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1 in 7 ER visits in Canada are for conditions that could have been managed in primary care: report

Staffing shortages and a surge in respiratory illnesses are putting pressure on Canada’s emergency rooms, and experts are urging people to update their vaccinations.

Lack of access to family doctors and other primary care providers leaves more Canadians with no option than to go to the emergency department for care, new data suggests.

About one in seven visits to the emergency department in Canada are for conditions that could have been managed by a family doctor or other primary care provider, like a nurse practitioner or pediatrician, and roughly half of those visits could have been managed virtually, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

Thursday’s report focuses …