“Shared responsibility” becoming the new medical buzz phrase

A recent HealthInsiders survey found almost two-thirds (63%) of Canadians think that they and their health care provider share responsibility for keeping informed about important health issues. The survey of Canadians' views on the patient –provider relationship also found that women are more likely than men to say that the responsibility should be shared (67.5% v. 50.1%). People with less than secondary education were less likely than those with postsecondary education (38% v. 66.5%) to say that the responsibility should be shared.

Sixty percent of Canadians feel that they are primarily responsible for preventing disease and illness and staying healthy; only 8.5% feel this is mostly the responsibility of the provider. One-third (32.8%) of respondents believe their health care provider is mainly responsible for the treatment and care of health problems, 23.9% think that they are largely responsible and 43% say responsibility is shared.

More than half (52.1%) of Cana dians believe they are mainly responsible for making major decisions related to their health, with another 35.6% deeming the responsibility to be shared with their provider. Only 11.5% state that the provider is mainly responsible for health decisions. The great majority of those surveyed (94.5%) agree or strongly agree that they prefer doctors to give them choices or options regarding their treatment and then let them decide what to do. Less than half of Canadians (40%) agree or strongly agree that they accept without question physicians' decisions about their treatment. For information about the survey, contact Dale McMurchy at 416 815-5102— Shelley Martin, Senior Analyst, Research, Policy and Planning Directorate, CMA

Figure.