This article originally appeared in the Spring 2022 issue of the Ontario Medical Review magazine.
Solutions sought on solving physician burnout
On March 2, the OMA appeared before the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Health to inform its study of how the federal government can facilitate recruitment and retention of health-care professionals in the wake of substantial burnout.
OMA President Dr. Adam Kassam and Dr. James Wright, chief of OMA Economics, Policy and Research, shared with committee members the causes of physician burnout, the ongoing work of OMA’s Burnout Task Force and specific actions that the federal government can take.
Arguably the greatest immediate risk to the viability of health care in Canada is burnout of physicians and other health-care professionals.
Physician burnout is primarily caused by stressors in the workplace including inefficient work processes and environments, and clerical burden. In other words, the inefficiencies and obstacles in the health-care system, not caring for patients, are the major contributors to burnout.
The OMA established a Burnout Task Force in 2019 to first survey its members to understand the extent of burnout and then to identify specific solutions.
In March 2020, 29 per cent of Ontario physicians reported high levels of burnout while another two-thirds reported some level of burnout.
By March 2021, that number was even higher with 35 per cent reporting high levels of burnout and almost three-quarters reporting some level of burnout.
Physicians face years of working above capacity just to clear the pandemic backlog of more than 21 million delayed medical services, let alone reduce the wait times that have plagued the system for decades. Attempting to achieve this within the existing system will only lead to more burnout.
Physicians are incredibly dedicated to their patients. However, at some point the stress is untenable, leading some to retire prematurely, reduce their workloads, or leave medicine entirely. This loss of experienced and dedicated physicians will further exacerbate the situation for the remaining doctors.
Retention and recruitment of physicians is paramount given one million Ontarians already do not have a family doctor, and northern Ontario is experiencing an acute shortage of at least 325 physicians.
In Ontario, there is a solution to the system-level issues that drive burnout. OMA’s Prescription for Ontario: Doctors’ 5-Point Plan for Better Health Care provides a roadmap of 87 recommendations under five key themes, including 12 specifically to address northern Ontario, to achieve meaningful improvements for the entire system.
The federal government has an invaluable role to play in achieving this goal and reducing burnout.
The OMA strongly supports the call by Canada’s premiers that the federal government immediately increase the Canada Health Transfer from the current 22 per cent, to 35 per cent of provincial-territorial health-care spending.
There are many other key actions the federal government can take, including but not limited to:
A publicly funded and universally accessible health-care system is a cornerstone of Canadian values. We implore the federal government to provide the tools and resources required by the province to effect sustainable and meaningful change.
Because if we don’t fix the health-care system, we will never fix burnout.