Survey on the Use of Digital Technologies by Health Care Providers

Start your survey

Have you been invited to participate in this survey via email or mail? To log in to the survey, complete the following steps.

Step 1: Visit the electronic questionnaire portal and select Start my survey.

Step 2: Enter your secure access code (you will find this code in the invitation letter or email you previously received from Statistics Canada).

Step 3: Complete the survey.

Are you missing your secure access code, or do you need help?

Phone:

1-877-949-9492
(TTY: 1-800-363-7629)
Monday to Friday (except holidays) from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern time

If you use an operator-assisted relay service, you can call us during regular business hours. You do not need to authorize the operator to contact us.

Email:

infostats@statcan.gc.ca

The Survey on the Use of Digital Technologies by Health Care Providers (SUDTHCP) collects data from health care providers on their use of digital health systems, including whether they send and receive patient clinical information electronically and barriers to using digital health tools. The SUDTHCP also collects information on health care providers’ knowledge of digital health systems to measure their digital health literacy.

Results from this survey will be used to identify areas of improvement in modernizing the health care system and improving health care services for Canadians as set out in the Working Together to Improve Health Care for Canadians plan.

The information may also be used by Statistics Canada for other statistical and research purposes. In addition, information from partially completed or unsaved questionnaires may be retained and used.
 

Collection period:

From May 7 to July 27, 2025

Collection methods:

Electronic questionnaire and telephone interviews. Respondents may be contacted by mail, email or text message.

Survey participation:

Voluntary

Confidentiality

Data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.

Data sharing agreements and record linkage

To avoid duplication of surveys, Statistics Canada has signed agreements to share the data from this survey with provincial and territorial ministries of health and the Institut de la statistique du Québec. The Institut de la statistique du Québec and provincial ministries of health may make this data available to local health authorities.

Data shared with your ministry of health or the Institut de la statistique du Québec may also include identifiers such as name, address and telephone number. Local health authorities would receive only survey responses and the postal code.

These organizations have agreed to keep the data confidential and use it only for statistical purposes.

The information provided by respondents can only be shared with their consent.

Record linkage

To enhance the data from this survey and to reduce the response burden, Statistics Canada may combine the information you provide with other survey or administrative data sources.

Topics covered in the survey

Topics in this survey include use of patient clinical information, sharing and accessing patient clinical information using digital health systems, barriers to digital health system usage and digital health literacy. The survey also collects general information including demographic, occupation and labour market activities.

Published data

Statistics Canada publishes the results of its surveys in many formats. To find all the documents related to this survey, follow the links below and type the name of the survey in the search engine located at the left of your screen to filter the results.

Data: You will find tables, profiles of a community or region, thematic maps, public use microdata files, and data visualization tools.

Analysis: You will have direct access to Stats in brief (e.g., releases from The Daily, fact sheets), articles and reports, and journals and periodicals.

Survey-specific questions

What is the purpose of this survey?

The Survey on the Use of Digital Technologies by Health Care Providers is a voluntary survey designed to gather information from health care providers—including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists—about their use of digital health systems and measures of their digital health literacy.

Results from this survey will be used to identify areas of improvement in modernizing the health care system and improving health care services for Canadians.

What kinds of questions will be asked?

The survey asks a variety of questions about:

  • demographics
  • occupation
  • labour market activity
  • use of patient clinical information
  • sharing of patient clinical information electronically
  • access to patient clinical information using digital health systems
  • barriers to digital health system use
  • digital health literacy.

Why are you collecting this information and what will it be used for?

The data will be used to:

  • identify gaps and barriers in digital health systems used by health care providers
  • assess digital health literacy levels among health care providers
  • help health system planners and providers identify areas of improvement within the health care system
  • identify barriers to improve coordination and collaboration among health care providers across various digital health systems.

Who will use these data?

Data users may include:

  • federal, provincial and territorial governments
  • Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada
  • other stakeholders and organizations such as the Canadian Institute for Health Information
  • researchers (through research data centres).

How long will it take to complete this survey?

It should take around 10 to 20 minutes to complete the interview. The interview length will vary, depending on your answers.

I just completed a similar survey. Why are you contacting me again?

There are several surveys being conducted by Statistics Canada at this time. Every effort has been made to reduce the number of surveys that each person will be asked to answer. It is possible that you have been selected for more than one survey. Every Statistics Canada survey is important and relates to different aspects of Canadian life.

How and why was I selected?

Respondents were selected from a list of people who reported being a doctor, nurse or pharmacist in the 2021 Census, or who were listed in the Postsecondary Student Information System as studying in a health care related field between 2021 and 2023.

Is my participation mandatory?

Your participation in this survey is voluntary. However, your participation will help to ensure that survey results are complete and representative of the entire population of health care providers included in this survey.

How will you safeguard the confidentiality of my information?

As with all Statistics Canada surveys, any information provided will remain confidential pursuant to the Statistics Act.

Statistics Canada takes the privacy of Canadians very seriously. Published data can never identify you, your household or your business.

To find out more about the measures in place to safeguard the confidentiality of your information, visit Statistics Canada’s Trust Centre.

Will Statistics Canada share my data?

A data sharing agreement is in place between Statistics Canada, provincial and territorial ministries of health, and the Institut de la statistique du Québec (Quebec’s statistics agency) to share the information collected from this survey. The agreement helps reduce the burden on respondents and the cost of data collection. Your information will only be shared with your consent. These organizations are also prohibited by law from disclosing any identifiable information based on data collected by Statistics Canada.

When will the results be available?

Results will be released in early 2026 in The Daily, Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin.

For more information about this survey

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