An emergency room physician and co-author of a recent study on ER physician burnout says the inability to get patients admitted to a hospital room is having long-range impacts on patients, staff and the system as a whole.

The study, recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, shows that 10 per cent of participating ER physicians have left the profession due to burnout.

Dr. Kerstin de Wit, a research professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario says among the study’s key findings was so-called “bed-blocking” – or the inability to get patients admitted to hospital into a proper bed.

“Ten years ago, when we referred a patient for admission, that patient could move onto a ward, and that freed up the emergency department bed for us to see the next patient in. And now, we find that when we refer patients to be admitted to the hospital, they can spend one, two or maybe even three days in the emergency department.”

“That takes away our bedspace and our physical space in the emergency department.”

She says demographics have changed dramatically across Canada, and funding models need to be updated to reflect those changes. She estimates that health care is only being funded at half of what it should be.

“Not only do we have more people in Canada, but we’re living much longer, and as we age, we experience more illnesses, and we require more medical input.”