Canadians Value Family Physicians, Seek Improved Access

Most Canadians prefer receiving their primary medical care from a family physician with whom they have a long-standing relationship, according to a new survey conducted by Nanos Research on behalf of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). Canadians’ satisfaction with family doctors has hit a new high.

At the same time, 1 in 5 Canadians don’t have access to a family doctor, which is now a major healthcare priority for the 2025 federal election. Concerns around wait times for surgery, specialists, and the emergency department are other top healthcare priorities.

In all, 9 in 10 survey respondents said they agreed or somewhat agreed that the federal government should step up to improve access to medicine and reduce the administrative burden on family physicians.

“We have long been aware that Canadians highly value family doctors. This survey allowed us to confirm and underscore how valued family doctors are by Canadians and how unique and irreplaceable they are in what they provide,” Carrie Bernard, MD, CFPC president and a family medicine doctor in Brampton, Ontario, told Medscape Medical News.

“Although our members report system barriers and burnout, the care family doctors provide their patients is only getting better,” she said. “We must make sure that our healthcare system supports collaboration and not substitutions, recognizing the unique contributions of all health professionals.”

The survey results were published online by CFPC on March 6.

Gauging Healthcare Opinions

In an online representative survey of 2038 Canadian adults between February 11 and 18, Nanos Research asked questions about access to a family doctor, recent primary care appointments, satisfaction with primary care, and top healthcare issues in the 2025 election.

Overall, 80% of Canadians reported having a regular family physician, up from 78% in 2023 but down from 83% in 2021.

In the past 12 months, 82% said they had had an in-person appointment with their family physician, and 8% had had a remote appointment.

Satisfaction continues to climb. About 84% of respondents said they’re happy with their family physician, up from 77% in 2023 and 75% in 2021.

Having access to a family doctor is important, the survey found. More than 80% said family physician access is important to their voting decisions in 2025, while only 17% said it’s not important.

The top five healthcare issues included wait times for consulting specialists and surgeries (60%), wait times for the emergency department (54%), access to family doctors (51%), wait times for diagnostics (33%), and the cost of services not covered by provincial health plans (22%).

Survey respondents overwhelmingly preferred receiving care from a family doctor with whom they have a long-term relationship or from a primary care team with a family doctor, both for major and minor health concerns. They also felt more comfortable receiving care from a family physician when managing chronic conditions, new diagnoses, and mental health services.

Beyond that, 68% of respondents said the federal government should do more to make sure everyone in the country has access to a family doctor. In addition, 64% said governments should actively work to reduce the administrative burden (such as forms) and allow family doctors to spend more time on direct patient care.

“There’s a notable difference in comfort when receiving care from teams led by family doctors compared with teams without a connection to a family doctor. We expected Canadians would prefer a team with a family doctor, but it was more pronounced than what we predicted,” Bernard said. “This shows just how much confidence Canadians put in the clinical knowledge of family physicians.”

Addressing Access Concerns

The survey data also appear to endorse the team-based care model described in the CFPC’s Patient’s Medical Home vision, Bernard said. The model focuses on pillars such as accessible care, continuity of care, and team-based care with family physician leadership to better reach patients across the country.

“Our healthcare system is not meeting the needs of Canadians. We do not have enough family doctors to meet the need, but every year, too many training positions for family doctors remain unfilled until late in the process,” Alan Katz, MBChB, told Medscape Medical News. Katz is a senior scientist at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and professor of community health sciences and family medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

“The training of medical students needs to recognize the importance of a strong primary care focus for our healthcare system,” he said. “This may require a nudge from the federal government.”

Concerns about primary care access should also address differences by age, location, and socioeconomic factors, said Shehzad Ali, MBBS, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Public Health Economics and associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario.

For instance, the survey found that 28% of respondents aged 18-34 years don’t have a regular family doctor compared with about 15% of respondents aged 55 years or older. In addition, 87% of respondents in Ontario reported having a family doctor compared with 68% in Quebec.

“Concerns about access to primary care are growing,” Ali said. “The survey findings highlight the urgent need for decision-makers to increase investments in primary care. With 51% of Canadians citing access to family physicians as a top concern, there is strong public support for action. Healthcare providers and organizations should advocate for federal funding to train, recruit, and retain family doctors.”

The survey was sponsored by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Bernard, Katz, and Ali reported no relevant financial relationships.

Carolyn Crist is a health and medical journalist who reports on the latest studies for Medscape Medical News, MDedge, and WebMD.