New Models of Care

“In a related analysis, Abdel-Rahman and colleagues1 discuss how the marked improvement in quantity and quality of life experienced by some people with cancer who receive novel therapies is great news for patients, yet presents a challenge for oncologists and Canada’s health care systems.

Determining which patients will benefit from the many and rapidly increasing number of molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapies for cancer requires substantial expertise, as does managing the complexity of the treatments and their adverse effects. Moreover, the increased length of time patients are on active treatment means that those being treated for cancer today need many more outpatient visits to an oncologist than they did 10 years ago. Add to this the rising number of people in Canada living with cancer and the decrease in hours that oncologists (like other physicians) are prepared to work, and the result is that Canada is facing a critical shortage of oncologists and other health care personnel who provide care for people with cancer. Patients who experience adverse effects from novel treatments often present to the emergency department and may be admitted to hospital, where they are usually cared for by hospitalists, which places additional stress on hospitals where nurse and physician burnout is already high. Urgent action must be taken to avoid a crisis in cancer care.”

Read more on New models of care needed to address Canada’s shortage of medical specialists via CMAJ.