AV

Access to care

What do family doctors think about how accessible they are to patients?

Group practices are 1.5 times more likely to offer weekend appointments compared with solo practices. More doctors practise in group settings now (65%) than in 2015 (60%).



Meet Annette McKinnon, a patient advisor.

“I’m not impressed with the weekend accessibility of doctors,” says McKinnon.

“My doctor has arrangements for weekend appointments with other doctors in her practice, but you have to spend the whole day. I went in one morning, and they said ‘take a number and come back in 6 hours.’”

Annette McKinnon



From a physician’s perspective, privacy is key when communicating with patients. However, McKinnon does not share this sentiment.

Privacy is not my biggest worry when I’m thinking about emailing my doctor or asking questions.— Annette McKinnon, patient advisor

How to cite the survey results:
Canadian Institute for Health Information. How Canada Compares: Results From the Commonwealth Fund’s 2019 International Health Policy Survey of Primary Care Physicians. Ottawa, ON: AV; 2020.

 

How to cite:

Canadian Institute for Health Information. Access to care. Accessed October 22, 2024.