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Options for increasing access to quality community primary care

Canada is facing a primary care crisis, with millions of people lacking access to a regular primary care provider. Expanding the scope of practice for non-physician providers has emerged as a promising strategy to address health system gaps by enabling these professionals to safely perform tasks beyond their traditional scope of practice. This briefing report synthesizes the current global evidence on expanded scope of practice across nurse practitioners (NPs), pharmacists, and paramedics practicing in high-income countries. 


Emerging insights from Ontario have found that expanding health professionals’ scope of practice, allowing NPs to order more diagnostic imaging and pharmacists to administer influenza vaccines, changed care delivery, increased service use in community settings, and reduced avoidable physician visits and hospitalizations. Overall, these reforms improved access to care, particularly in rural and underserved areas, and generated substantial system value, including significant cost savings and a high return on investment. View the full report below:


IHSRS Report Feb 2026 – Options for increasing access to quality community primary careDownload