Compassion Fatigue

Several ERs in communities such as Perth, Clinton, Listowel and Wingham have had to close recently for hours or even days at a time.

After a particularly tough visit with an angry patient suffering from depression, Dr. Jabir Jassam decides to bring the visit up after the patient had been treated with antidepressants.

'I was shocked. I had to read it twice,' recalled one patient who was dropped by her family physician. "Then my heart kind of went out to him too."

Danielle Maness has squeezed the hands of hundreds of anxious patients lying on tables in the procedure room, now empty.

They are the cornerstone of medical care delivery, but family doctors are struggling to maintain quality of care with the additional burdens they face. How can specialists and other practitioners provide support?

While family docs stay adrift, patients are seeking answers elsewhere, says Dr. John MacIntyre.

We asked and you answered. Four docs on how they handle this complicated problem.