Data indicates wait times at doctor’s offices have increased

If the wait at your doctor’s office seems longer, that’s because it is.

Wait time tracking app Medimap says Alberta’s wait time at walk-in offices nearly doubled last year. Those lines leaped from 18 minutes per visit to 34.

“We’ve been doing this study now for four years and every year the wait times, unfortunately, get worse,” said Teddy Wickland, vice president of operations of Medimap.

The company says a decrease in family physicians is a culprit, along with more people returning to doctors’ offices after the pandemic.

Medimap wait time data.

“For a clinic that’s say open to 8 p.m., standard hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., they’re reaching capacity at noon so they close their doors.”

Average times also vary widely in cities – with Calgarians’ wait times being the shortest in the province at 28 minutes, Edmontonians 50 minutes and Red Deer patients holding on for the longest time, 71 minutes.

Medimap wait time data.

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Still, Alberta is the middle of the road for provinces that Mediapp covers.

British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia have longer average waits.

Alberta’s advantage could be tied to broader care options.

Medimap wait time data.

“Other provinces are following in Alberta’s footsteps in terms of giving expanded scope to pharmacists, and the trend will go beyond pharmacists, were seeing nurse-led primary clinics opening,” said Wickland.

Alberta’s health ministry has previously said they continue efforts to recruit more family doctors to address wait times.

But Medimap officials say reversing the ballooning wait time trends may require better patient education and more people choosing to visit their doctor virtually.

“Doesn’t necessarily need to be the core way that every patient engages with a provider, but can play an impactful role in the in-person supply that exists.