goal is to provide them with access to digital services that will improve their care experiences and health outcomes.”
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