Canadians are experiencing increased challenges as they try to address wellness, healthy living and chronic disease, according to Deloitte’s 2011 Survey of Health-care consumers. The study, which surveyed more than 2,300 adult Canadians, found that fewer Canadians are rating their overall health as “excellent” or “very good” (55% compared to 60% in 2009) and that rates of chronic disease are increasing (52% compared to 47% in 2009).
The survey found that Canadians are experiencing a range of difficulties―from costs to access to information―in finding the resources they need to achieve effective self-care.
As well, growing family healthcare responsibilities are limiting many Canadians’ ability to earn an income.
“One in seven Canadians now have responsibility for the care of family members or friends, an increase from 2009,” says Mark Fam, senior manager for Deloitte National Health Services and lead author for the Canadian health consumer survey.
The economic downturn has left half of survey respondents more cautious about healthcare spending, with six in 10 feeling insecure about their ability to handle future healthcare costs. One-third said they spent more this year on healthcare than in 2009, and 40% feel spending on healthcare limits their household’s ability to spend money on other essential items.
To ease the maze of healthcare services, survey respondents were in favour of innovations and solutions that help them manage their own care and that bring healthcare as close as possible to the individual in order to meet evolving needs and expectations.
“Canadians are generally satisfied with their healthcare system,” says Fam. “However, we also see an increase in consumer demand for improvements to system performance and their access to health services that support their own wellness and care self-management.”
Lisa Purdy, partner and national health leader with Deloitte, said preventive services should be enhanced with targeted encouragements to promote healthy living.
The survey showed that Canadians have a high interest in electronic tools that help manage their care and consolidate related information. More than 65% of Canadians said they would favour having a government-provided electronic health record that could be used by themselves and their health providers; a similar number support medical devices that enable them to check their health condition and send information electronically to their doctor. Purdy also noted that consumers’ concern over privacy and security of personal information is dropping: Fewer than a third of respondents say they are highly concerned about the security of their information stored online this year, compared to 34% two years ago.