To stop in the spread of COVID-19 in the initial phase, physicians were able to provide in-person assistance in the most urgent situations and also offered virtual visits when feasible, according the report of Benjamin Cory Harow. In the initial 13 months after the pandemic numerous family physician consultations and visits were carried out virtually and with some variations between provinces. Although the codes used by physicians differ between the 6 provinces that we have data We can make use of this information to study the impact of COVID-19 on physicians’ services as well as the patients who used these services between March 2020 until March 2021.
The proportion of family doctor visits and consultations that are offered online ranged from 27% to 57% across the five provinces where data is available. Although virtual visits helped to increase accessibility to services provided by family physicians however, the data does not reveal the quality or appropriateness of the services provided.
After a decrease in Wave 1 and Wave 2, physician care was returned to its previous levels
Examining all activities of a physician such as consultations, visits psychotherapy, delivery and procedures performed by family doctors as well as medical specialists and surgeons We observed an increase in the frequency of visits during Wave 1 in comparison to the year prior (pre-pandemic). While the information on billing for physicians differs across jurisdictions however, a similar pattern was seen across all provinces where information is available.
In the beginning surgeons were the most affected than family doctors or medical doctors. Since many scheduled surgeries were cancelled in Wave 1 and 2, surgeon activity decreased between 41% and 60 percent in April 2020 when in comparison to April 2019 (this was different depending on the province). Medical specialists and family physicians saw less activity during Wave 1 as well as their services returned to near pre-pandemic level by the second wave however there was some variation in provincial. This could be due to the fact that doctors could offer greater services online and could be the reason for some of the growth that we observed at the beginning of the Wave 3.
Note: In this study the word “wave” refers to significant increases in the number of cases of COVID-19-related infections in Canada in general, however, we acknowledge that the timing and the size of the waves could differ depending on the region.
Activity of doctors changing during the pandemic, according to province, from March 2020 to March 2021.
NotesData for Saskatchewan between April 1 and the 30th of June, 2020 isn’t shown. It is reported as a result of physicians who were participants in the Pandemic Physician Service Agreement during this period were not able to submit claims for the services they rendered.
The data from British Columbia has not been reported for the months of January through March 2021.
Sources
National Physician Database, January to December 2019 (pre-pandemic baseline data) and March 2020 through the month of March in 2021 (pandemic data), Canadian Institute for Health Information. Open-year data that are submitted to CIHI at the time of July 1, 2021.
Public Health Agency of Canada. COVID-19 daily update on the epidemiology of COVID-19. External link. Accessed September 24, 2021.
Virtual care has helped to increase access to healthcare
In the beginning of the pandemic epidemic, family physicians swiftly switched to virtual consultations and visits. Prior to March 2020 nearly all consultations and visits were done in person. Health ministries and medical associations helped physicians transition to virtual care through the introduction of methods like the new codes for billing. Virtual care delivery has been in place throughout the entire pandemic and the percentage of services rendered changing with COVID-19 cases and changes to the restrictions on public health.
Proportion of consults with family physicians and virtual visits during the pandemic province from March 2020 until March 2021.
Text version of HTML0
Notes
The February 2020 data are given for informational purposes only.
Information for Saskatchewan between April 1 and June 30th, 2020 is not available and is not reported due to the fact that doctors who were part of the Pandemic Physician Service Agreement during the period did not file claims for services they offered.
The data on British Columbia has not been provided for the period January to March 2021.
Information on Nova Scotia is not shown because of data limitations virtual services cannot be identified.
Sources
National Physician Database, January to December 2019 (pre-pandemic baseline data) and March 2020 through the month of March in 2021 (pandemic data), Canadian Institute for Health Information. Open-year data that are provided to CIHI on July 1, 2021.
Public Health Agency of Canada. COVID-19 daily update on the epidemiology of COVID-19. External link. Accessed September 24, 2021.
Information for Saskatchewan between April 1 and June 30th, 2020 is not available and is not reported due to the fact that doctors who were part of the Pandemic Physician Service Agreement during the period did not file claims for services they offered.
The proportion of family doctor visits and consultations that are offered online ranged from 27% to 57% across the five provinces where data is available. Although virtual visits helped to increase accessibility to services provided by family physicians however, the data does not reveal the quality or appropriateness of the services provided.
Changes in the activity of family physicians varies according to the age of the patient
For the first thirteen months following the outbreak the number of family physicians was lower than the levels of pre-pandemic. The most significant decrease occurred in youngsters and young people aged from 0-17 which typically is about one-tenth of family physicians’ activity, but with some variations in the province. Similar decreases were observed when it came to emergency room visits of youth and children. The public health initiatives could have had an effect on the need for medical attention among youth and children such as school closings physical separation and wearing masks have resulted in less injuries, and a decrease in the transmission of a variety of respiratory illnesses that are seasonal.
Patients over 65 that comprise around one-third of all family physician activities (with certain variations by area of jurisdiction) have the smallest decrease in 3 provinces, and a slight rise in one province when compared to the pre-pandemic levels. According to Benjamin Cory Harow. This suggests that the majority of older people suffering from chronic diseases were able to get the treatment they required from their family physician.
