image: Dr. Lise Bjerre, Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa and the Institut du Savoir Montfort, and Associate Professor at uOttawa's Faculty of Medicine. view more
Credit: University of Ottawa
The Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa and the Institut du Savoir Montfort is launching an online tool to identify family doctors who provide care in a variety of languages in the Ottawa and Renfrew County area.
Finding a family doctor in Canada is often a daunting task. Long waiting lists, physician shortages and language barriers are often among the many obstacles patients face in getting a doctor. In response, Dr. Lise Bjerre’s team, chair in Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa and the Institut du Savoir Montfort, have developed an online tool to make it easier for patients to find a family doctor in their own language, near their home.
Docmapper.ca, “trouvezunmedecin.ca” in French, is a free and secure online tool consisting of an interactive map that lists the names, contact information and language skills of physicians in the Ottawa and Renfrew County area. The platform is available in English and French and lists physicians who speak over 50 languages. This provides an integrated geographic and language directory of family physicians in the region.
“The data we have has shown us the need to provide a service that allows people to find a doctor who speaks their language of choice,” says Dr. Lise Bjerre, researcher at the Institut du Savoir Montfort and Associate Professor in the department of Family Medicine at uOttawa.
Ontario, which is Canada’s most populous province, is linguistically diverse and a recent study by Dr. Peter Tanuseputro and his team, using ICES data, found that 33% of Ontario residents speak a primary language other than English.
“This language barrier is not inconsequential when patients are looking for a family doctor,” says Dr. Lise Bjerre. This is especially true when the same study shows that patients who receive health care in the language of their choice have better health outcomes.
Additionally, “many Canadians travel long distances to access primary care,” says Dr. Lise Bjerre. Beyond the language factor and the shortage of doctors, particularly in rural areas, this travel is also caused by a lack of information about the availability of doctors near patients’ homes. With its interactive map, docmapper.ca addresses this problem directly, making it as easy as possible for patients to find a doctor who best meets their language needs.
With these features, docmapper.ca is already positioning itself as an innovative solution to help overcome these barriers faced by Canadians looking for a primary care physician. The tool could also be useful to physicians and health planners. However, it should be noted that this tool is still in development. “At the moment, we don’t have the data to know if the physicians on the maps are accepting new patients,” says Dr. Bjerre.
In addition, let’s not forget that one of the main causes of poor access to primary care is simply the lack of doctors in Canada. In fact, Canada fares poorly compared to most other OECD countries. In 2020, Canada had an average of 2.73 physicians per thousand (1000) residents. Only the United States, Mexico, and Japan had fewer, while France, Great Britain, the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Portugal, and several others had significantly more. Leading the way were Austria and Norway, with more than 5 physicians per thousand (1000) residents, nearly double the ratio in Canada.
Nevertheless, she and her team are optimistic and intend to do their utmost to contribute to improving access to primary care through this tool. As a first step, an online survey is now available on docmapper.ca to get feedback and suggestions from map users. The survey is anonymous and takes only one to two minutes to complete. The data collected will help inspire the addition of new features and the expansion of the docmapper.ca service offering.
Finally, encouraged by the strong interest in the maps from both patients and physicians, Dr. Bjerre let us know that “for the time being, this project funded by an unrestricted grant by the Ontario SPOR Support Unit Francophone Initiative (IF-COFFRE), has allowed for the creation of these two maps. However, we are still looking for additional funding to expand the interactive map, first to the entire province, and then to the entire country.”
About Institut du Savoir Montfort
Created in 2015, the Institut du Savoir Montfort (ISM) is a non-profit organization that aims to improve health and the world’s health by combining research and education. The ISM relies on collaboration between researchers, educators and andragogues, which facilitates the continuum creation-transmission of knowledge in the organization of health services and the prevention, screening and treatment of physical and mental co-morbidities. To learn more about the Institut du Savoir Montfort, visit www.savoirmontfort.ca
About the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca
About the Montfort Foundation
Incorporated in 1986, the Montfort Foundation receives, maintains and administers funds for the development, expansion and promotion of the mission of the Hopital Montfort and the Institut du Savoir Montfort in the areas of health, education, research and community well-being. To learn more about the Montfort Foundation, visit fondationmontfort.ca