Health Authority Engagement Survey 2022: What you shared with us

Listening to our members is a cornerstone of the work we do at Doctors of BC. With input from doctors across the province, we can advocate for real change—change based on what you tell us. Our annual Health Authority Engagement Survey is an important way for us to hear from you, specifically about how you are feeling with regards to engagement with your health authority and/or local hospital. The full results of the 2022 survey are now available.

The seventh annual survey took place between September 12 and October 12, 2022 and presents a snapshot of how participating BC doctors feel about their health authorities, facilities, and their general day-to-day working lives and concerns. It also provided several opportunities for doctors to leave open-ended feedback, with members collectively sharing 1,744 comments. 

The survey results reflect what our physicians already know, and what they experience every day. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic continue, as well as the ongoing drug crisis, and the exceptionally difficult respiratory illness season seen in the province. BC doctors are stressed and overwhelmed, working in a system that is over-burdened, and in many cases under-resourced. 

At a glance

• A total of 2,983 members took part, representing 24% of our members.
• Members’ concerns raised last year about their health and safety in the workplace continue, with one in two physician participants having been involved in, or impacted by, a health and safety incident.
• Eight out of the nine engagement statements saw decreases between 3-10% over the previous year.
• Doctors feel like they are less able to make tangible changes or improvements to patient care.
• While there are areas of opportunity for improvement, the resilience of medical teams at a local level remains high. A total of 63% of members stated that they feel like they are part of a collaborative, patient-centred team or unit. 

Read the reports 

The Survey report provides an overview of engagement trends, physician input, and broader demographic information, and the What We Heard fact sheet shows an overview of the key findings at a glance.

A Supplemental Report with charts outlining breakdowns by practice type, location, hospital/facility, community, is also available on our Health Authority Engagement Survey webpage, along with reports from previous years.

Doctors of BC—Advocating for you

Many of the points raised in this survey involve areas where Doctors of BC staff have been continually working.  At a provincial level, Doctors of BC has advocated with the government for physicians, on areas such as hospital safety zones, physician administrative burdens, and major negotiations including the recent Physician Master Agreement, which was ratified in November 2022.  

Doctors of BC continues to support Physician Health and Safety Groups established under the 2019 Memorandum of Agreement on Physical and Psychological Safety, and continuing with a new 2022 Memorandum of Agreement under the recently ratified PMA (login required).  Doctors of BC is also part of the Provincial Occupational Health and Safety society, SWITCH BC, where we are advocating for physician safety at the provincial level. Our Physician Health Program provides free supports to all members.   

At the local level, Doctors of BC provides support to Divisions of Family Practice and MSAs to engage and work effectively with health authorities. The Regional Advisors and Advocates (RAAs) support physicians where they live and work in communities around BC and advocate for many members in the province. You can read more collaborative stories on the SSC Facility Engagement and FPSC websites.

What’s next?

Doctors of BC will be sharing this year’s survey findings with members, staff across the association, and with the health authorities. Doctors of BC staff will present the results to groups across the province, including Divisions of Family Practice, Medical Staff Associations, and other stakeholders. We also urge health authorities to include these survey results in their own performance measures. 

Thank you to all who participated in the survey. The feedback you provided is crucial to our work and will help us advocate for you—based on what you have told us you need. 

If you have any queries, please contact View Email Addressadvocacy@doctorsofbc.ca