Canada’s health care crisis demands a digital solution
On January 15, 2025, more than 500 people in Walkerton, Ont., lined up outdoors and endured snow squalls and bitter temperatures for hours in the hope of doing something we should all be able to take for granted: signing up with a new family physician.
That scene is emblematic of a deeper crisis faced by Canada’s health care system. Currently, 6.5 million Canadians are without a family doctor, and 75 per cent of doctors report that administrative burdens are preventing them from providing quality care.
A numbers problem
Even if every medical and nursing student in the country graduated and entered the workforce tomorrow, it still wouldn’t be enough to meet the growing demand for care.
Add to that labour mobility barriers that prevent health care professionals from practicing across provinces. These arcane and outdated restrictions combine with other systemic shortfalls, leading to frustration and burnout.
As a result, our shortage of talented doctors and nurses is worsening not for a lack of skill or willingness to serve, but because bureaucratic red tape is pushing them away.
Growing patient dissatisfaction
Some provinces are already taking steps to expand the scope of practice for professionals like pharmacists to help ease the burden on primary care providers. However, even with this additional flexibility and help, more must be done.
A deeper transformation, as highlighted in Accenture health’s Reimagining Healthcare for Canadians study, would pave the way to better access, which is what Canadians are demanding.
In a survey of 1,050 respondents conducted by Sago, a persuasive picture emerged: frustration with the current system is growing, and the demand for a health care experience that is more accessible, efficient, and connected is strong.
Canadians are seeking care that is tailored to their unique needs and preferences. They want greater involvement in their own health care decisions, including access to reliable treatment information.
More than anything, they value connection—strong relationships with their providers that make them feel supported and understood.
According to the survey, nearly 70 per cent of Canadians believe health care has worsened over the past decade. And three quarters of Canadian doctors say administrative burdens are taking away from the time they can spend caring for patients.
Portable health care
Imagine if your birth marked the beginning of a lifelong, portable digital health care journey—one that moved with you across Canada, ensuring seamless and equitable access to care in line with the Canada Health Act’s principles of universality, portability, and accessibility. No more fragmented records, repeated tests, or gaps in care.
A truly interoperable digital health system would break down provincial barriers, allowing health care providers to access critical patient information in real time, regardless of location. It would uphold the spirit of Canada’s universal health care, ensuring that no matter where life takes you, your health record moves with you.
Canadians deserve a system where medical records follow patients seamlessly, where providers can collaborate in real time across disciplines, and where care is coordinated from birth throughout a person’s life.
Our study demonstrates nearly two thirds of Canadians believe that having their medical history readily available to all providers would improve the quality of care they receive. Such a shift would help reduce unnecessary tests and appointments and ensure that every health care professional has access to the information they need when they need it.
Going beyond clinical care
Health care should address the broader factors that impact well-being. Incorporating wellness prescriptions that focus on nutrition, exercise and mental health could significantly improve overall health outcomes and strengthen the relationships between patients and providers.
In a not-distant future, AI and genetic data will be able to make a “digital twin” that customizes treatment based on individual biology. More than half of those surveyed believe AI could revolutionize health care by supporting treatment tailored to their unique genetic and lifestyle factors.
Addressing the crisis in our health care system requires more than simply hiring more providers or expanding their scope of practice. It demands a fully integrated, portable digital health system that follows patients wherever they go.
Innovation leadership
By modernizing health care through digital integration, we can improve efficiency, reduce wait times, and deliver accessible, patient-centred care for all Canadians. As our report shows, Canadians are not just open to this transformation—they are ready for it.
The Reimagining Healthcare for Canadians report lays out a clear roadmap for transformation, outlining strategic policy and system changes across short-term (2025-2027), medium-term (2028-2030), and long-term (2031-2035) horizons.
Now is the time for bold leadership and decisive action. Policymakers, health care leaders and professional bodies such as the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Nurses Association must accelerate digital health adoption, advance national interoperability policies and break down outdated barriers which are preventing care from becoming seamless.
Canada has an opportunity, but this future will not happen on its own—it requires commitment, investment and action aimed at delivering a modern, lifelong health care experience to every Canadian.
This article first appeared on Policy Options and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
link
