Readers may print a single copy for personal use. No further reproduction or distribution
of the articles should proceed without permission. Journalists are welcome to write news stories based on what they read here, but should acknowledge their
source as "an article published on the Internet by The Society of Rural
Physicians of Canada <http://www.srpc.ca>".
Most documents are in pdf format and require Adode's free viewer Why What How pdf?
Society Policy and Discussion Papers
Discussion Paper on Rural Hospital Service Closures.
pdf
(133K) April 2009.
Admission of Rural Origin
Students to Medical School: Recommended Strategies to support rural medicine.
pdf
(112K) April 2004.
A Policy Paper on Regionalization: Recommended Strategies
to support rural medicine. pdf (40K) April 2004.
Presentation on Strengthening the Medical Workforce in Canada: The Role of Rural/Northern Medical Education - Michael Jong (119K pdf)
A Policy on Primary Care Renewal to support rural medicine.
pdf
(57K) April 2003.
Canada has always depended on International
Medical Graduates (IMGs) to care for Canadians. The SRPC IMG policy
describes the measures needed to deal with IMG's ethically and fairly. pdf (36K) November 2002.
How do you train a GP/FP anesthetist and keep their competency
levels high? These issues are described with reccomendations in The Position Paper on Training for Family Physicians in Anaesthesia. in pdf (287K) This paper has been prepared by a working Group of the Society of Rural Physicians
of Canada in cooperation with the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society.
or Énoncé de principe conjoint
sur la formation en anesthésiologie pour les médecins de famille du milieu rural November 2001 in pdf (363K).
Rural Healthcare:
the chasm not crossedpdf (46K)
April 11, 2002 and The Future of Rural Health Care August 14, 2001 SRPC submission (44K) to the Romanow
Commission
The State of Rural Health in Canada - a May 31,
2001 SRPC presentation (42K) to the Kirby Commission, and in french (53K) as well as the
(unofficial) transcript (80K)
Nurse Practitioners and Rural
Medicine: Voices From the FieldReport
from the 1998 SRPC Special Conference Day. Five resolutions approved by the conference participants1. There should be a national process to develop guidelines
for the scope of practice of nurse practitioners. 2. There is an enhanced skill set and education required by nurse
practitioners. 3. The activities within the role of nurse practitioners are location specific. 4. Funding models
must be developed to enhance cooperative and collaborative care. 5. Innovative education is needed to provide core
competency and an enhanced skill set. .PDF
Version
We have only two or three training programs in the Country
for FP-Surgery, but it remains an essential service, especially in more remote regions. The Position Paper on Training for Family Physicians in Surgery, is in draft format for discussion pending review by the SRPC council. (60K).
The ability to provide cesareans on site is not
essential, but is very helpful to provide safe on site maternity care for over 90% of pregnant women in the community.
The Policy on Advanced Training in
Rural Maternity Care Including Caesarean Version 11 has been approved by
SRPC, SOGC and CFPC councils (55K) and published in english and french in journals of the organisations in 1999.
The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada published a discussion
paper on Physician on-call frequency in CJRM. Communities or facilities with less than 5 physicians
available to share the after-hours work, should not require these physicians to provide continuous 24-hour per
day coverage (20K) 1998.
Rural doctors do not need caesarean capability on
site to practice safe maternity care, but this will limit them to attending about 60% of the communities deliveries.
Policy on Rural Maternity Care (29K) Spring 1998.
It is also available in french (40K).
Recruitment and Retention Policy Conference
report Banff 1996 - CJRM1997
V2 N1or as .PDF (17K)
Vaginal Breech Delivery PDA point of care summary in pdf
C-Spine interpretation PDA point of care summary in iSilo
and pdf
A Rural Doc's Reviews (33K)
These are highly abridged and lightly editorialised versions of various rural documents
The Fyke
Commission on Medicare Report This 2001 paper suggests
closing all remaining GP run rural hospitals in Saskatchewan.
Health Canada Rurality
and Physician Supply Paper This 1999 report predicts worsening
doctor to population ratios in rural Canada through 2021. There is also a report on what rural doctors think
contributes to the ruralness of a community.
Barer Stoddart 1999 this "dynamic duo" of academics released a discussion paper Sept 16th
entitled Improving Access to Needed Medical Services in Rural
and Remote Canadian Communities: Recruitment and Retention Revisited. (full report
is 100K) They are unrepentant on an earlierpaper of theirs that resulted in reducing medical school admissions in Canada by 10%. (SRPC
comment 21K) but agree that more of the same is not a viable option and call for reform.
The SRPC-ON PAIRO Blueprint In the spring of 1998 the SRPC - Ontario Regional Committee and The Professional Association
of Intern and Residents of Ontario convened 12 prominent physicians from across the country to produce a blueprint
for addressing physician recruitment and retention in rural and remote Ontario. Alternately view the entire report.
The Scott Report, is the landmark Ontario document that established that being "on call" had value in low
volume ER's.
The Dobbin Report, is the document that ended work action in northern BC and established that being "on call"
had value for GP anaesthetics etc. Alternately read the full text (44K).
The Australian Solution, is by far the most unique document, because it describes a rural solution that actually
works!
The WONCA paper, is the rural training document that is given lip service everywhere, but rarely has been read.
Alternately read the entire report
The CMA Report of 1992, demonstrates trends of increasing or stable rural population and decreasing rural physician population.
If only it's recommendations had been implemented back then....
Rural Relevent Papers
Small/Rural Hospital Emergency
Department Physician Service Ontario's "Scott Report"pdf (322K) March 1995.
The Dobbin Report. Details of the 1998 BC deal that pays a bonus for low volume emergency room call, GP-anesthetic
call and much more. (44K)
In follow-up to the blueprint A fair share for rural health at the millennium produced
by the Ontario Region of the SRPC and the Rural Section of the OMA, discusses a list of priorities for rural incentives
and templates for their implementation (40K) Nov 1999 for rural practice.
The
Quebec experience . This article from the Spring 1998 Issue of the CJRM describes some of the
medical school and postgraduate programs in place in Quebec to encourage the exposure of medical trainees to Quebec's
rural areas (7K).
The Newfoundland Memorandum of Understanding
. This represents an understanding on which there might be a new contract
in Newfoundland for both fee for service and salaried physicians. October 1998 (12K).
Ontario Rural and Northern Group Physician Agreement contract
available for 1-7 MD towns Fact Sheet 2004 (16K).
Proceedings of the GP Surgery Symposium - June 2007 in three parts Part
A - Part B - Part C
Rural Medicine Articles
Needs of Rural Physicians.
(9K) In order to assure sustainable physician based health care services in a rural community, one must ensure
that there is enough volume of a wide enough range of services to allow sufficient funding for enough doctors to
be able to support each other in a reasonable call schedule. Hal Irvine MD FCPC, Carol Rowntree MD CCFP, Jim Thompson
MD CCFP (EM). November 22, 1994.
Rural Midwifery.
(7K) To the old and now illegal unlicensed practitioners these new health professionals are "midwives in suits."
Can this new breed help sustain maternity care services for rural women, or are they yet another destabilising
force, brought in from outside? Peter Hutten-Czapski MD CCFP. August 16, 1999.
Rural Physicians' Perspective of Midwifery in Sundre,
Alberta (20K) Rural family physicians and midwives philosophically share
much in common. Continuity of care, family-centered care and providing non-interventionist care of low risk pregnancies
and deliveries are central tenets to both groups. Carol Rowntree MD CCFP, Hal Irvine MD CCFP FCFP, Jim Thompson
MD CCFP (EM), Darren Larsen MD, Janet Morse MD CCFP. December 22, 1994.
Barer and Stoddart released
a discussion paper Sept 16th 1999, entitled Improving Access to
Needed Medical Services in Rural and Remote Canadian Communities: Recruitment and Retention Revisited. (full
report is 100K official SRPC comment 21K or unofficial rural
review) They are unrepentant on an earlierpaper of theirs that resulted in reducing medical school admissions
in Canada by 10%.
