WATCH ABOVE: The College of Physicians and Surgeons found most Alberta doctors were not offering adequate after-hours care. Eric Szeto explains.
EDMONTON — A recent survey found more than two-thirds of doctors’ offices around the province failed to provide adequate after-hours care to patients.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons — which regulates the province’s doctors — randomly called 117 offices and clinics across Alberta. It found close to 70 per cent were not compliant with professional rules pertaining to after-hours care.
Instead of having access to their doctor or being provided contact information for an on-call physician — which is standard practice — many of the offices only provided an answering machine message that told patients to either go to the emergency room or call 911. Some offices did not have a message.
“Absolutely, the expectation is every physician who has ongoing patient care responsibilities will comply with the standard,” said Dr. Trevor Theman, registrar of the college.
“Of course good medical care doesn’t stop at five o’clock.
“We think it’s important patients have access after hours,” explained Theman.
Health officials say directing people to emergency departments could burden already overcrowded ERs even more.
READ MORE: Canada not as good at after-hours medical care as other countries: report
“It’s not about blaming doctors for problems in the system,” said Steve Buick, spokesperson for health minister Stephen Mandel.
“It’s about working with doctors to help do as much as we can in every part of the system to reduce the pressure overall.”
The College of Physicians and Surgeons says it is working with doctors’ offices to comply.
It says it will continue to educate but also recommends doctors join Primary Care Networks: a service where doctors work together to provide care to the patient population.
About 80 per cent of family doctors are in the care network.
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