The research is a major concern for some in the health care industry, as it suggests that the current problems people have in finding a family doctor will worsen. “I’m really concerned,” said Dr. Tara Kieran, lead author of the study, which was conducted by St. Michael’s along with Unity Health Toronto and published in the Canadian Family Physician journal. “There are already 1.8 million people in Ontario who don’t have a family doctor. To me, it’s a wake-up call that we really need to work hard to address this issue,” said Kiran. More than 1,000 family doctors were surveyed in January 2021. A total of 439 respondents answered questions about their future plans, with 77 doctors — or 17.5 percent — saying they plan to close their practice within the next five years . Nearly four percent of physicians in this group said they plan to close in the next 12 months. The study found that doctors planning to leave tend to be older, so demographic retirement trends are a factor. But the survey also found that many doctors who say they are on the way out run their own private practices.
Stress and exhaustion
Kiran says the care model includes additional financial and bureaucratic responsibilities as well as stress that many younger family doctors find difficult to handle. “You’re running your own small business. Something as simple as taking a vacation or parental leave can be very difficult,” Kiran said. “If your income is reduced, as it was for many doctors at the beginning of the pandemic, it means that you are carrying the burden yourself,” he added. Kiran says family doctors might, for example, move into sports medicine or specialize in areas like palliative care. “They don’t think about quitting their jobs completely, but they move into other areas that they think are less stressful.” The study’s findings echo similar research conducted by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). Dr. Rose Zacharias, president of the Ontario Medical Association, says a growing number of family doctors are struggling with the administrative burdens of their practices. (Ontario Medical Association) President of OMA. Dr. Rose Zacharias, agrees that family physicians are increasingly concerned about the administrative burden of their practices. “We know that doctors spend too much time doing paperwork. And we don’t want that to keep our doctors busy,” Zacharias said in an interview. “The documentation load for our doctors is really burning,” he added. To alleviate some of the shortage of family physicians, OMA recommends licensing more internationally trained physicians. Zacharias says the organization wants to work with government agencies to develop practice-ready assessments so more foreign doctors can be accredited to work in Ontario. While improved financial compensation would help keep family doctors from leaving the field, Kiran says it will take more than just bigger paychecks. “It’s not just how much we get paid, but how we get paid and how they support us in terms of the infrastructure that allows us to focus on the work of family medicine,” he said.
Hiring more doctors is a priority, the province says
As it stands, it is difficult to find a family doctor in Ontario. And the lack of a primary care physician for many patients is a contributing factor to recent capacity issues in hospital emergency departments. A previous study by Unity Health estimated that 1.8 million people in Ontario do not have access to a family doctor. Exit from the field has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than three times the number of doctors leaving the profession in the first half of 2020. Hiring more doctors, nurses and personal support workers is a key part of the Ontario government’s plan to stay open, a Ministry of Health spokesperson said in a statement to CBC Toronto. The statement says the government is increasing opportunities and financial incentives for doctors to enter family practices in areas identified as being in high need. According to the department, the Ford administration has added 1,800 family medicine doctors since taking office.
