Solving the accessibility issues at primary care clinics in Canada by introducing a self scheduling booking application

Accessibility and availability are major factors of an effective health care system. Though Canadians have
free access to medically necessary services, there are accessibility issues at primary care clinics such as
long wait times, language barriers for new immigrants, lack of proper information about clinics and doctors,
and so on. Waiting for a primary healthcare appointment can often impose a physical and emotional
burden on an individual who is in pain or worried about a serious health condition. The only existing
method to book an in-person appointment at a clinic is a phone call which has several hidden pitfalls.
Especially for immigrants and students, there are concerns about the judgmental approach from
receptionist while making an appointment. For this project, we are focusing on improving the accessibility
to the general health clinics/ walk in clinics in Canada by addressing the wait times at the respective
clinics, issues related to the appointment booking system such as technical, psychological, and social
issues and lack of information about reviews of the doctors/clinics. The methodology for this problem
involves user interviews, ethnographic study, literature reviews user surveys and A/B testing. …

Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Lipsett

Student:

Partner:

North Forge

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education; Management of companies and enterprises; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Alberta

Program: