A Longitudinal Survey on Canadian Emergency Physician Burnout.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Since Canada eased pandemic restrictions, emergency departments have experienced record levels of patient attendance, wait times, bed blocking, and crowding. The aim of this study was to report Canadian emergency physician burnout rates compared with the same physicians in 2020 and to describe how emergency medicine work has affected emergency physician well-being. METHODS: This longitudinal study on Canadian emergency physician wellness enrolled participants in April 2020. In September 2022, participants were invited to a follow-up survey consisting of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and an optional free-text explanation of their experience. The primary outcomes were emotional exhaustion and depersonalization levels, which were compared with the Maslach Burnout Inventory survey conducted at the end of 2020. A thematic analysis identified common stressors, challenges, emotions, and responses among participants. RESULTS: The response rate to the 2022 survey was 381 (62%) of 615 between September 28 and October 28, 2022, representing all provinces or territories in Canada (except Yukon). The median participant age was 42 years. In total, 49% were men, and 93% were staff physicians with a median of 12 years of work experience. 59% of respondents reported high emotional exhaustion, and 64% reported high depersonalization. Burnout levels in 2022 were significantly higher compared with 2020. Prevalent themes included a broken health care system, a lack of societal support, and systemic workplace challenges leading to physician distress and loss of physicians from the emergency workforce. CONCLUSION: We found very high burnout levels in emergency physician respondents that have increased since 2020.

Mental health and addiction health service use by physicians compared to non-physicians before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated mental health challenges among physicians and non-physicians. However, it is unclear if the worsening mental health among physicians is due to specific occupational stressors, reflective of general societal stressors during the pandemic, or a combination. We evaluated the difference in mental health and addictions health service use between physicians and non-physicians, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada between March 11, 2017 and August 11, 2021 using data collected from Ontario's universal health system. Physicians were identified using registrations with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario between 1990 and 2020. Participants included 41,814 physicians and 12,054,070 non-physicians. We compared the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 11, 2020 to August 11, 2021) to the period before COVID-19 pandemic (March 11, 2017 to February 11, 2020). The primary outcome was mental health and addiction outpatient visits overall and subdivided into virtual versus in-person, psychiatrists versus family medicine and general practice clinicians. We used generalized estimating equations for the analyses. Pre-pandemic, after adjustment for age and sex, physicians had higher rates of psychiatry visits (aIRR 3.91 95% CI 3.55 to 4.30) and lower rates of family medicine visits (aIRR 0.62 95% CI 0.58 to 0.66) compared to non-physicians. During the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of outpatient mental health and addiction (MHA) visits increased by 23.2% in physicians (888.4 pre versus 1,094.7 during per 1,000 person-years, aIRR 1.39 95% CI 1.28 to 1.51) and 9.8% in non-physicians (615.5 pre versus 675.9 during per 1,000 person-years, aIRR 1.12 95% CI 1.09 to 1.14). Outpatient MHA and virtual care visits increased more among physicians than non-physicians during the first 18 months of the pandemic. Limitations include residual confounding between physician and non-physicians and challenges differentiating whether observed increases in MHA visits during the pandemic are due to stressors or changes in health care access. CONCLUSIONS: The first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a larger increase in outpatient MHA visits in physicians than non-physicians. These findings suggest physicians may have had larger negative mental health during COVID-19 than the general population and highlight the need for increased access to mental health services and system level changes to promote physician wellness.

Humans not heroes: Canadian emergency physician experiences during the early COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The pandemic has upended much clinical care, irrevocably changing our health systems and thrusting emergency physicians into a time of great uncertainty and change. This study is a follow-up to a survey that examined the early pandemic experience among Canadian emergency physicians and aimed to qualitatively describe the experiences of these physicians during the global pandemic. The study was conducted at a time when Canadian COVID-19 case numbers were low. METHODS: The investigators engaged in an interview-based study that used an interpretive description analytic technique, sensitised by the principles of phenomenology. One-to-one interviews were conducted, transcribed and then analysed to establish a codebook, which was subsequently grouped into key themes. Results underwent source triangulation (with survey data from a similar period) and investigator-driven audit trail analysis. RESULTS: A total of 16 interviews (11 female, 5 male) were conducted between May and September 2020. The isolated themes on emergency physicians' experiences during the early pandemic included: (1) disruption and loss of emergency department shift work; (2) stress of COVID-19 uncertainty and information bombardment; (3) increased team bonding; (4) greater personal life stress; (5) concern for patients' isolation, miscommunication and disconnection from care; (6) emotional distress. CONCLUSIONS: Canadian emergency physicians experienced emotional and psychological distress during the early COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when COVID-19 prevalence was low. This study's findings could guide future interventions to protect emergency physicians against pandemic-related distress.

Primary Care Physician Use and Frequency of Visits Among Physicians in Ontario, Canada.

Importance: Maintaining a healthy physician workforce includes the routine use of primary care physician (PCP) services; however, physicians may face barriers to attaining formal care. Objective: To analyze access to and frequency of visits to PCPs among physicians compared with nonphysicians. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based, retrospective cohort study used registration data from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Canada, from January 1, 1990, to March 31, 2018. Data for all newly practicing physicians as of March 31, 2018, were linked to Ontario health administrative databases. Data were analyzed from August 25, 2020, to August 6, 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were enrollment in a PCP practice and visits with a PCP. Generalized estimating equations compared primary care visits between physicians and nonphysicians, matched 1:5 based on age, sex, neighborhood income quintile, and health region. Results: Among 19 581 physicians (mean [SD] age, 43.99 [8.94] years; 53.27% male) matched to 97 905 nonphysicians, physicians were less likely to be enrolled with a PCP than were nonphysicians (81.8% vs 86.4%; absolute difference, 4.6%; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.75; 95% CI, 0.72-0.79) and had fewer primary care visits during the preceding 2 years (median [IQR], 2 [0-4] vs 4 [1-7]; adjusted relative rate ratio [RRR], 0.59; 95% CI, 0.58-0.60). Physicians aged 40 years or older and male physicians were less likely to be rostered (ages 40-44 years: OR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.64-0.77]; male: OR, 0.60 [95% CI, 0.57-0.63]) and more likely to have a lower frequency of PCP visits (ages 40-44 years: RRR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.51-0.56]; male: RRR, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.50-0.51]) compared with nonphysicians. Conclusions and Relevance: In this retrospective cohort study, enrollment with a PCP practice and frequency of visits were lower among physicians compared with a matched general population of nonphysicians. Individual, system, and medical cultural factors associated with these results need to be better understood so that physicians can take better care of themselves and their patients.

Suicide and Self-Harm Among Physicians in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Studies of occupation-associated suicide suggest physicians may be at a higher risk of suicide compared to nonphysicians. We set out to assess the risk of suicide and self-harm among physicians and compare it to nonphysicians. METHODS: We conducted a population-based, retrospective cohort study using registration data from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario from 1990 to 2016 with a follow-up to 2017, linked to Ontario health administrative databases. Using age- and sex-standardized rates and inverse probability-weighted, cause-specific hazards regression models, we compared rates of suicide, self-harm, and a composite of either event among all newly registered physicians to nonphysician controls. RESULTS: Among 35,989 physicians and 6,585,197 nonphysicians, unadjusted suicide events (0.07% vs. 0.11%) and rates (9.44 vs. 11.55 per 100,000 person-years) were similar. Weighted analyses found a hazard ratio of 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 0.69 to 1.60). Self-harm requiring health care was lower among physicians (0.22% vs. 0.46%; hazard ratio: 0.65, 95% confidence interval: 0.52 to 0.82), as was the composite of suicide or self-harm (hazard ratio: 0.70, 95% confidence interval: 0.57 to 0.86). The composite of suicide or self-harm was associated with a history of a mood or anxiety disorder (odds ratio: 2.84, 95% confidence interval: 1.17 to 6.87), an outpatient mental health visit in the past year (odds ratio: 3.08, 95% confidence interval: 1.34 to 7.10) and psychiatry visit in the preceding year (odds ratio: 3.87, 95% confidence interval: 1.67 to 8.95). INTERPRETATION: Physicians in Ontario are at a similar risk of suicide deaths and a lower risk of self-harm requiring health care relative to nonphysicians. Risk factors associated with suicide or self-harm may help inform prevention programs.

Canadian emergency medicine physician burnout: a survey of Canadian emergency physicians during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: A previous survey of Canadian emergency medicine (EM) physicians during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic documented less than 20% experienced high levels of burnout. This study examined the experience of a similar group of physicians during the second pandemic wave. We reported the associations between burnout and physician age, gender, having children at home and training route. METHODS: This study utilized a national survey of Canadian emergency physicians. We collected data on demographics and measured burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Multiple logistic regression models identified associations between the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization domains of the MBI and EM physician demographics (age, gender, children living at home, and training route). RESULTS: Between November 25, 2020, and February 4, 2021, 416 emergency physicians completed the survey, representing all Provinces or Territories in Canada (except Nunavut). The mean participant age was 44, 53% were male, 64% had children living at home and 41% were FRCPC and 41% CCFP-EM trained. Sixty percent reported high burnout (either high emotional exhaustion and/or high depersonalization). Increasing age was associated with lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalization; female or nonbinary gender was associated with an increase in emotional exhaustion; and having children living at home was associated with lower depersonalization. CONCLUSIONS: Most Canadian emergency physicians participating in our study during the COVID-19 pandemic reported high burnout levels. Younger physicians and female physicians were more likely than their coworkers to report high burnout levels. Hospitals should address emergency physician burnout during the pandemic because it is a threat to quality of patient care and retention of the workforce for the future.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: Une enquête précédente sur les médecins d'urgence canadiens pendant la première vague de la pandémie de COVID-19 a montré que moins de 20 % d'entre eux souffraient de niveaux élevés d'épuisement professionnel. Cette étude a examiné l'expérience d'un groupe similaire de médecins au cours de la deuxième vague et a rapporté les associations entre l'épuisement professionnel et l'âge du médecin, son sexe, le fait d'avoir des enfants à la maison et le parcours de formation. MéTHODES: Cette étude s'est appuyée sur une enquête nationale auprès des médecins d'urgence canadiens. Nous avons recueilli des données démographiques et mesuré le burnout à l'aide du Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). De multiples modèles de régression logistique ont identifié des associations entre les domaines de l'épuisement émotionnel et de la dépersonnalisation du MBI et les données démographiques des médecins de la médecine d'urgence (âge, sexe, enfants vivant à la maison et parcours de formation). RéSULTATS: Entre le 25 novembre 2020 et le 4 février 2021, 416 médecins urgentistes ont répondu au sondage, représentant toutes les provinces ou territoires du Canada (sauf le Nunavut). L'âge moyen des participants était de 44 ans, 53% étaient des hommes, 64% avaient des enfants vivant à la maison et 41% étaient formés FRCPC et 41% CMFC-MU. Soixante pour cent ont signalé un épuisement professionnel élevé (soit un épuisement émotionnel élevé et/ou une dépersonnalisation élevée). L'augmentation de l'âge était associée à une diminution de l'épuisement émotionnel et de la dépersonnalisation ; le sexe féminin ou non binaire était associé à une augmentation de l'épuisement émotionnel ; et le fait d'avoir des enfants vivant à la maison était associé à une diminution de la dépersonnalisation. CONCLUSIONS: La plupart des médecins urgentistes canadiens ayant participé à notre étude pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 ont signalé des niveaux élevés d'épuisement professionnel. Les médecins plus jeunes et les femmes médecins étaient plus susceptibles que leurs collègues de déclarer des niveaux élevés d'épuisement professionnel. Les hôpitaux doivent s'attaquer au problème de l'épuisement professionnel des médecins urgentistes pendant la pandémie, car il constitue une menace pour la qualité des soins aux patients et la rétention de la main-d'œuvre pour l'avenir.

Physician Health Care Visits for Mental Health and Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario, Canada.

Importance: Physicians self-report high levels of symptoms of anxiety and depression, and surveys suggest these symptoms have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is not known whether pandemic-related stressors have led to increases in health care visits related to mental health or substance use among physicians. Objective: To evaluate the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in outpatient health care visits by physicians related to mental health and substance use and explore differences across physician subgroups of interest. Design, Setting, and Participants: A population-based cohort study was conducted using health administrative data collected from the universal health system (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) of Ontario, Canada, from March 1, 2017, to March 10, 2021. Participants included 34 055 physicians, residents, and fellows who registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario between 1990 and 2018 and were eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan during the study period. Autoregressive integrated moving average models and generalized estimating equations were used in analyses. Exposures: The period during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 11, 2020, to March 10, 2021) compared with the period before the pandemic. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was in-person, telemedicine, and virtual care outpatient visits to a psychiatrist or family medicine and general practice clinicians related to mental health and substance use. Results: In the 34 055 practicing physicians (mean [SD] age, 41.7 [10.0] years, 17 918 [52.6%] male), the annual crude number of visits per 1000 physicians increased by 27%, from 816.8 before the COVID-19 pandemic to 1037.5 during the pandemic (adjusted incident rate ratio per physician, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.07-1.19). The absolute proportion of physicians with 1 or more mental health and substance use visits within a year increased from 12.3% before to 13.4% during the pandemic (adjusted odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.14). The relative increase was significantly greater in physicians without a prior mental health and substance use history (adjusted incident rate ratio, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.60-1.85) than in physicians with a prior mental health and substance use history. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a substantial increase in mental health and substance use visits among physicians. Physician mental health may have worsened during the pandemic, highlighting a potential greater requirement for access to mental health services and system level change.

Canadian emergency physician psychological distress and burnout during the first 10 weeks of COVID-19: A mixed-methods study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to report burnout time trends and describe the psychological effects of working as a Canadian emergency physician during the first weeks of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study. Emergency physicians completed a weekly online survey. The primary outcome was physician burnout as measured by the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization items, from the Maslach Burnout Inventory. We captured data on work patterns, aerosolizing procedures, testing and diagnosis of COVID-19. Each week participants entered free text explaining their experiences and well-being. Results: There were 468 participants who worked in 143 Canadian hospitals. Burnout levels did not significantly change over time (emotional exhaustion P = 0.632, depersonalization P = 0.155). Three participants were diagnosed with COVID-19. Being tested for COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR] 11.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.1-42.5) and the number of shifts worked (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.5 per additional shift) were associated with high emotional exhaustion. Having been tested for COVID-19 (OR 4.3, 95% CI 1.1-17.8) was also associated with high depersonalization. Personal safety, academic and educational work, personal protective equipment, the workforce, patient volumes, work patterns, and work environment had an impact on physician well-being. A new financial reality and contrasting negative and positive experiences affected participants' psychological health. Conclusion: Emergency physician burnout levels remained stable during the initial 10 weeks of this pandemic. The impact of COVID-19 on the work environment and personal perceptions and fears about the impact on lifestyle have affected physician well-being.

Ice cream rounds: The adaptation, implementation, and evaluation of a peer-support wellness rounds in an emergency medicine resident training program.

Introduction/Innovation ConceptEmergency medicine (EM) requires physicians to deal with acutely ill patients in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, which creates a barrier to debriefing after critical events. These unique challenges can negatively impact wellness. We sought to adapt and implement a peer-support wellness program called 'Ice Cream Rounds' in an EM residency setting. METHODS: A needs assessment survey was conducted among EM residents at The University of Ottawa to gauge interest and obtain resident input regarding program design. The structure of the sessions was adapted from similar initiatives in Canadian Pediatric Residency programs.Curriculum, Tool or MaterialConfidential peer-support sessions were created and piloted. Residents preferred peer facilitators, rather than staff, so two residents obtained training the Faculty of Medicine's Wellness Program to lead sessions. Attendance at rounds was voluntary; however, overall attendance was recorded along with feedback from pilot sessions. Discussion topics included difficult patient encounters, poor patient outcomes, challenges in residency, and ethical issues. Post implementation feedback demonstrated that Ice Cream Rounds was a helpful forum for residents to discuss important issues with colleagues. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first Canadian EM training program to adapt, implement, and evaluate peer-support wellness rounds for debriefing, and this initiative can be easily adopted by any EM training program.

Physician performance feedback in a Canadian academic center.

Purpose This paper aims at the implementation and early evaluation of a comprehensive, formative annual physician performance feedback process in a large academic health-care organization. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods approach was used to introduce a formative feedback process to provide physicians with comprehensive feedback on performance and to support professional development. This initiative responded to organization-wide engagement surveys through which physicians identified effective performance feedback as a priority. In 2013, physicians primarily affiliated with the organization participated in a performance feedback process, and physician satisfaction and participant perceptions were explored through participant survey responses and physician leader focus groups. Training was required for physician leaders prior to conducting performance feedback discussions. Findings This process was completed by 98 per cent of eligible physicians, and 30 per cent completed an evaluation survey. While physicians endorsed the concept of a formative feedback process, process improvement opportunities were identified. Qualitative analysis revealed the following process improvement themes: simplify the tool, ensure leaders follow process, eliminate redundancies in data collection (through academic or licensing requirements) and provide objective quality metrics. Following physician leader training on performance feedback, 98 per cent of leaders who completed an evaluation questionnaire agreed or strongly agreed that the performance feedback process was useful and that training objectives were met. Originality/value This paper introduces a physician performance feedback model, leadership training approach and first-year implementation outcomes. The results of this study will be useful to health administrators and physician leaders interested in implementing physician performance feedback or improving physician engagement.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of collaborative care interventions for depression in patients with cancer.

BACKGROUND: Previous systematic reviews have found limited evidence for the effectiveness of pharmacological and psychological interventions for the management of depression in patients with cancer. This paper provides the first meta-analysis of newer collaborative care interventions, which may include both types of treatment, as well as integrated delivery and follow-up. Meta-analyses of pharmacological and psychological interventions are included as a comparison. METHODS: A search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library from July 2005 to January 2015 for randomized controlled trials of depression treatments for cancer patients diagnosed with a major depressive disorder, or who met a threshold on a validated depression rating scale was conducted. Meta-analyses were conducted using summary data. RESULTS: Key findings included eight reports of four collaborative care interventions, eight pharmacological, and nine psychological trials. A meta-analysis demonstrated that collaborative care interventions were significantly more effective than usual care (standardized mean difference = -0.49, p = 0.003), and depression reduction was maintained at 12 months. By comparison, short-term (up to 12 weeks), but not longer-term effectiveness was demonstrated for both pharmacological and psychological interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Collaborative care interventions have newly emerged as multidisciplinary care delivery models, which may result in more long-term depression remission. This review also updates previous findings of modest evidence for the effectiveness of both pharmacological and psychological interventions for threshold depression in cancer patients. Research designs focusing on combined treatments and delivery systems may best further the limited evidence-base for the management of depression in cancer.

Management of Depression in Patients With Cancer: A Clinical Practice Guideline.

PURPOSE: This report updates the Cancer Care Ontario Program in Evidence-Based Care guideline for the management of depression in adult patients with cancer. This guideline covers pharmacologic, psychological, and collaborative care interventions, with a focus on integrating practical management tools to assist clinicians in delivering appropriate treatments for depression in patients with cancer. METHODS: Recommendations were developed by synthesizing information from extant guidelines and reviews and searching for randomized controlled trials from the date of database inception (1964 for MEDLINE and 1974 for EMBASE) to January 2015. Quality assessment of guidelines and systematic reviews were conducted by using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II), Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR), and Cochrane Risk of Bias tools. Final recommendations were developed through a standardized Program in Evidence-Based Care multidisciplinary expert and knowledge user review process. RESULTS: Two high-quality relevant clinical practice guidelines, eight pharmacologic trials, nine psychological trials, and eight collaborative care intervention trials composed the evidence base upon which the recommendations were developed. Eight specific recommendations were made to establish a standard of care for the management of depression in patients with cancer. The recommendations and practical management tools were reviewed as being well organized and helpful, although systemic barriers to implementation were identified. CONCLUSION: This updated guideline supports the previous general recommendation that patients with cancer who have depression may benefit from psychological and/or pharmacologic interventions, without evidence for the superiority of any specific treatment over another. New recommendations for a collaborative care model that incorporates a stepped care approach suggest that multidisciplinary mental health care restructuring may be required for optimal management of depression.