In Quebec, a concerning shortage of staff has led to the underutilization of a significant number of operating rooms. Out of the 560 operating rooms available across the region, 134 are closed, and data reveals that three-quarters of these vital facilities are not being fully utilized.
The primary reason behind this issue is the severe lack of personnel required to conduct surgeries. Patrick Charlebois, a general surgeon and president of the Quebec Association of Surgery, warns that the healthcare system is on a collision course with a crisis due to the increasing demand for surgeries and a growing shortage of staff.
According to the Ministry of Health, the maximum utilization of an operating room is 40 hours per week. However, nearly 30% of operating rooms in Quebec have a utilization rate of less than 75%, which translates to less than 30 hours per week being utilized.
Charlebois emphasizes the importance of optimizing the utilization of operating rooms to meet patient needs efficiently. While some hospitals are performing well in terms of utilization, with rates exceeding 90%, others are lagging significantly.
Efforts by Santé Québec to prioritize patients waiting for surgery for over a year have shown positive results, with a significant reduction in the backlog. However, there are concerns that focusing solely on this group may lead to longer wait times for patients requiring urgent surgeries within the one-year timeframe.
The shortage of staff is not only affecting the scheduling of surgeries but also impacting the quality of care provided to patients. Charlebois highlights a recent incident where a patient had to have their surgery postponed last minute due to a hemoglobin issue that could have been addressed earlier if there were enough staff available.
The shortage of surgeons is a pressing issue exacerbated by population growth and an aging demographic. Without significant interventions such as increasing residency positions to train more surgeons, the healthcare system in Quebec is at risk of facing a critical shortage of surgical services in the near future.
