Nearly half of Canadian physicians say that they are considering reducing their clinical work over the next two years amid increasing levels of burnout due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey has found.
The Canadian Medical Association conducted a survey of more than 4,000 physicians this past fall and found that 53 per cent of respondents have experienced high levels of burnout, up from 30 per cent in a similar poll conducted in 2017.
But, perhaps more troubling, the survey also found that 46 per cent of respondents are considering reducing their clinical work in the coming months and years.
“I don't think it is surprising to see burnout really at an all time high. We know healthcare workers and physicians have just been on the frontlines of this pandemic endlessly it feels like and this is on the background of a system that was already struggling even before the pandemic,” CMA President Dr. Katharine Smart told CP24 on Wednesday morning. “The result, of course, is extreme levels of burnout. You know, as physicians our job and our desire is to ultimately meet the needs of our patients and our system now is so broken that that's becoming very challenging for people and that leads to these rates of burnout that we're seeing in this survey.”
The CMA is only releasing partial data from the survey right now but plans to release a more fulsome report later this year.
It says that in addition to an uptick in worker burnout, nearly six out of 10 respondents (59 per cent) also reported that their mental health has worsened during the pandemic.
About 57 per cent of those individuals attributed the deterioration in their mental health to an increased workload while 55 per cent blamed the rapidly changing policies and procedures that they have had to deal with.
Speaking with CP24, Smart said that the workload challenges are resulting in a system that isn’t allowing physicians to give their patients “what they need to be healthy,” which in turn “really steals the joy in medicine and contributes to burnout.”
She said that the fact that some physicians are considering reducing their workloads will ultimately exacerbate that problem.
“I think that's absolutely one of the most concerning findings of this survey,” she said. “We know that already over five million Canadians do not have a regular primary care provider. We know because of so many challenges in our communities systems of care, many doctors are choosing not to practice that style of medicine anymore a those that are in practice are thinking about working less. So what does that mean for Canadians in terms of access to care? I think it's very concerning. And that's why this is really an issue for all levels of government.”
The CMA has not released any details about the methodology for its survey.
