Related Experiment Videos
More doctors or better care?
Diane E Watson1, Kimberlyn M McGrail
1Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.
Insights
Increasing physician supply in Canada may not improve healthcare outcomes. Focusing on quality care access and maintaining the generalist-to-specialist mix is more beneficial for Canadians.
Area of Science:
- Health Policy
- Healthcare Management
- Public Health
Background:
- The Canadian Medical Association's More Doctors, More Care campaign advocates for increased physician supply.
- International comparisons are often used to set national healthcare targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between physician supply and healthcare outcomes in Canada.
- To inform policy decisions regarding physician workforce planning.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data from 19 countries.
- Analyzed the correlation between physician supply metrics and avoidable mortality rates.
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between overall physician supply and avoidable mortality.
- No relationship observed between avoidable mortality and per capita numbers of general practitioners, specialists, nurses, or combined doctor-nurse ratios.
- Health expenditure per capita also showed no correlation with avoidable mortality.
Conclusions:
- Increasing the number of physicians in Canada is unlikely to directly improve healthcare outcomes.
- Policy should prioritize enhancing access to high-quality care and preserving the existing generalist-to-specialist physician balance.
- Focusing on system efficiencies and quality of care delivery is recommended over solely increasing physician numbers.
Abstract:
The Canadian Medical Association's More Doctors, More Care campaign seeks to align physician supply targets with policy decisions elsewhere in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Using OECD data for 19 countries to assess the relationship between physician supply and healthcare outcomes, we have determined that there is no association between avoidable mortality and overall physician supply. Similarly, there is no relationship between avoidable mortality and general practitioners and family physicians per capita, specialists per capita, nurses per capita, doctors and nurses per capita or health expenditures per capita. These findings should move us to recognize that (a) more doctors will not necessarily translate into better healthcare outcomes for Canadians and (b) it is in Canadians' better interests that we instead focus on realizing opportunities to improve access to high-quality care and to ensure that changes in physician turnover do not threaten the current generalist-to-specialist mix.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Introduction To Health Care Delivery System
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) advocates for a patient-centered, effective, safe, timely, equitable, and effective healthcare system. The National Priorities...
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is limited...
01:29Issues And Trends In Healthcare Delivery System
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...
01:21Tertiary Healthcare System
01:26Traditional Level Of Health Care System
The preventive healthcare service includes tests for screening. Preventive health care services include identifying and reducing disease risk...
01:11Secondary Healthcare System