Small Hospital Medical Services in Ontario: Part 5: General surgery services.
Canadian Family Physician Medecin De Famille Canadien
|January 14, 2011
Summary
A survey of Ontario hospitals found a significant shortage of general surgeons, with many facilities reporting current deficits and predicting future shortages within five years.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Workforce Analysis
- Healthcare Management in Rural Communities
Background:
- Small community hospitals in Ontario face unique challenges in maintaining specialist services.
- General surgery is a critical service for acute care hospitals, especially in underserved areas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the current availability and projected future needs of general surgeons in small Ontario communities.
- To quantify the number of major general surgery cases performed in these hospitals annually.
Main Methods:
- A survey was distributed to all 88 hospitals in Ontario with fewer than 100 acute care beds.
- Data collected included the number of annual major general surgery cases and the number of active staff general surgeons.
Main Results:
- 80 out of 88 hospitals responded (91% response rate).
- 63 hospitals reported 25,008 major general surgery cases annually (average 397 per hospital).
- Only 56 local active staff general surgeons were identified, with 30% of hospitals reporting a current shortage and 61.3% predicting a shortage in 5 years.
Conclusions:
- Small community hospitals in Ontario are experiencing a significant shortage of general surgeons.
- The projected increase in demand suggests a worsening crisis in surgical care access for these communities.
- Proactive strategies are needed to address the general surgeon deficit in rural Ontario.
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