Medical Oncology Workload in Canada: Infrastructure, Supports, and Delivery of Clinical Care

Background: In 2000, a Canadian task force recommended that medical oncologists (MOS) meet a target of 160–175 new patient consultations per year. Here, we report the Canadian results of a global survey of mo workload compared with mo workload in other high-income countries (HICS). Methods: Using a snowball method, an online survey was distributed by national oncology societies to chemotherapy-prescribing physicians in 22 HICS (World Bank criteria). The survey was distributed within Canada to all members of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists. Workload was measured as the annual number of new cancer patient consults per oncologist. Results: The survey was completed by 782 oncologists from HICS, including 58 from Canada. Median annual consults per mo were 175 in Canada…