More than half (57 per cent) of Canadian employees with a chronic condition have missed work, reduced hours or taken time off due to their condition, according to a new survey by Maple conducted with the Angus Reid Forum.
The survey, which polled more than 1,520 Canadians living with or caring for someone with a chronic condition, found 81 per cent said day-to-day life is more complicated because of managing chronic-related care.
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of respondents said the health-care system only sometimes or never meets their needs, with 27 per cent of this group saying the care doesn’t meet their needs at all. Also, 73 per cent said the system is so overburdened they don’t feel confident accessing timely care.
Read: 54% of benefits plan members currently live with at least one chronic condition: survey
The majority (85 per cent) of those with a chronic condition have had to repeatedly share their medical history across providers, 83 per cent said their care feels more reactive than proactive and more than half said it isn’t easy or convenient to access a practitioner who understands their condition.
Notably, 95 per cent of those affected by a mental-health condition said it creates challenges in their daily life even when care is managed well. Just nine per cent of Canadians affected by attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder said the health-care system meets their needs, the lowest rate of any condition in the survey.
More than three-quarters (78 per cent) of respondents said consistent, 24/7 access to technology-enabled care would alleviate the significant time and stress currently required to manage their chronic condition.