Older Canadians report having longer waits and more difficulties seeing a doctor or nurse when they need medical attention than older people in 10 comparator countries.

When they do see their doctor, however, results are more positive for many aspects of their care.

This type of information is included in How Canada Compares: Results From The Commonwealth Fund 2014 International Health Policy Survey of Older Adults, released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR).

“In terms of wait times, Canada’s position among the 11 surveyed countries has not improved at all,” said CIHI President and CEO David O’Toole. “Older Canadian patients are telling us where our system is meeting—or not meeting—their needs. We definitely don’t meet their needs when it comes to timely access to doctors and nurses.”

The 2014 International Health Policy Survey included patients age 55 and older from 11 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. More than 5,300 Canadians completed the survey. The companion report, How Canada Compares, provides provincial-level results for the first time as well as new analysis to highlight where Canadian results are significantly different from the international average.

Access to care

The report shows that waits for primary and specialist care in Canada have not improved since they were first reported on in 2007. Among surveyed countries, Canada continues to have the longest wait times for older people waiting to see a doctor or nurse when they need medical attention, with more than half waiting more than 2 days, and nearly one-third (30%) waiting 6 or more days.

Older Canadians also have the longest reported wait times to see a specialist, with 25% waiting 2 months or more for a specialist visit. Despite some variation across the country, wait times in every province were significantly higher than the international average.

Older Canadians also report more difficulties (51%) in getting care after-hours or on weekends than older people in any other country. As a result, 37% reported a visit to an emergency department for a condition that could have been treated by their regular doctor.