Psychologist fears for mental well-being of health-care workers
A Calgary psychologist who counsels doctors and other medical professional said she's “extremely worried” about burnout within the system.
Dr. Angela Grace has a PHD in psychology and runs a private practice in Calgary. She said about 50 per cent of her patients are front line health-care workers such as doctors, nurses and paramedics.
Many of her patients come to her through the Alberta Medical Association's Physician and Family Support Program, which provides doctors with access to psychological counselling.
“Their stress levels are impacting their own well-being, and then they're setting themselves aside to look after patients,” said Grace. “We are setting our profession up for extreme burnout and vicarious trauma.”
She said from her sessions, she's seeing a pattern of triple stressors health-care professionals are dealing with. The problems include the stress of working during the pandemic, the stress from their home life, and for doctors, uncertainty about their agreement with the government.
Although the pandemic took hold in March, Grace really started seeing evidence of burnout at her practice in the fall.
“Especially as the days got shorter through the fall, the stress tremendously increased,” she said.
“When things had to close down again in November, there was just this massive influx of stressors.”
She said those with children are facing the same challenges many Albertan families are facing with decisions around school and home-based learning, but with the added concern of possibly bringing COVID home to their children.
Dr. Paul Boucher, president of the AMA and an intensive care specialist, said the stressors facing doctors right now are diverse.
“It almost comes in two waves,” he said. “The fear of getting sick — the fear of making your family sick — and then there's the concern then of creating a hole in the system where everyone is already overstretched.
“So if I fall ill and have to take a couple weeks off, even if I don't feel terribly sick, I've created a big problem in my call group.”
The AMA'S Physician and Family Support Program (PFSP) saw a noticeable spike in use by Alberta physicians in 2020, with 28 per cent more calls to the main 24hour assistance line over the previous year, as well as 59 per cent more calls due to occupational burnout/stress, and 27 per cent more calls due to anxiety, stress and depression. However, the program that doctors and their families turn to for mental health concerns is now potentially at risk, according to Boucher. The province's commitment to fund the program was written into the master agreement with the AMA, which was terminated by the provincial government in February.
“The government has continued to fund (the PRSP), thankfully, and it's still within AMA, functioning as it did before,” said Boucher. “But without an agreement, these things are all somewhat in limbo.”
He said the program is under review, and there's concern it could be cut.
In an email, Health Minister Tyler Shandro's press secretary Steve Buick said the ministry is committed to maintaining or increasing funding for the PFSP. He also said Shandro and Alberta Health officials have been meeting regularly with the AMA for months as they continue to work towards an agreement.
“We recognize that the pandemic has been very hard on doctors,” said Buick. “We're committed to ensuring Alberta physicians remain among the most generously compensated in Canada, and that our funding is fair to all physicians.
“That includes working with them on changes like alternate payment plans, for practices that are not best served by fee-for-service payment.”
He said the agreement with the AMA is not an employment contract, and that physicians are still being paid according to the province's legal obligations under the Health Care Insurance Act.
Grace said she's generally advising her patients to practise selfcare during this time.