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Who provides gastrointestinal endoscopy in Canada?
R J Hilsden1, J Tepper, P Moayyedi
1Department of Medicine and Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. rhilsden@ucalgary.ca
Summary
In Canada, both surgeons and gastroenterologists perform gastrointestinal endoscopy. However, their distribution and procedure volume vary significantly across provinces and urban versus rural settings.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Health Services Research
- Medical Practice Analysis
Background:
- Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a crucial diagnostic and therapeutic tool.
- Understanding the provider landscape is essential for healthcare planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the types of physicians providing gastrointestinal endoscopy in Canada.
- To analyze provincial and regional variations in endoscopy providers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 2002 physician data from the Canadian Institute of Health Information's National Physician Database.
- Classified physicians into gastroenterologists, general surgeons, and others.
- Analyzed procedure volumes and provider distribution.
Main Results:
- In 2002, 1444 physicians performed at least 100 endoscopies.
- Gastroenterologists performed 53% of colonoscopies and 59% of gastroscopies.
- Surgeons were primary providers in rural areas, while gastroenterologists dominated urban settings; surgeon colonoscopist proportion ranged from 47% to 71%.
Conclusions:
- Surgeons and gastroenterologists are the main providers of gastrointestinal endoscopy in Canada.
- Significant variations exist in provider distribution across provinces and geographic areas.
- Despite being more numerous, surgeon endoscopists perform fewer procedures annually than gastroenterologists.
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