Characteristics of Walk-In Clinic Physicians and Patients in Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

ABSTRACTObjectiveWe aimed to describe family physicians who primarily practice in a walk-in clinic setting and compare them to family physicians who provide longitudinal care.DesignA cross-sectional study that linked results from an annual physician survey (2019) to administrative healthcare data from Ontario, Canada. We compared the characteristics, practice patterns, and patients of physicians primarily working in a walk-in clinic setting, with family physicians providing longitudinal care.SettingOntario, Canada.ParticipantsPhysicians who primarily worked in a walk-in clinic setting in 2019, as indicated by an annual physician survey.ExposureWhether the physician was a walk-in clinic physician or a family physician who provided longitudinal care.Main MeasuresPhysician demographic and practice characteristics, as well as their patients’ demographic and healthcare utilization characteristics.ResultsCompared to the 9,137 family physicians practicing longitudinal care, the 597 physicians who self-identified as practicing primarily in walk-in clinics were more frequently male (67% vs. 49%) and could speak a language other than English or French (43% vs. 32%). Walk-in clinic physicians had more encounters with patients who were younger (M37 vs. 47 years), had lower levels of prior healthcare utilization (15% vs. 19% in highest band), who resided in large urban areas (87% vs. 77%), and in highly ethnically diverse neighborhoods (45% vs. 35%). Walk-in clinic physicians had more encounters with unattached patients (32% vs. 17%) and with patients attached to another physician outside their group (54% vs. 18%).ConclusionPhysicians who primarily work in walk-in clinics saw many patients from historically underserved groups, and many patients who were attached to another family physician.