Health-care quality satisfies Canada's seniors, study finds
Waits to see doctor or nurse are longer than in other countries, though
Canadian seniors wait longer to see a doctor or nurse but are generally pleased with the quality of care when they do, compared with their counterparts in 10 industrialized countries, according to a new report.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research released the report Thursday.
Just over half of survey respondents in Canada, 53 per cent, waited at least two days to see a family doctor or nurse the last time they were sick compared with the international average of 32 per cent.
The other countries were:
- Australia.
- France.
- Germany
- The Netherlands
- New Zealand.
- Norway.
- Sweden.
- Switzerland.
- United Kingdom.
- United States.
A quarter of older Canadians waiting at least two months to see a specialist, compared with the average of 15 per cent elsewhere.
Once people met their doctor or nurse, their experience was generally on par or sometimes better than those of people in other countries.
For example, older Canadians were more likely to get their medications reviewed by a health professional and more likely to have discussions with the provider about treatment goals and healthy habits like diet and exercise.
In Canada, seven per cent of respondents said they didn’t fill a prescription or skipped doses because of cost, compared with an average of four per cent elsewhere.