Role of Family Physicians

Source: CICH data adapted from Guttmann, A., Gandhi, S., Hanvey, Li, P., Barwick, M., Cohen, E., Glazer, S., Reisman, J. & Brownell, M. (2017). Primary Health Care Services for Children and Youth in Canada: Access, Quality and Structure. In The Health of Canada’s Children and Youth: A CICH Profile. Retrieved from https://cichprofile.ca/module/3/ -accessed July 25, 2017.

Family physicians are the key primary care providers throughout infancy, childhood, and adolescence in all provinces.  They provide well-child care, immunizations, developmental surveillance/screening, and management of acute and chronic conditions. There are fewer family physicians in the rural areas of Canada. In the territories, family physicians mainly work in the capital cities – Yellowknife, Whitehorse and Iqaluit, managing acute or chronic conditions, while public health/community nurses perform most of well-child care.

For a summary of the key roles of primary care providers by Canadian jurisdiction click here.