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Current Oncology
Volume 25
Issue 3
10.3747/co.25.3999
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Current Oncology is published by MDPI from Volume 28 Issue 1 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by MDPI on mdpi.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Multimed Inc..
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Article

Medical Oncology Workload in Canada: Infrastructure, Supports, and Delivery of Clinical Care

by
A. Fundytus
1,
W.M. Hopman
2,3,
N. Hammad
4,
J.J. Biagi
4,
R. Sullivan
5,
V. Vanderpuye
6,
B. Seruga
7,
G. Lopes
8,
M. Sengar
9,
M.D. Brundage
1,4 and
C.M. Booth
1,3,8,*
1
Division of Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen’s University Cancer Research Institute, 10 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
2
Kingston General Hospital Research Institute, Kingston, ON, Canada
3
Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
4
Department of Oncology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
5
Institute of Cancer Policy, King’s College London, and King’s Health Partners Comprehensive Cancer Centre, London, UK
6
Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana
7
Division of Medical Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
8
University of Miami and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, FL, USA
9
Department of Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, India
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Curr. Oncol. 2018, 25(3), 206-212; https://doi.org/10.3747/co.25.3999
Submission received: 4 March 2018 / Revised: 6 April 2018 / Accepted: 8 May 2018 / Published: 1 June 2018

Abstract

Background: In 2000, a Canadian task force recommended that medical oncologists (MOS) meet a target of 160–175 new patient consultations per year. Here, we report the Canadian results of a global survey of mo workload compared with mo workload in other high-income countries (HICS). Methods: Using a snowball method, an online survey was distributed by national oncology societies to chemotherapy-prescribing physicians in 22 HICS (World Bank criteria). The survey was distributed within Canada to all members of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists. Workload was measured as the annual number of new cancer patient consults per oncologist. Results: The survey was completed by 782 oncologists from HICS, including 58 from Canada. Median annual consults per mo were 175 in Canada compared with 125 in other HICS. The proportions of MOS having 100 or fewer consults or more than 300 consults per year were 3% (2/58) and 5% (3/58) in Canada compared with 31% (222/724) and 16% (116/724) in other HICS (p < 0.001 and p = 0.023 respectively). The median number of patients seen in a full-day clinic was 15 in Canada and 25 in other HICS (p = 0.220). Canadian MOS reported spending a median of 55 minutes per new consultation; new consultations of 35 minutes were reported in other HICS (p < 0.001). Median hours worked per week was 55 in Canada and 45 in other HICS (p = 0.200). Conclusions: Although the median annual clinical volume for Canadian MOS aligns with recommended targets, half the respondents exceeded that level of activity. Health policymakers and educators have to consider mo workforce supply and alternative models of care in preparation for the anticipated surge in cancer incidence in the coming decade.
Keywords: medical oncology; workforce; care delivery medical oncology; workforce; care delivery

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MDPI and ACS Style

Fundytus, A.; Hopman, W.M.; Hammad, N.; Biagi, J.J.; Sullivan, R.; Vanderpuye, V.; Seruga, B.; Lopes, G.; Sengar, M.; Brundage, M.D.; et al. Medical Oncology Workload in Canada: Infrastructure, Supports, and Delivery of Clinical Care. Curr. Oncol. 2018, 25, 206-212. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.25.3999

AMA Style

Fundytus A, Hopman WM, Hammad N, Biagi JJ, Sullivan R, Vanderpuye V, Seruga B, Lopes G, Sengar M, Brundage MD, et al. Medical Oncology Workload in Canada: Infrastructure, Supports, and Delivery of Clinical Care. Current Oncology. 2018; 25(3):206-212. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.25.3999

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fundytus, A., W.M. Hopman, N. Hammad, J.J. Biagi, R. Sullivan, V. Vanderpuye, B. Seruga, G. Lopes, M. Sengar, M.D. Brundage, and et al. 2018. "Medical Oncology Workload in Canada: Infrastructure, Supports, and Delivery of Clinical Care" Current Oncology 25, no. 3: 206-212. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.25.3999

APA Style

Fundytus, A., Hopman, W. M., Hammad, N., Biagi, J. J., Sullivan, R., Vanderpuye, V., Seruga, B., Lopes, G., Sengar, M., Brundage, M. D., & Booth, C. M. (2018). Medical Oncology Workload in Canada: Infrastructure, Supports, and Delivery of Clinical Care. Current Oncology, 25(3), 206-212. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.25.3999

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