Distance to primary care and its association with health care use and quality of care in Ontario: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In Canada, patients who move may choose to stay on their original family physician's roster, creating long distances to seek primary care. We sought to explore how distance to primary care affected health care use and quality of care.

Methods

We conducted a population-based study in Ontario, Canada, including urban and suburban patients enrolled with a family physician as of Mar. 31, 2023. The primary exposure was patients' travel distance to their physician. Outcomes included emergency department visits, primary care visits, continuity of care, and cancer screening rates.

Results

We included 9 967 955 patients. Of these, 1 261 112 (12.7%) patients lived farther than 30 km from their family physician. These patients had greater odds of having nonurgent emer

SUBMITTER: Gupta A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12578459 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature