Manitobans urged to mind their health

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This article was published 10/06/2022 (1562 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pandemic-weary Manitobans are ditching healthy habits — and doctors are worried about it.

Doctors Manitoba commissioned research that found nearly 40 per cent of Manitobans surveyed believe their commitment to staying healthy — including exercising, keeping a healthy diet, managing medications and screening for health conditions — has taken a hit during the pandemic.

Nearly one in three Manitobans said they had delayed receiving medical care; about one-third rated their health as “poor” or “fair” when surveyed. In comparison, just 11 per cent of Manitobans gave their health the same ranking in 2019.

“The research is very clear: for many Manitobans, the pandemic has made it harder to focus on healthy living, and it has disrupted much of the routine screenings and medical monitoring that helped prevent disease or catch health issues earlier when they’re much easier to treat,” said Dr. Candace Bradshaw, president of Doctors Manitoba.

“Now we’re at a stage of the pandemic where we’re optimistic the worst is behind us… and it’s a great time to get back to your health and live a healthier life.”

Mental health didn’t fare much better: one-quarter of Manitobans surveyed said their mental wellness suffered during the pandemic.

Doctors Manitoba has launched a campaign this month that asks people not to hide from their health and suggests they exercise, eat healthy food, meditate or book a doctor’s appointment.

Its website include tips from local doctors on how to improve physical and mental wellness.

One of the reasons people have not been able to take care of their health is the staggering diagnostics backlog. This month, the estimated backlog decreased for the first time in over a year, but it’s remains at 166,000 diagnostic and surgical procedures.

“Some concerning things we’re seeing at this very moment is patients coming in and presenting later in stages of disease that we would have preferred to, of course, catch earlier and the patients as well… This is going to also create more of a backlog potentially, unless we’re able to open up more services, diagnostics, surgeries and so on,” Bradshaw said.

“I think we’re just seeing maybe the beginning of a big crunch.”

On Friday, the provincial government announced a $7-million plan to develop virtual health care programming.

The funding, provided by the federal government through the Canada-Manitoba Virtual Care Agreement, will help ease the backlog by enhancing technology already being used by health care providers to prioritize and schedule surgical procedures.

More patients will receive home-monitoring tools that will let them connect more regularly with their medical team.

“Providing suitable alternatives in the appropriate clinical setting will help to reduce the frequency for rural and northern patients to travel long distances to receive care,” wrote Dr. Chris Christodoulou, the interim provincial lead of health system integration and quality at Shared Health, in a statement.

Bradshaw, who is a family physician, said only about 10 per cent of her day is spent providing virtual care and that aligns with recommendations from regulating bodies.

“I think the message we’re getting, even from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba is, practise the majority of your care face-to-face,” she said.

“There is a time and a place for virtual care, especially in the setting and in the context of an ongoing relationship with a physician that you know well, and I think we have to take it from there.”

The survey was conducted online by Viewpoints Research in May and had 1,054 respondents. A probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent, 19 times out of 20.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca