Canadians prefer to see their family physician tomorrow than another doctor today: survey

A new survey commissioned by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) suggests that Canadians prefer care – either virtual or in-person – from their family physician rather than from a primary care physician that they don’t know. The majority surveyed would wait for their own physician rather than access walk-in services. The results will be used by the CFPC in discussions on the future of virtual care in primary care. “We were pleased to see that patients still have a sign preference to receive care from their own family physician,” said Dr. Francine Lemire, executive director and chief executive officer of CFPC. The CFPC commissioned the survey to examine the evolving needs of patients when it comes to accessing care. “We have some concerns that some of the direct-to-patient virtual visits being offered by for-profit companies may disrupt continuity, may introduce the potential for duplication of services and potentially may exacerbate inequity in access to care,” Dr. Lemire said. The results deal a blow to virtual care walk-in services, with 63% of those surveyed saying they would prefer an in-person or virtual appointment with their family physician tomorrow rather than an appointment with a physician they don’t know today for a non-urgent matter. Still, wait times matter, and with a delay of four to seven days, only 43% would wait for their own doctor. Patients were satisfied with virtual care, with most preferring telephone conversations to virtual care via video or text message. Patient satisfaction scores were lower when the patient didn’t know the physician treating them. This was true for in-person appointments, 8.5 versus 8.1 out of ten; telephone appointments, 8.0 versus 7.7 out of 10; and online or email visits, 7.9 versus 7.8 out of 10. The online survey was conducted in May and involved 2,013 Canadians 18 years old or older. Questions about patient satisfaction were directed only to those who had a healthcare appointment in the past year. The survey results will be used as part of conversations about how virtual care should be integrated into primary care as COVID-19 infection rates decrease and in-person care is a safer option. An April 2021 survey of CFPC members showed that half feel that virtual care has increased accessibility, but they remain concerned about the quality of care it provides, particularly for more complex conditions. “Virtual care is a tool, it is not a panacea for solving all problems of access,” Dr. Lemire said. Virtual care should be approached in the context of quality care, in the context of an ongoing relationship with the patient, Dr. Lemire said. “We need to be thinking about how we will integrate virtual care as one modality in the overall provision of care,” she said. Dr. Lemire said she acknowledges that discussions about practice change are happening at a time when family physicians are tired and some are experiencing burnout. She said that the message to physicians from the CFPC is not to work harder, but to work together to “improve patient flow and better integrate virtual modalities as part of what we are doing so that we can enhance both access, continuity of care, as well as comprehensive care.” The results from the survey of patients are available on the CFPC website.

Canadians prefer to see their family physician tomorrow than another doctor today: survey

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