Pulse
 français
 

Gradual decrease in MD workload

Canadian Medical Association Journal 1997; 156: 328
Physician resource surveys undertaken by the CMA in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1993 and 1995 show a gradual decrease in the number of hours physicians (excluding residents) spend on professional activities. Average total hours worked per week, excluding on-call time, decreased by 10% between 1982 and 1995, from 52.3 hours to 47.0 hours. Direct patient care also dropped, from 42.2 hours in 1982 to 37.5 hours in 1995.

Quebec physicians reported working fewer hours (44.3) than the national average (47.0). Physicians in Atlantic Canada had the longest work weeks (49.6 hours). This relationship held when comparing both GP/FPs and specialists by region.

Female physicians still devote fewer hours per week than males to almost all professional activities; in 1995 there was a 16% difference (7.6 hours). Why? One reason may be found in the 1993 survey, in which female physicians reported spending twice as many hours maintaining the household as males and over 4 times as many hours on child care. The 1993 survey showed no marked difference in the total workload of male and female physicians with no children at home.

Census surveys were undertaken in 1982 (34 876 respondents), 1986 (32 542) and 1990 (32 088); sample surveys were conducted in 1993 (3310 respondents) and 1995 (3566 respondents).

Source: Lynda Buske, chief, physician resources information and planning, CMA. Readers may send potential research topics to Patrick Sullivan (sullip@cma.ca; 800 267-9703; [fax] 613 523-0937).
| CMAJ January 15, 1997 (vol 156, no 2) | Other Pulse articles |