Grant: Operating Grant: SPOR PIHCI Network: Quick Strikes

Many Canadians do not have a regular family doctor. A lot of these people are sick, poor, immigrant or alone and would really benefit from having a family doctor. Not having a family doctor makes it harder to get the care they need and, so, they go to the emergency more often and are less healthy. Six provinces have put in place a system to help these people find a family doctor. Essentially, those who do not have a family doctor can register on a provincial waiting list and, eventually, be matched with a doctor. However, each of these systems works differently and each province knows very little about how other provinces are helping people find a family doctor. This research project wants 1) to understand each province's system by talking to those in charge of these systems, 2) to find the best ways of doing things by talking to experts and looking at articles on the subject and 3) to share this information with those involved in managing each province's system. Managers, doctors and researchers from each province will meet to compare what they are doing in their province to what other provinces are doing and to the best ways of doing things according to experts to see where they could improve. The idea is that each province will find strategies to help more people find a family doctor, especially those who would benefit most from it.