Physician labour supply in Canada: a cohort analysis

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Medical Practice Analysis
• Canadian Healthcare System

Background:

• Understanding factors influencing physician work hours is crucial for healthcare system planning.
• Changes in physician demographics and practice patterns impact patient care delivery.
• Canadian general/family practitioners (GPs) have seen shifts in workforce composition and practice environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the relative importance of age, cohort, and secular trends in explaining changes in direct patient care hours for Canadian GPs from 1982-2003.
• To differentiate the factors affecting work hours between male and female GPs.
• To assess the contribution of changing male GP behavior versus the increasing proportion of female GPs to overall changes in practice hours.

Main Methods:

• Cohort analysis using data from 1982-2003.
• Physician cohorts defined by medical school graduation year.
• Examination of direct patient care hours for male and female general/family practitioners (GPs).

Main Results:

• Male GPs exhibited a secular decline in direct patient care hours with minimal age effects (especially 35-55) and no strong cohort effect.
• Female GPs, on average, worked fewer hours than male GPs, showing a clear age effect but no strong cohort effect and little secular change.
• The decline in male GP hours contributed more to the overall reduction in direct patient care hours than the rise of female GPs in the workforce.

Conclusions:

• Secular trends significantly impacted male GP work hours, while age was a more prominent factor for female GPs.
• The changing practice patterns of male GPs were a primary driver of reduced direct patient care hours during the study period.
• Healthcare workforce planning must consider the distinct factors influencing work hours for different physician demographics.