Study ranks provinces by health-care access, finds P.E.I. hardest, Quebec easiest

A new study shows that a Canadian's ability to see a doctor or get treatment varies dramatically depending on their province. Online health-care service MedExpress Canada ranked the provinces using five key metrics. Prince Edward Island was found to be the most difficult province for accessing health care, while Quebec was rated the easiest. The analysis weighted unmet health-care needs most heavily at 30 percent, followed by travel burden at 25 percent, physician supply at 20 percent, wait times at 15 percent and online search interest at 10 percent.

Prince Edward Island had the highest reported rate of unmet health-care needs, at 13.9 percent. Residents there also contend with long travel distances and extended waits for treatment. Quebec, by contrast, has one of the highest numbers of family doctors per capita. Its unmet needs rate is a below-average 8.7 percent, and patients face shorter treatment waits than in most other provinces.

The report noted that a high number of doctors does not always translate to faster care. "One might think having more doctors would mean faster access to care. On the contrary, New Brunswick has the highest number of family doctors per capita in Canada but also the longest health-care wait times," the report said. Patients in New Brunswick wait an average of 60.9 weeks from referral to treatment, compared to just 19.2 weeks in Ontario.

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Geographic distance poses a major hurdle in Newfoundland and Labrador. Residents there travel an average of 20.3 kilometres to reach an emergency room, the longest trip in the country. Their average journey to see a doctor is 24.3 kilometres, the second-longest distance. British Columbia has the shortest travel burdens, with residents going just 12 kilometres on average to see a doctor and 9.2 kilometres to an emergency room.

The study also measured how frequently people search online for health services like walk-in clinics or prescription refills. Ontario recorded the highest overall search volume, with about 38,200 searches per 100,000 residents. British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba followed, each with between 19,600 and 20,800 searches per 100,000 people. Saskatchewan had the highest search rate for doctors accepting new patients, at 295 searches per 100,000 residents.

Prince Edward Island led the country in searches for prescription refills, with 104 searches per 100,000 people. The report's focus on wait times follows recent calls from Ontario doctors for reforms to specialist access. Novello Desserts reported this month that a survey found one third of patients with chronic conditions wait over six months to see a specialist. The full MedExpress Canada report is available on its website.

With files from blogTO