DataNB
The latest from the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training

Every New Brunswickers has the right to receive healthcare in the official language of their choice. However, for Francophones living in majority Anglophone areas, practical challenges can make it difficult to access services in French. Communication barriers in healthcare are a serious issue that can negatively impact access to care, patients’ health outcomes, and overall patient satisfaction.  

Just how many Francophones in NB are impacted by these barriers? No one really knows … yet.  

Language preference indicators are not widely available in NB’s information systems. Therefore, it is difficult to know the size of the population that lives in majority Anglophone areas but prefers services in French. To address this issue, the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training is launching a new project to determine the potential, localized demand for French-language health services by constructing a profile of the Francophone population in Greater Saint John. 

Funded in part by the Government of Canada, this new project is being completed as part of a partnership with the Association Régionale de la Communauté Francophone de Saint-Jean Inc (ARCF) and Horizon Health Network. It will examine the extent to which this population accesses its health services through Médisanté Saint-Jean, looking at how to meet French-language healthcare demand most efficiently. 

Curious to see what our researchers find? Subscribe to our newsletter to be alerted when results are made available in 2022.