Manitoba doctors spend 36,000 hours writing 600,000 sick notes each year, advocacy group says
Eliminating sick notes would free up doctors' time to provide patient care, Doctors Manitoba says
Doctors Manitoba continues to push for the elimination of sick notes for short-term absences from work, school or an institution, saying they add to excessive paperwork and prevent physicians from spending more time on patient care.
Doctors write more than 600,000 sick notes a year in Manitoba, which takes over 36,000 hours that could be redirected to helping patients, said Dr. Randy Guzman, the president of Doctors Manitoba, a physicians' advocacy group.
"Manitoba has the biggest shortage of family doctors in Canada. We're dead last, and it's vital that we all work together to free as much of their time as possible for patient care," he said.
"For the physicians we do have, administrative burden is a big issue. Burnout is very widespread and excessive paperwork is the top contributor."
Manitoba and Alberta are the only two provinces that have yet to take action to limit sick notes, Guzman said.
Doing so could free up 300,000 patient visits, which is equivalent to adding more than 50 doctors to the province overnight, he said.
"Sick notes are a time-waster for physicians," and cost taxpayers an estimated $8 million per year, Guzman said.
Currently, some employers in Manitoba require sick notes to verify short-term illnesses or injuries, while others require a sick note after a certain number of consecutive sick days, he said.
Doctors Manitoba is pushing the provincial government to create legislation to eliminate such sick notes across Manitoba.
Uzoma Asagwara, the provincial health minister, says the government has met with Doctors Manitoba to discuss their concerns around sick notes. Asagwara says the NDP is open to eliminating sick notes, but did not commit to doing so on Thursday.
"When doctors spend time on unnecessary administrative tasks, they're not doing what they do best and that's caring for patients," PC health critic Kathleen Cook said in response.
Cook said it's an unnecessary and expensive way for a doctor to spend their time.
The province of Ontario has introduced alternatives, such as a trust-based approach of employees calling in sick or providing documentation like receipts for parking at health clinics and over-the-counter medication, said Keir Johnson, director of strategy, advocacy and communications at Doctors Manitoba.
A bill that received royal assent in October last year gives employers the right to require another form of evidence from an employee, such as a self-attestation confirming the employee was sick.
A Quebec bill that took effect at the beginning of January prevents employers from requiring a note the first three times in a 12-month period that an employee takes sick leave of three days or less.
Doctors Manitoba has previously called on the province to create a single, integrated system of digital medical records that would further help to reduce the administrative burden physicians face.
Electronic patient records have been rolled out at some hospitals, including St. Boniface Hospital and the Brandon Regional Health Centre, but Manitoba's largest hospital, Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre, is still largely paper-based, Johnson said.
"The amount of fax machines that's still used is atrocious in Manitoba," he said, adding that doctors need to be consulted on the design and configuration of electronic systems to ensure they are efficient and reduce administrative burdens.
Asagwara said the Manitoba government is committed to modernizing the health-care system, although it's a huge project that could take months to years to streamline across the province. Asagwara did not say how much this project would cost.
"Electronic patient records are a huge priority for our government. We know they're a big priority for health-care workers," they said.
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With files from Bartley Kives and Mike Arsenault