Health at a Glance 2021
OECD Indicators
Health at a Glance provides a comprehensive set of indicators on population health and health system performance across OECD members and key emerging economies. These cover health status, risk factors for health, access to and quality of health care, and health resources. Analysis draws from the latest comparable official national statistics and other sources.
Alongside indicator-by-indicator analysis, an overview chapter summarises the comparative performance of countries and major trends. This edition also has a special focus on the health impact of COVID-19 in OECD countries, including deaths and illness caused by the virus, adverse effects on access and quality of care, and the growing burden of mental ill-health.
Also available in: French
Consultations with doctors
Consultations with primary care doctors are, for many people, the most frequent contact with health services, and often provide an entry point for subsequent medical treatment. Consultations can take place in doctors’ clinics, hospital outpatient departments or, in some cases, patients’ own homes. Increasingly, consultations can also take place online and through video calls, through the development of teleconsultations (Oliveira Hashiguchi, 2020[10]). The use of teleconsultations increased greatly during the COVID‑19 pandemic as a way to protect both patients and doctors, and to avoid spreading the virus (see indicator “Digital health”).
Also available in: French