Physicians in Canada are collectively spending some 18.5 million hours a year on unnecessary paperwork and administrative tasks, according to a report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
That time could be used to provide the equivalent of 55.6 million more patient visits annually, according to “Patients Before Paperwork,” a new CFIB report released on Jan. 30.
The report notes that the country’s health-care system is facing multiple complex challenges including “a chronic shortage of health professionals, an aging population, and capacity constraints.”
“Red tape” is consistently identified “as an obstacle that detracts from patient care and contributes to physician fatigue and burnout,” said the report. It added that this burden impacts patient care by limiting the time doctors can spend with existing patients and the number of new patients doctors can take on….