Canada’s doctor shortage drives 37% online for medical advice: poll
Global News
Twenty-three per cent of those surveyed said following health advice they found online resulted in a bad reaction or had a negative impact on their health.
A new poll suggests more than a third of Canadians say they have no choice but to seek health information online because they don’t have access to a doctor, further highlighting challenges posed by an ongoing physician shortage.
The online survey by the Canadian Medical Association and Abacus Data conducted last November found that 37 per cent of respondents used medical advice they found online because they couldn’t access a doctor or a medical professional for help.
Twenty-three per cent of those surveyed said following health advice they found online resulted in a bad reaction or had a negative impact on their health.
The survey of 3,727 adult Canadians can’t be assigned a margin of error because online surveys are not considered truly random samples.
The CMA says the number of Canadians turning to online sources for medical help emphasizes the lack of accessible health care across the country, as an estimated 6.5 million people – one in five Canadians – do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner they see regularly.
CMA president Dr. Joss Reimer called the survey results “extremely concerning.”
“There is no other generation that’s been exposed to so much misinformation, but also had to face the hardship of a health-care system that is overtaxed and not meeting their needs,” Reimer said in a phone interview.
Employment and Social Development Canada says the country currently has fewer doctors per capita than most countries that are part of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
B.C.'s first blast of summer-like weather has triggered weather advisories for much of the southern part of the province as well as air quality advisories linked to wildfires.
Gabriella Patey, 31, was initially told her breast tumour was benign. Later, she was told she had terminal cancer. A third call informed her it was all a terrible mistake.
Physicians criticized the move to oust members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which reports to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Air quality has improved in much of Quebec and Ontario, but wildfire smoke continues to affect parts of the Prairies, northern Ontario, and eastern Quebec.
The judges referred the lawyers in both cases to their professional regulators, but did not take more serious action.
Health Canada has issued a warning to consumers not to inhale nitrous oxide for recreational purposes as instances are on the rise and carry many health risks, including death.
The spiny creature found itself in Kelowna earlier this week, after the wreckage of a plane it had nested in was transported to the Okanagn from northern B.C.
Some of crypto’s key characteristics help explain why wealthy individuals who hold a lot of digital assets can be ripe targets for such attacks.
Tens of thousands of window-mounted air conditioner units are being recalled in Canada, with the federal government warning some affected units have a risk of mould growth.
The video was taken on Highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Terrace shows a black bear family, including a young spirit bear, heading into the forest.
The B.C. government says a decade-old environmental assessment certificate remains valid for the construction of a natural gas pipeline in northern B.C.
Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore says an infant born prematurely and infected with measles has died in southwestern Ontario.
Teva Canada Ltd. said it received a complaint that a package contained an extra row of the placebos when there should be only one row of white placebo pills.