200 Section - Going The Distance – A Retrospective Review of a Specialist Program for Northern and Remote Communities

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

RB

Rachel Blaine, MD

Physician Resident
University of Manitoba, Max Rady College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Co-Author/Coautor(s)

KJ

Konstantin Jilkine, MD

Physician, Assistant Professor
University of Manitoba, Max Rady College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Rheumatology
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
MR

Michael Reaume, MD

Resident Physician
University of Ottawa, Department of Medicine
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Corresponding Author/Autor a quien dirigir la corr(s)

Karen Ethans, MD

Physician, Associate Professor
University of Manitoba, Max Rady College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Objectives : Nearly one in ten Manitobans reside in northern, remote communities, where access to healthcare services remains limited. The University of Manitoba Ongomiizwin – Health Services (OHS) operates a Specialist Program that delivers specialist care to residents of northern Manitoba and Nunavut. This study aimed to describe the program and evaluate its impact on specialist service delivery.

Design: A retrospective review of specialist trip reports from March 2019 to March 2025 was conducted. Extracted data included trip duration, number of patients seen, number of missed appointments, number of estimated prevented patient trips to tertiary care, stories that illustrated value, among others. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data are undergoing thematic analysis.

Results:

A total of 688 specialist trips were identified (509 to Manitoba, 179 to Nunavut). The median trip length was 2 days. The median number of patient visits and missed appointments per trip were 18 and 6, respectively. The mean ratio of missed appointments to patient visits was 0.42. Specialists reported preventing an average of 14.0 patient trips to tertiary facilities per community visit. Of specialists who responded, 89.2% indicated that at least one patient seen would not have otherwise received specialist care.

Conclusion:

The OHS Specialist Program provides essential specialist services to northern and remote communities, mitigating barriers to care and reducing tertiary travel. These findings underscore the program’s value to patients and the healthcare system, and highlight the ongoing need to expand and optimize specialist service delivery in remote regions.