Ghost Patients: 21% of Canadian ER Visitors Report Leaving Without Being Seen

January 21 (Toronto, ON) – A new national survey from Liaison Strategies reveals a deepening crisis of confidence in the Canadian healthcare system, with nearly half of Canadian households reporting an Emergency Room (ER) visit in the past year and a significant portion of those visitors walking away before receiving care.

This Ghost Patient phenomenon, where individuals leave before even being registered or triaged, is largely invisible to official clinical data, which typically only begins tracking a patient once they have entered the hospital's digital system.

The survey found that 47% of Canadians or their immediate household members visited a hospital emergency room in the last 12 months. Among those who did, 21% reported leaving without being seen by a physician, a figure that rises to 29% for Canadians aged 18-34.

"There is a massive gap between what the hospitals report and what Canadians are telling us they experience at the front door," said David Valentin, Principal of Liaison Strategies.

"Official numbers tell us how many people gave up after being signed in, but they miss the ghost patients, the people who walk into a crowded lobby, see a long line, and walk right back out. Our data shows that for every person the system registers and loses, there is likely another person who never even made it to the registration desk."

Liaison surveyed a random sample of 1,000 Canadians from January 5 to January 17, 2026, using Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) technology. To ensure a representative sample, participants were reached through random digit dialing (RDD) across both landline and cellular phone networks. Each week, the rolling survey refreshes the sample by adding 500 participants and removing 500. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Liaison Strategies is one of the most accurate polling firms in Canada. It ranked #1 in accuracy in the 2025 Ontario election and #2 nationally in the 2025 federal election. Liaison is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC).

Deepening Pessimism and the Search for Solutions

The crisis is particularly acute among younger Canadians. 29% of those aged 18-34 reported leaving an ER without being seen.

Public confidence has cratered as a result. A combined 66% of the country expects healthcare quality to decline even further by the end of 2026.

"Canadians have correctly identified the root cause of this paralysis: the people," continued Valentin. "63% of respondents pointed directly to the shortage of doctors and nurses as the primary reason for these wait times. Because the public has lost faith in the government's ability to staff these ERs, we are seeing a historic shift in what they are willing to consider. "50% of Canadians are saying they believe private clinics should play a larger role in delivering public services. This isn't necessarily a vote for privatization; but a realization that capacity needs to be increased. They are telling us they don't care who runs the clinic, as long as the doors are actually open when they arrive."

Key Findings:

• ER Access: 47% of households visited an ER in the last 12 months.
• Wait Times: 51% of visitors rated their most recent wait time as 'Poor'.
• Private Delivery: 50% support a larger role for Independent Health Providers in the public system.
• Private Payment: 49% support and 45% oppose paying out-of-pocket for faster surgery/diagnostics.

"One thing to be cognizant of is that because we asked about households and a year-long timeframe it's always possible memory and overestimation are playing a role in the ER numbers - but that is painting the numbers in the best possible light," concluded Valentin.

Detailed Poll Report:

About Liaison Strategies
Liaison Strategies is a national public opinion research firm. With 12 years of experience in Canadian polling, David Valentin, principal, has fielded hundreds of projects at the municipal, provincial and federal levels and appeared across Canadian media to discuss insights. Liaison is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), Canada’s voice of the research, analytics, and insights profession both domestically and globally.