Family physicians offering dermatologic services

Much like other medical specialties in Canada, dermatology is facing an imminent work force shortage. The results of a 2004 survey determined that the number of dermatologists retiring in the next 5 years was double that of graduating residents.1 However, results from the 2007 National Physician Survey (NPS) give us a rather encouraging snapshot of FPs and dermatologists collaborating to provide dermatologic services to Canadians. Among all consulting physicians, dermatologists reported the highest level of satisfaction with their relationships with FPs.

Only 39.8% of FPs and GPs reported offering dermatologic services. This proportion was highest in Manitoba (48.0%) and British Columbia (47.3%), and lowest in Quebec (26.6%). In addition, 21% of FPs and GPs indicated that others within their practices performed dermatologic services. Most (81.4%) dermatologists in Canada indicated regularly collaborating with FPs.

As shown in Figure 1, many FPs provide a variety of dermatologic-related services for their patients.

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Figure 1

Percentage of FPs performing various dermatologic procedures on a regular basis

The NPS is a collaborative project of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Medical Association, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Additional results are available at www.nationalphysiciansurvey.ca. If you would like the opportunity to develop and write a future Fast Fact using the NPS results, please contact Artem Safarov, National Physician Survey Research Assistant, at 800 387-6197, extension 242, or artem{at}cfpc.ca.

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