Canadian Institute for Health Information report also finds that the average family doctor saw fewer individual patients in recent years than they did 10 years ago.
The number of family physicians in Canada declined last year for the first time since the mid-1990s, a downturn that happened as rapid population growth and a rising number of elderly, chronically ill patients were already straining the primary-care system.
“We have an aging and increasingly complex patient population, and that requires more time per patient,” said Natalie Damiano, CIHI’s director of health work force information. CIHI’s summary of the latest health work force data shows that for family physicians, the average three-year growth rates slowed from 2.7 per cent between 2015 and 2017 to 1 per cent between 2021 and 2023. However, looking at the most recent three-year period obscures the fact that there was a drop in head count between 2022, when there were 48,292 family doctors in Canada, and 2023, when there were 48,264 – 28 fewer than the year before.
Nurse practitioners are experienced registered nurses with two years of additional education who can perform many of the same tasks as family doctors, including diagnosing illnesses, ordering tests and prescribing medications. Some of those allied professionals are working in team-based practices with physicians, but the CIHI report doesn’t make clear how many. Ms. Damiano of CIHI said that expanded scopes of practice for such professionals could be contributing to family physicians seeing fewer people, on top of the increasing medical complexity of patients. Other possible explanations CIHI cited were the heavy administrative burden in family medicine and a desire for better work-life balance among younger doctors.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Canadian baby and toddler sleepwear recalled, risk of catching fire: Health CanadaHundreds of organic baby- and toddler-sized rompers sold by an Ontario-based sustainable clothing company have been recalled over concerns they could catch fire and injure children, according to Health Canada.
Read more »
In Canada's universal health system, mental health care is not so universal: reportLeanne Minichillo, vice-chair of CMHA’s National Council of Persons with Lived Experience, in Toronto.
Read more »
More than 180,000 Stanley-branded mugs recalled in Canada due to burn riskHealth Canada says it’s received three reports of this happening in Canada
Read more »
Canadian Minister Launches Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Amid National Security ReviewInnovation, Science and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced the launch of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute in Montreal. This comes as the minister continues to scrutinize a deal between Paladin Resources and Kelowna $1.14 billion acquisition of Fission Uranium, extending the national security review period twice under the Investment Canada Act.
Read more »
Canadian Leaders Express Concern Over Trump's Proposed Tar on Canadian GoodsCanadian business and political leaders are voicing concerns about Donald Trump's pledge to impose a 25-per-cent tariff on all Canadian goods coming into the United States. They argue that such tariffs would harm businesses on both sides of the border and weaken North America's economic and geopolitical strength.
Read more »
'It's a heavy hit': Canadian travellers cope with weak Canadian dollarDespite rebounding on Wednesday, the Canadian dollar continues to face pressure after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports.
Read more »