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Background
Keywords
Findings
Author
What is already known on this subject?
What does this study add?

Text begins

Background

This analysis explores barriers to the receipt of health care from a primary care physician  for  management of chronic conditions.

Data and methods

A population-based survey was administered to  adults in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia who had hypertension, diabetes, heart disease or stroke (n=1,849). Associations between socio-demographic factors and barriers to receipt of primary care were identified.

Results

Most respondents with chronic conditions required care from a primary care physician in the past year and had no difficulty receiving it; about 10% reported a barrier. Barriers were most commonly reported by respondents with diabetes (16%) and were related to initiation of care or waiting too long to get care.

Interpretation

A small percentage of adults with chronic conditions report barriers to receiving care from a  primary care physician.

Keywords

Health services accessibility, health services needs and demand

Findings

About a third of Canadians have chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. The care of patients with chronic conditions has become a major focus in health services research and public health policy, and the direct costs of managing these conditions exceed $40 billion a year. Even so, not all Canadians with chronic conditions receive the care they require. [Full Text]

Author

Paul E. Ronksley is with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario. Claudia Sanmartin (1-613-951-6059; claudia.sanmartin@statcan.gc.ca) and Deirdre Hennessy are with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6. David J.T. Campbell, Robert G. Weaver, Kerry A. McBrien, Braden J. Manns and Brenda R. Hemmelgarn are with the  University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta. G. Michael Allan and Marcello Tonelli are with the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.

What is already known on this subject?

  • Previous research suggests that approximately one in seven Canadian adults with a chronic condition has an unmet health care need—a common indicator of inadequate access to or availability of health care.
  • Information is limited on whether barriers relate specifically to a perceived need for chronic disease care and whether they exist when attempting to access primary care.

What does this study add?

  • About 10% of adults with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and/or stroke reported barriers to primary care, notably, difficulties contacting a physician or waiting too long.
  • Such barriers were more common among people with diabetes, 16% of whom reported difficulties getting primary care.
  • About 5% of people with a chronic condition reported an unmet need for care related to that condition; more than half of them reported that the condition worsened because the need was unmet.
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