Nearly 13 percent of Ontario patients connected to a family physician need to travel more than 30 kilometres for their appointments, a newly released study says.
The study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal tracked nearly 10 million Ontario residents living in urban and suburban areas who were registered with a family physician as of March 31, 2023, to assess the distance they travelled for doctor visits, as well as the related health outcomes for the patients.
It found that roughly one in 10 people lived at least 30 kilometres from their primary care physician and had a higher tendency to use emergency departments for non-urgent concerns. Most of these patients were male, younger than 65, of a lower socioeconomic status, or newcomers to the province….