Fatigue, suffering, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts for some. The diagnosis is clear: family doctors are doing poorly, in Ontario as in the rest of the country.
Already affected by the pandemic which has caused a large number of them to turn away from the practice, the anxiety does not seem to dissipate in the company and all the lights are red.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians took the pulse of the profession last May. In a report, the institution describes it as: alarm
65% of the 1,300 doctors surveyed indicated their intention to either leave their practice or, at best, reduce working hours over the next five years.
Of a family doctor’s work week, approximately 40% will be devoted to administrative tasks.
Photo: Radio-Canada/David Donnelly
The situation of their colleagues in the rest of the country is no longer so enviable: in a Canadian Medical Association survey dating back to 2021 – and therefore in the middle of the pandemic – one in two Canadian doctors said they were suffering from professional burnout.
Data that He worries
Jean-Joseph Condé, physician and spokesmanYour mother, Especially when we know that the Canadian population is aging and the need will increase, with more complex health care, more comorbidities and people staying in hospital longer.
.
For some of them, the discomfort is more serious. 14% of participants have suicidal thoughts because they feel overwhelmed by the stress
Dr. Conde is upset.
the critical
Administrative tasks
Approximately 40% of a family physician’s weekly work time is spent on administrative tasks in Ontario.
Photo: Getty Images/Wavebreakmedia
The grievance of the majority of family doctors interviewed was directed towards the acronym: EMR, for electronic medical records. In general, all office work is what is mentioned here.
Ontario doctors work an average of 47.7 hours per week, 40% of which is spent on administrative tasks.
Administrative tasks, responsible for absorbing an average of 19 hours out of 47.7 working hours per week (figures from Chief Financial Controller), exhaust and subtraction practitioners This time for patients
“, explains Dr. Ramzi Hegazy.
On a typical day, the Ottawa-based family doctor spends part of what he calls a critical
Before opening his office at eight in the morning, and then again at noon, I haven’t had a real meal in 10 years
And finally in the evening after putting your children to bed.
There are often some left over at the end of the week. The doctor prescribes a Sisyphean act, I do it constantly because if I stop, it builds up.
.
These hours of work are unpaid, what other profession would find this reasonable?
Everyone asks us for forms: certificates of absence from work, from school, from the sports club or summer camp, insurance forms, disability tax forms. There are a lot of forms that must be filled out when a patient has a condition. Even if he does not have a certificate saying that he is in good health! We don’t stop!
Dr. Conde explains.
Dr. Hegazy describes cases in which he receives three different models for the same patient, from the same hospital.
Other family doctors do not hesitate to assign certain procedures to their patients, even if it means offending them or arousing their incomprehension.
Dr. Andrew Park, president of the Ontario Medical Association, believes family physician fee increases have not kept pace with inflation.
Photo: Radio-Canada/Courtesy of OMA
A general weariness that raises fears of loss of meaning, No one went to medical school because they wanted to sit in front of an Excel spreadsheet
sums up the new President of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), Dr. Andrew Park.
He compares it to A Night work
Which is still occupied by doctors Their daily work with their patients
.
At the national level,Your mother It puts the administrative burden on doctors at 10 hours a week, The cut this time in half is equivalent to 600 doctors
Full time, says Dr. Conde.
In this regard, the Province of Ontario says it is participating in reducing the administrative burden that burdens doctors Through a bilateral fatigue working group with our healthcare partners
.
A new union for family doctors
When he did not see any improvement in his condition, Dr. Hegazy decided to launch the projectOntario Federation of Family Physicianswho is he Not usually the type of person to throw away
Gender initiatives.
Since its inception last July, it has included 1,200 Ontario doctors joining its organization. I’ve talked to dozens and dozens of colleagues, many of whom are on the verge of collapse
.
The number of general practitioners is no longer growing at the same rate as the size of the population.
Some doctors are downsizing, others are choosing to accelerate their retirement, and aspiring doctors are not rushing to replace them. The proportion of medical students choosing family medicine has never been lower.
The number of family doctors continues to grow, but it is not increasing as quickly as we observed 5 or 10 years ago
Others choose to move away from family medicine for more lucrative practices. With additional training, general practitioners can actually practice other specialties, or become consultants. This is a trend confirmed by the Ontario Medical Association.
I have never seen so many cosmetic clinics open
Dr. Hegazy points out that he sees his colleagues moving towards gynecology, anesthesia and dermatology.
Reward indicated
Because another hobby of general practitioners is the pay. Family doctors are among the lowest-paid practitioners
“Explains Dr. Park. Chairman of the…Amo He recognizes that Fee increases have not kept pace with the rate of inflation, especially in recent years
.
The county now pays only 38% of what it used to pay us to run our practices
Dr. Hegazy believes.
We note in the documents we obtained a change in the method of calculating doctors’ wages since 2010.
This new calculation method hurts doctors who run their own practices, believes Dr. Hegazy, who is also in Ontario. The funding shortfall is huge and the government can make quick decisions that will have a huge impact.
Total health expenditure per capita
| Province or territory | Per capita spending (in dollars) |
|---|---|
| Nunavut | 23,652 |
| Northwest Territories | 21,750 |
| Yukon | 15,696 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 10,333 |
| New Scotland | 9737 |
| British Columbia | 9182 |
| Saskatchewan | 9112 |
| Alberta | 9041 |
| Prince Edward Island | 9036 |
| Quebec | 8785 |
| Manitoba | 8616 |
| New Brunswick | 8413 |
| ontario | 8245 |
The province says it has invested Nearly $80 billion, this year alone
also The amount that all other provinces and territories invest in their health systems
.
However, 2023 data on spending per person, provided by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, gives a different story. With spending of $8,245 per person in 2023, Ontario is the lowest spending province in the country.
At this rate, some doctors believe that the promise of universal health coverage is in jeopardy, according to WHO projections Chief Financial ControllerOne in four Ontarians will not have a family doctor by 2026.
The Ontario Medical Association, which represents family doctors in the province, declined to comment during the meeting Negotiations on the next agreement on medical services
.
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