Putting together the pieces of the physician supply puzzle
CMAJ 2000;162:315
Greg Stoddart and Morris Barer raise a number of interesting issues in their editorial [full article]1 but they miss an important point. Today many physicians are women, and many physicians are married and have families. Physicians, whether male or female, who take on a rural practice will probably be busy all day. So what happens to the spouse? There is a definite pattern in today's society for both spouses to work outside the home. In many rural areas, it may be impossible for the spouse to find suitable work. Also, the opportunities available in rural schools are often less attractive than those in urban school systems, and this may also affect the decision of a family with children to move to a rural area.
Although it may not have been the authors' intention, the editorial reads as if they consider all physicians one monolithic whole. This is very unwise, because in many cases you have to give a doctor's family situation the same priority as remuneration and other factors.
Michael Thomson
Psychiatrist
Dartmouth, NS
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Reference
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Stoddart GL, Barer ML. Will increasing medical school enrolment solve Canada's physician supply problems? [editorial]. CMAJ 1999;161(8):983-4.
© 2000 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
