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Domain
Health
Subdomain
Healthy care systems
Indicator
Unmet needs for health care
Definition
Proportion of the population reporting unmet needs for health care.
Measurement
This indicator is measured in a number of Statistics Canada surveys, including the Canadian Income Survey (CIS), the Survey on Health Care Access and Experiences - Primary and Specialist Care (SHCAE-PSC), and the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI) among others.
In the CIS, survey respondents are asked:
During the past 12 months, was there ever a time when you felt that you needed health care, other than homecare services, but you did not receive it?
- Yes
- No
In the SHCAE-PSC and SSFNPMI, survey respondents are asked:
During the past 12 months, was there ever a time when you felt that you needed health care, but you did not receive it?
- Yes
- No
Data sources
This indicator is measured through multiple Statistics Canada surveys. Estimates can vary between data sources due to differences in reference periods, targeted or sampled populations, data collection and other methodology.
- Canadian Income Survey (CIS)
- Survey on Health Care Access and Experiences - Primary and Specialist Care (SHCAE-PSC)
- Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
- Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)
- Canadian National Health Survey (CNHS)
- Canadian Veteran Health Survey (CVHS)
- Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS)
- Life After Service Survey (LASS)
- Survey on Access to Health Care and Pharmaceuticals During the Pandemic (SAHCPDP)
- Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI)
Data tables and analysis
For products related to unmet needs for health care, including data tables, data visualizations, articles, and other product types see Analytical releases: Unmet needs for health care or view all analytical releases.
Frameworks
This indicator aligns with the following frameworks:
- Social inclusion indicators for Canada's ethnocultural groups
- Public services and institutions
- Unmet health care needs
- Public services and institutions
- Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy
- Unmet health needs
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