Healthcare Management Forum· 2026Q1
Cardiology Support Utilization Patterns and Associated Barriers Across Northwestern Ontario
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A 6-month study of cardiology consults in Northwestern Ontario (n=206) found chest pain, dyspnea, and atrial fibrillation were common reasons for calls, with medical recommendations and education being frequent interventions, and limited personnel knowledge/infrastructure identified as key barriers.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- 206 cardiology consult responses were collected from 19 locations in Northwestern Ontario over 6 months.
- Common consultation reasons included chest pain, dyspnea, and atrial fibrillation.
- Frequent interventions involved medical recommendations, education, and transfer decisions.
- Limited personnel knowledge and infrastructure were identified as the primary barriers to care.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre On-Call Cardiology Support Service serves a geographically vast region across Northwestern Ontario where cardiovascular disease is a major burden. The objective is to analyze service utilization patterns including locations, indications, interventions, and barriers. In this 6-month prospective study, cardiologists collected data via survey on calls from rural and remote providers. Descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test were used. The Canadian Institute for Health Information's Rural Health Systems Model was used for interpretation. Two hundred and six responses across 19 locations identified: common consultations-chest pain, dyspnea, and atrial fibrillation; frequent interventions-medical recommendations, education, and transfer decisions; key barriers-limited personnel knowledge and infrastructure. Significant associations were identified. This study characterized cardiology support service utilization across Northwestern Ontario, identifying key barriers and opportunities to strengthen rural health systems planning and cardiovascular care. These findings can inform targeted initiatives and support future evaluations.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Healthcare Management Forum, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting