Across the country, Canadians share concerns over access to care and long wait times, especially for emergency services. All levels of government are exploring how to best address these challenges. In support of those efforts, Advanis conducts a wide range of research studies in the healthcare sector and is able to leverage two decades of experience, including on topics such as access to primary health care and specialized services; lifestyle habits; vaccinations among adults and children; the impact of heat waves on elderly and at risk populations; sexually transmitted infections; health service costs; and evaluating prevention programs and warning systems. Here are the results of one such study.
From December 2023 to July 2024, Advanis surveyed a random sample of 36,789 Canadians aged 18+ across all Provinces and Territories to learn more about their use, perceptions, and priorities for Canada's health care services.
Canadians across regions expressed a shared concern over access to health care and long wait times. Long wait times particularly affected emergency care experiences: 45% of visitors to emergency departments and urgent care centres indicated that they waited 5 hours or more before they were seen during their most recent visit. Among them, just one-third (31%) were satisfied with the care they received (compared to 74% among those who waited less than 5 hours).
In relation to service improvements, a majority of Canadians listed improved access to specialist doctors, family physicians, and emergency departments / urgent care centers as one of their top three priorities, in line with the types of care that Canadians accessed most frequently in the past year. That said, among these three types of care, improved access to specialist doctors and emergency care stand out as being mentioned relatively more frequently as a priority for improvement compared to their reported use.