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Family Doctor Shortage in Canada - Coggle Diagram
Family Doctor Shortage in Canada
Family doctor
Tasks
Usually the first doctors to diagnose and treat most medical problems
Deliver services across the entire spectrum of care, regardless of patient age, sex or condition
Refer patients to a specialist doctor
Administrative tasks
Updating electronic medical records
Completing medical forms
Coordinating care across multiple agencies and providers
Another name
General practitioner (GP)
Solutions
Increase funding for primary care
Increase facilities and resources
Increase recruitment and training of family physicians
Adjust payment models
Better reflect the work done by family physicians
Attracts medical students towards family medicine
Current family physicians do not retire early or change paths
Improved infrastructure and Programs
Increased administrative support for family physicians
Team-based programs
Example
Family Health Organizations (FHOs)
Family physicians collaborate with other health care professionals
Examples: social workers, dieticians, nurses etc.
Result
Increased efficiency
Spread workload
Share office expenses
Improve patient health outcomes
Consequences
Individual Level
Patients end up on wait-lists for clinics
Poor health outcomes
Diseases such as cancer may go undetected
Chronic illnesses may not be managed well
Fear and concerns about one's health
Societal Level
Poorer health outcomes at an individual level leads to higher health care costs down the road
Patients turn to other options
Walk-in clinics
lengthy wait times and do not offer continuity of care
Hospital emergency departments
Overburden emergency departments
Increase volume and wait time
Does not offer continuity of care
Causes
Stagnant payment models and lack of administrative support
Burnout
Doctors retire early or change paths
Less medical students pursuing family medicine
Primary care is underfunded
Less resources to train and recruit health care professionals
Less medical graduates
Problem
Shortage of family doctors in Canada
Statistics Canada reported in 2019 that around “4.6 million Canadians lacked a primary care provider” (Jones, 2022)
Great supply and demand gap developing (Smart, 2022)