Family doctors are dealing with more paperwork than a decade ago. Here’s why

A doctor wears a lab coat and stethoscope in an exam room at a health clinic in Calgary, Friday, July 14, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Family doctors in Canada saw their administrative workload increase dramatically between 2011 and 2021, according to a new study, and researchers say the growing burden is eating into the time physicians can dedicate to their patients.

The study, published this week in the medical journal Annals of Family Medicine, used electronic health record (EHR) data from across Canada to evaluate the day-to-day administrative workload of family physicians, measuring changes over the 11-year span.

“Family physicians reporting EHR data saw more unique patients, had more total contacts, and had more days with patient contact in 2021 than 2011,” the researchers, mainly from Dalhousie University, wrote.

“In 2021, the average numbers of laboratory tests, referrals, and prescriptions per physician were greater than in 2011 (68.5 per cent, 80.2 per cent, and 43.1 per cent increases, respectively).”

Meanwhile, the overall rate of referrals per patient increased by 57 per cent, while laboratory test rates per patient rose 29 per cent, the study found.

“Our results suggest a significant increase in family physician administrative workload per patient contact over a period of 11 years,” wrote the researchers.

They noted in the study that all primary care team members dedicated “substantial” time to the management and co-ordination of patient care outside of one-one-one time with patients.

“These management and indirect care activities include documentation associated with multiple charts, forms, laboratory tests, referrals, and prescriptions needed to adequately care for their patients,” the researchers said.

This list of tasks, which they said continues to increase for most physicians, is often described as a main source of burnout and overwork in the profession, the study notes, highlighting an urgent need to streamline the administrative process.

“This analysis shows that the number of laboratory tests, referrals, and prescriptions point to a substantial volume of administrative workload over and above time spent with patients,” the researchers concluded.

“Streamlining administrative tasks in primary care could help physicians dedicate more time to care for patients.”