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ER Doctors Burned Out: Saskatoon Specialist Speaks Out
29 Jul
Summary
- Emergency physicians nationwide are reducing hours or leaving the specialty.
- Burnout is a significant factor in physicians' decisions to cut back.
- Systemic issues, not patient misuse, overload emergency departments.
Emergency room doctors nationwide are reporting unsustainable levels of burnout, with a recent survey indicating that 10 percent have left the specialty and half have reduced their clinical hours. A specialist in Saskatoon shared that the situation is exhausting and coping is becoming impossible due to system-wide defects overloading emergency departments.
Saskatchewan's Health Minister provided an update on physician recruitment efforts, stating that 742 physicians have joined the province's healthcare system since 2022. However, he acknowledged that burnout prevention and supporting new recruits remain areas needing improvement. The province aims to alleviate pressure on emergency rooms by increasing access to primary care.
Physicians emphasize that the core issue is not inappropriate ER use, but rather a bottleneck where admitted patients have nowhere else to go, a problem experienced nationally. They argue that sustained system-wide issues have made it impossible to continue "flexing and coping," necessitating systemic change across all levels of healthcare.
