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Healthcare in Canada was already moving away from a single family doctor.The pandemic made things worse

Canada’s primary care physician practice today reflects a shift away from solo work that may have accelerated the heavy demands on healthcare workers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a report released Thursday, the Canadian Health Information Institute examined the pandemic-driven impact on the supply, distribution and movement of some health workers in the country.

Survey findings for 2020-2021 include:

  • Overtime hours hit the highest level seen in more than a decade, according to Statistics Canada.
  • Over 1,800 nurses are self-employed or agency job.
  • Slowing growth in the supply of primary care physicians combined with a temporary decline in services during the initial lockdown.

Dr. Lawrence Loh, CEO of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, said the profession is trying to accommodate a challenging number of patients who do not have a primary care provider or who do not have ready access to their primary care physician. said.

Loh said the result for Canadians and the health system is more people waiting longer in the emergency department. Means not treated as well as could have been if there had been proper access family doctor and a nurse practitioner.

Primary care physicians are doing their best, Loh said, but the pandemic hastened the retirement of specialists who have been under-resourced for decades.

In an interview, Lo said, “It’s getting more and more difficult these days to document a family alone with a receptionist. He was a medical officer at a public health center. hard hit peel regionwest of Toronto, during the first deadly wave of the pandemic.

View | Home Health Care Challenges for Patients and Professionals:

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With 1 in 5 Canadians struggling to find a family doctor, CBC News explores why so many are out of work and identifies communities that may have found a solution. visited.

The pandemic has exposed pressures that have been building up for more than a decade, say the authors of the CIHI report.

The report’s authors note that the CAGR in the supply of primary care physicians has slowed from 3.4% in 2012-2014 to 1.3% in 2019-2021.

Lynne McNeely, Healthcare Professional Information Manager at CIHI, said:

At the same time, the supply rate nurse practitioner (NP) increased nearly 10% during the study period, making it one of the fastest growing groups of health professionals.

Nurse practitioners can take the pressure off: report

In some states, nurse practitioners diagnose and treat many illnesses and injuries, refer people to specialists, and prescribe most medications.

The growth of NP is reduce pressure The report’s authors suggested improving health systems and improving access to primary care, especially in rural and remote areas.

Loh said advances in medical knowledge mean more people are living longer with chronic conditions that require treatment.

In addition, the demands on the GP’s time are increasing, leading to more administrative tasks such as insurance forms that need to be filled out.

When CBC News recently visited Dr. Laura Sang, a new family physician in St. Hippolyte, about 50 miles north of Montreal, she turned on her computer around 6:30 a.m. and read 12 documents, 2 results, and 4 messages received. One night.

Filling out forms, creating medical records to meet requests from insurance companies denying claims, and running a small, family-owned business with all of your IT and staffing needs are also a great addition to Sang’s time. but she is not paid.

Keeping up with paperwork takes time away from seeing patients, according to family doctors. (Mark Quinn/CBC)

Doctors say they’re being pulled into multiple roles

Sang is only paid for the time she spends with her patients, so she can tell them how long their visits lasted, what she did for them, from sleep deprivation and mental health issues to infections and cancer. , which tracks patient health. It all affects billing.

“Sometimes we have a psychologist-like role because patients can’t afford one,” Sang said. “Sometimes…a pharmacist is going to do a review of all the drugs. I know if there is. No?”

Loh, Sang and others point to the following solutions to the primary care crisis:

  • We will maintain the current doctors and improve the medical environment to recruit new graduates to fields where they can continue with peace of mind.
  • Ease the administrative burden in some way, such as having a social worker fill out a form.
  • Look to multidisciplinary teams where family physicians work with nutritionists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers and physician assistants to help doctors spend more time with their patients and take breaks.

The report authors also provide information on nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and physical therapists.

Healthcare in Canada was already moving away from a single family doctor.The pandemic made things worse

Source link Healthcare in Canada was already moving away from a single family doctor.The pandemic made things worse

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