'Hopeful and optimistic': New OMA president is keen to tackle physician burnout

The Ontario Medical Association’s new president has stepped up to the role with a clear top priority in mind: the health and wellbeing of the province’s physicians. “That will be first and foremost among my priorities,” said Dr. Rose Zacharias, an Orillia, Ont.-based family physician who on May 5 became president of the OMA. “There’s so much expected of physicians but we know from the most recent stats from the CMA (Canadian Medical Association) that 53% of doctors are operating at a high level of burnout and 46% are thinking of cutting back clinically in the next two years.” Addressing the issue of physician burnout requires system-level changes as well as changes to the culture and mindset among doctors, Dr. Zacharias told the Medical Post. But these changes have to make sense for how physicians work, she added. What’s the point, for example, of stocking a hospital lunch room with healthy snacks and organizing lunch-hour yoga when most physicians on most days don’t have a minute to grab a peanut, let alone join a yoga class? “Whether they’re in hospitals or clinics, any wellness initiatives and policies embedded inside physician workplaces need to be intentionally created,” said Dr. Zacharias, who practised for 20 years as an emergency department physician, hospital and surgical assistant and now provides medical coverage to psychiatry in-patients at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health in Penetanguishene. Read: Mental health visits by doctors up 27% in first year of COVID-19, study says There’s an urgent need to ease the burden of administration and documentation. One way to do this is to help doctors maximize the potential efficiencies of EMRs. Dr. Zacharias said physicians need comprehensive training in the use of EMRs and other digital medical health tools while they’re in medical school and throughout their practice as health tech continues to advance. She pointed to OntarioMD as a valuable resource for doctors who want to get better at using technology. The OMA subsidiary—funded by the province—has helped many doctors choose, install and use EMRs and other health technologies, said Dr. Zacharias. “They have trained peer mentors to come alongside physicians as they digitize their practices, and they can train clinic staff as well,” she said. Read: Cutting ‘technostress’ to reduce burnout Building a well-rounded healthcare team is key to reducing physician burnout. Ideally, each team member brings skills that would free up doctors from certain tasks. “We’ve talked about having scribes as document-takers working right beside the doctor, who can now have that continuous face-to-face interaction with the patient,” she said. “So the funding of scribes would need to be addressed and that means bringing physicians to the decision-making table whether that’s at the OMA or the (Health) Ministry.” Dr. Zacharias said she would like to start measuring physician burnout through regular, ongoing “pulse checks.” The OMA will play a role in making this happen, she added. “It’s also important that we work with all of our healthcare partners, like the nursing association and pharmacist groups,” she said. “We all need to work together on keeping our members healthy. It’s in our best interest that nurses are feeling rested and able to show up for their shifts, and that pharmacists are able to support patients in their communities.” These intra-organization conversations are starting to happen more, said Dr. Zacharias. “Even with the CPSO and the CMPA–they’re paying attention to burnout,” she said. “And the CMA has made it a priority.” Read: Improve healthcare: Ensure a team for every family doctor The new fee deal between Ontario doctors and the province has brought in some changes that will improve physicians’ work and personal lives, said Dr. Zacharias. Increased funding for pregnancy and parental leave, for one, should also have a positive impact of physicians’ lifestyles. But what about the 1%-per-year compensation increase for 2021 and 2022 that has angered so many doctors? “It was identified that this keeps up with inflation,” said Dr. Zacharias. “Given the environment, this is a fair deal, aside from the absolute number of the percentage increase. For the first time, virtual care can be billed on par with in-person patient care–this was a real win with this agreement. There were other wins in the physicians services agreement, she added, including commitments to address pay gaps between male and female doctors, as well as between doctors in low- and high medical specialties. These issues are currently being addressed through comprehensive reviews of billing codes that will, hopefully, surface patterns of bias and inequity. Read: Doctors’ contracts are about central planning, not incomes: Ontario’s PPSA “We would look inside of those patterns to determine how we can make things more fair, compensation-wise,” she said. “That’s what we have committees working on as we speak.” Her own work, as the new leader of the country’s largest association of physicians, is just beginning–and adds to an already hefty workload as physician, wife to a pediatrician, and mother to four teenagers. Doesn’t she worry about her own risk for burnout? “I’m invested in my own spiritual wellbeing and that anchors me,” said Dr. Zacharias. “What I am most passionate about and what fuels me is the idea of being part of something bigger, something that’s more than just about me. I’m so grateful for this opportunity at this stage of my medical career–it’s really offered me a new purpose and a new way to make a very meaningful contribution.” Read: Only joy in our work will sustain us in COVID-19

'Hopeful and optimistic': New OMA president is keen to tackle physician burnout

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