Canada’s healthcare system is grappling with a growing backlog of medical procedures, diagnoses and treatments. GPs and nurses, who are at the frontline of patient care, are under enormous pressure as a result of these delays. A recent Leger survey of 100 hospital-based nurses and 100 general practitioners across Canada shows the serious impact procedural backlogs have on both healthcare providers and patients. In this blog, we will explore the key barriers to addressing this crisis and how innovative medical technologies can help ease this burden.
The impact of procedural delays
According to the survey, nearly all primary care physicians and over two-thirds of nurse practitioners report that case backlogs have a moderate to significant impact on their ability to provide timely care. For primary care physicians, delays in diagnostic procedures and surgical referrals result in poorer health outcomes, including disease progression that could have been prevented with earlier interventions. Nurses, on the other hand, have difficulty with routine patient care, especially pre- and post-operative monitoring.
Below is a graphic that illustrates the significant impact of procedural backlogs on patient care:
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