Doctors want to practice medicine. Instead, we are buried in paperwork

A recent survey from the Ontario College of Family Physicians found that on average, a family doctor spends 19 hours per week on administrative and clerical tasks. Jeff Roberson Associated Press File Photo

By Dr. Adrianna Schamp, Contributor

Dr. Adrianna Schamp (Malicki) grew up in Mississauga, studied in Toronto, and now practices family and palliative medicine in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Two-and-a-half million people living in Ontario do not have a family doctor, according to the Ontario College of Family Physicians. In fact, it is estimated that by 2026 a quarter of people living in Ontario will be in this predicament.

Unfortunately, many family doctors are giving up their practices and fewer medical students are choosing family medicine.

When I trained to become a family doctor in Ontario almost two decades ago, the atmosphere surrounding the job was very different. During medical school, I was taught to use science to solve medical problems, to work in partnership with specialists, and to provide support to the patients under my care. None of my training focused on how to deal with the mountain of paperwork, administrative tasks and clerical responsibilities that I find myself responsible for daily. This growing administrative burden is destroying family medicine.

Read more at the Toronto Star