Many Ontario patients are waiting weeks or even months to see a specialist. In this third episode of a three-part series, physicians explain how a centralized referral system could help alleviate anxiety and uncertainty around wait times, based on the Ontario Medical Association's Prescription for Ontario: Doctors’ Solutions for Immediate Action advocacy document. Listen in as we hear from Dr. David Urbach, head of the Department of Surgery at Women's College Hospital in Toronto; Dr. Danielle Martin, a family physician in Toronto and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at ..read more

 Primary care in Ontario is in crisis, and team-based care is a key solution to helping the 2.3 million people in the province without a family doctor. In this second episode of a three-part series, physicians explain the benefits of team-based care for themselves, the patients they serve and the system as a whole, based on the Ontario Medical Association's Prescription for Ontario: Doctors’ Solutions for Immediate Action advocacy document. Listen in as we hear from Dr. Sundeep Banwatt, a family physician in Mississauga and the clinical director of the integrated primary care centre CareP ..read more

A rise in hallway health care and bloated emergency departments has become a norm in Ontario's health-care system. This first episode of a three-part series hears from physicians working in the home- and community-based care sector in the province, as they discuss the issues behind hospital overcrowding and the solutions based on the Ontario Medical Association's Prescription for Ontario: Doctors’ Solutions for Immediate Action advocacy document. Listen in as we hear from Dr. Devon Shewfelt, emergency physician at Alexandra Hospital Ingersoll in southwestern Ontario, and Dr. Russell Goldman, d ..read more

In this episode, Dr. David Barber, chair of the OMA’s Section on General and Family Practice and assistant professor at Queen’s University’s department of family medicine, discusses the challenges facing the primary health system in Ontario, along with some possible solutions. He speaks about how family doctors are facing growing administrative burdens and increasing care requirements for patients. That has led to physician burnout and a large number of unattached patients. He explains that taking some of those burdens off the plates of family doctors would allow doctors to focus on treating p ..read more

Statistics reveal that less than one per cent of Canadian doctors identify as Indigenous. In this podcast episode, physicians discuss the barriers to mental-health services Indigenous doctors face and how the OMA’s Physician Health Program is working to bridge these gaps. Through personal stories and clinical experiences, they share the importance of culturally competent care that understands and considers the unique needs and perspectives of these communities.  ..read more

Studies show that the use of medical scribes to document details of patient visits and take on onerous paperwork has relieved physicians, freeing them up to focus on the work they do best: personalized, one-to-one patient care. In this podcast, doctors discuss the evolving role of medical scribes, training required, financial implications on a practice and their future potential both in human and an artificial intelligence form.  ..read more

The Ontario Medical Association is calling on the provincial government to put money in the upcoming budget to find and keep more doctors, address wait times and improve palliative care. The OMA has a comprehensive plan for fixing the health-care system over the next few years, Prescription for Ontario: Doctors’ 5-Point Plan for Better Health Care. While working on those bigger issues, the OMA has proposed three short-term solutions it recommends the government include in its 2023-24 budget. We hear from the OMA President and a panel of expert physicians ..read more

In this second part of two-part Spotlight on Health podcast series for Black History Month, Ontario doctors discuss how physicians can build relationships and cultivate trust with Black patients, while emphasizing the need for an increase in Black physician and medical school representation to provide equitable health care to Black Ontarians.  ..read more

This February, during Black History Month, five Ontario physicians discuss how systemic racism infiltrates into Ontario’s health-care system, the implicit biases Black patients face and inequitable care they often receive. Solutions, they say, need to focus on removing inequities, listening to Black communities and building up trust in a system known for its historical mistreatment of Black people.  ..read more

In the second part of this Spotlight on Health podcast episode, Ontario doctors and physicians in training discuss how medical schools are adapting and innovating curriculum to meet the demands and challenges of the health-care system, while preparing the next generation of doctors for the future. Training, they agree, must prioritize a community-focused, team-based approach to health care that supports physicians through their careers and holistically cares for patients.  ..read more