Five takeaways: AMA ‘State of Health Care’ report looks at how patients in Alberta feel about their care

The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) has released its first report on the state of healthcare in the province.“As we release this report card, there are grounds for hope and for concern. We are committed to advancing meaningful, informed healthcare reform. This report reinforces physicians’ longstanding advocacy for measuring system performance. Setting goals and tracking outcomes is more vital than ever as the government restructures the system,” Dr. Shelley Duggan, president of the AMA, said in her July 4 letter to members. The report, incorporating data from polling firm ThinkHQ Public Affairs as well as responses from the AMA’s PatientsFirst.ca online community, looked at how patients have been experiencing the healthcare system in Alberta, from wait times at the emergency room visits to access to primary care."If you’ve ever wondered whether you make a difference—this survey offers a resounding yes. Still, access remains a serious concern as everyone is working as hard as they can," Dr. Duggan continued.Here are five of the takeaways from the report:High usage and high satisfactionNinety per cent of Albertans in the survey reported using some form of healthcare service in the past year. The most commonly used services were from family doctors (85%) followed by medical laboratories (74%) and diagnostic clinics (55%).Overall satisfaction with the quality of care Albertans receive was also found to be strong, with 77% of those with a family doctor saying that they were satisfied with their healthcare services. Even among those who are looking for a family doctor, 62% said they were satisfied.However, there were also differences among age groups when asked about healthcare satisfaction. Albertans 55 and older had the highest level of satisfaction (83%) while those aged 18 to 34 had the lowest (70%).Dissatisfaction with wait times in the EDThere was a resounding disappointment in the wait times in Alberta’s emergency department, a service which 27% of survey respondents reported using over the past year. Of the respondents, 58% of those who visited the ED said the timeliness in seeing a physician was “poor.” In addition, 29% rated the timeliness as “very poor.”However, despite the negative experiences with the wait times, patients appear generally satisfied with the overall quality of care: 60% said the care they received was “good” or “excellent.”“This suggests that, once seen by a physician or care team, Albertans have confidence in the skill and professionalism of emergency healthcare providers,” the report said.Nearly one-in-five Albertans have no family doctorThe report found that 18% of adults in Alberta were unattached to a family doctor. Of these, 10% are actively seeking a doctor without success and 23% said there are no doctors taking patients where they live.Even among those who have family doctors, many still face barriers to accessing the primary care that they need. Of those respondents who had a family doctor, just over half (54%) said they can usually get an appointment when they need it and only 28% said their access was “fairly good.” Additionally, 17% said their access was “poor” or “very poor.”Many using walk-in clinicsOver the past year, 30% of respondents reported using a walk-in clinic. The vast majority (70%) said they only turned to walk in clinics when they cannot see their family doctor quickly.The report also suggests that walk-in clinics are not a preferred option by the vast majority of Albertans and are only used as a last resort. Just 7% said they use walk-in clinics for convenience while 4% said they rely on walk-in clinics as their primary source of care. Yet, satisfaction rates still remain strong, with 51% rating their quality of care from a walk-in clinic as “excellent” or “very good.”Lengthy wait times for specialty careAlbertans overwhelmingly were unhappy with the wait times for seeing a specialist. Currently, 19% reported being on a waitlist to see a specialist for an initial consultation or a procedure. The report found that 85% of those waiting for a specialist believe their wait is “too long,” and 69% say it’s “far too long.”However, satisfaction still remains strong despite the long waits, as 72% of respondents who saw a specialist said the quality of care was “excellent” or “very good.”

Five takeaways: AMA ‘State of Health Care’ report looks at how patients in Alberta feel about their care

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