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A recent survey is shedding light on the medical habits of Canadians who can't secure a doctor's appointment.
Nearly two in three (66%) decided not to book a doctor's appointment because they expected it would be too hard to get seen.
According to a December 2025 survey, the Ontario Medical Association says that more than 2.5 million Ontarians do not have access to a family physician.
MedExpress Canada commissioned an online survey of 1,158 Canadian adults to explore attitudes, behaviours, and personal experiences related to accessing medical care, including the wait times, workarounds when they cannot be seen in time, the care they delay or avoid, and their views on virtual care and prescription weight-loss treatment.
"Getting a doctor's appointment in Canada can be quite a project," MedExpress Canada's study, termed The Appointment Workaround Economy, states. "When people can't be seen quickly, they don't simply wait. They improvise, stitching together an informal system of workarounds to get the care they need."
The study said that nearly half of Canadians (48%) have either gone online or used artificial intelligence to self-diagnose; nearly 30% used the emergency room because they couldn't get a doctor's appointment; 28% skipped care altogether due to wait times and 75% would prefer virtual care over waiting for an in-person doctor's appointment.
According to Ontario Health, patients waited, on average, 2.1 hours for a first assessment by an ER doctor.
The study also indicates that health care varies greatly when comparing rural areas against urban settings. MedExpress says that 83% of Canadian rural residents would prefer virtual health care, as opposed to 73% residing in an urban setting.
"When Canadians can't be seen in time, most have a backup plan, and many lean on the internet to fill the gap," the survey authors noted.
Broken down by generations, Gen Z (71%), millennials (79%), Gen X (69%), and baby boomers (74%) would choose virtual care over waiting.
The survey's respondents were 48% millennials, 34% Gen Z, 13% Gen X, and 5% baby boomers.
ganderson@postmedia.com
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