Family doctors could handle nearly 15% of emergency room visits in Canada, report finds

One in seven visits to Canadian emergency departments could potentially be handled in family doctors’ offices, according to a new report that highlights how a shortage of primary-care providers may be affecting hospitals and patients.The analysis from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, released Thursday, found that 14.6 per cent of emergency department visits across six provinces and territories in 2023-24 were for conditions that could have been managed in a family practice. That represents about 1.2 million emergency visits. More than half of those might have been dealt with virtually, the report concluded.