The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) has published a comprehensive report outlining key areas that require attention to improve the struggling health care systems in Canada. This report is a result of an agreement between federal, provincial, and territorial governments to address health care improvement in the country.
With the exception of Quebec, governments have collaborated with CIHI to collect and share health care data. The plan is to release these results annually, making this the inaugural report in a series.
The first report offers insights into the current state of Canadian health care. It reveals that surgeries decreased by 13% during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, less than 40% of Canadians have accessed their health information online.
Kathleen Morris, Vice-President of Research and Analysis at CIHI, acknowledges the gaps in Canada’s health-care systems while highlighting the ongoing efforts to improve services. Transparent public reporting using comparable data from modernized health systems will be crucial in this improvement process, as governments at all levels collaborate to enhance health services for Canadians.
While Canada’s universal health-care system has been a source of national pride, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly strained the nation’s health-care services. The resulting issues, such as worker burnout, inadequate mental health support, surgical backlogs, and overcrowded hospitals, continue to challenge the health care system.
Various surveys indicate that accessing health care has become increasingly difficult for Canadians in recent years. Some reported difficulty or impossibility in accessing emergency care, non-emergency care, surgeries, tests, and specialist appointments within the past six months.
The report also sheds light on the outlook for primary care, indicating that 88% of Canadians report having a regular health provider. However, this varies significantly across the country, with Nunavut having the lowest percentage at 24%, while Ontario and New Brunswick have the highest at 90%. Young adults aged 18 to 34 were found to be the least likely to have a regular health-care provider compared to other age groups.
Surgical backlogs and worker fatigue pose significant challenges to the health care system. Over the first two and a half years of the pandemic, Canada saw around 743,000 fewer surgeries—a decrease of 13% compared to before the pandemic. Hospitals will need to increase their surgical rate to reduce backlogs, a feat achieved in several regions with increases ranging from one to nine percent from March 2021 to June 2022.
Moreover, the pandemic led to an increase in overtime hours for staff by 15% in 2020-21 compared to the previous year. The report underscores the importance of developing a comprehensive human health resource plan that considers various factors, including the number of nurses, nurse practitioners, and social workers needed to deliver sustainable integrated team-based care across the country.
Mental health services are not adequately tailored for youth, despite 70% of people with a mental illness experiencing symptoms before the age of 18. The report indicates that 1.2 million children and youth in Canada are affected by a mental health disorder, and transitioning from youth-centered resources to adult resources poses challenges. Currently, Canada has 47 active integrated youth services sites, with more under development. However, certain provinces have no active sites funded by the provincial or territorial government.
Furthermore, the report stresses the underutilization of electronic options in health care, where less than 40% of Canadians can access their health information online. This slows down the delivery of health care and potentially increases the likelihood of medical errors.
In the future, CIHI plans to address the status of health care for Indigenous people in Canada and work with Indigenous leaders and experts to collect data on health in Indigenous communities to understand and address their specific issues, given the serious issue of racism in health systems.