Well Doc initiative expands beyond Alberta

OTTAWA – The Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management Inc. and Scotiabank are partnering to support the ongoing advancement of physician wellness, providing $5 million to enable the expansion of the Well Doc initiative beyond Alberta.

The Well Doc initiative, housed within the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine, helps physicians and healthcare organizations embed policies, practices and programs in their workplaces to proactively enhance physician wellness.

“Physicians wellness has a significant impact on the lives of physicians, their families, and our communities. On behalf of MD and Scotiabank, we are proud to contribute to the national expansion of Well Doc to enhance physician wellness across the country,” said Pamela Allen (pictured), chief executive officer, MD Financial Management Inc.

Physicians face a heightened risk of experiencing occupational distress syndromes such as burnout because of the work they do, and in a time when Canada’s health systems are strained, it is imperative that healthcare professionals are provided with resources to support them.

The CMA, MD Financial Management and Scotiabank are proud to have supported Well Doc Alberta since its launch in early 2019, providing over $4.2 million in funding to date.

During this time, Well Doc Alberta has become a trusted resource where physician groups can access evidence-based educational supports that help buffer occupational distress. Well Doc Alberta offers an innovative approach to fostering physician wellness by focusing on upstream prevention through a collaborative, co-operative delivery model that targets system-level change.

Well Doc Alberta helps healthcare organizations to implement individual-targeted and organizational-targeted interventions that support the wellness of their members. They have successfully created the necessary infrastructure, processes, and tools – including a suite of evidence-based educational offerings tailored to the unique needs of physicians – to make lasting change in healthcare systems.

To date, Well Doc Alberta has delivered 324 education sessions to over 7,700 attendees across the career spectrum from medical student to senior leadership.

They have also been instrumental in developing, training, launching and helping to sustain 28 physician-to-physician peer support teams, comprised of 402 formally trained peer supporters, as well as measuring 24 physician groups as part of their longitudinal quality improvement physician wellness measurement process designed to help identify and begin tackling key drivers to improve wellness in their groups.

The funding provided by the CMA, MD and Scotiabank will support the official launch of Well Doc Canada, while also enabling the ongoing work of Well Doc Alberta. Building upon the model they developed in Alberta, the Well Doc team will be working to increase capacity and scale their offerings over the coming months, with a goal of being able to work with physicians, physician groups, and healthcare system leaders across Canada, especially where resources are most needed. A list of available services can be found on the Well Doc Canada and Well Doc Alberta websites.

The $5 million is part of a $115-million pledge by the CMA, MD Financial Management and Scotiabank to support physicians, medical learners and the communities they serve across Canada. The collaboration has committed more than $80 million to date, supporting a wide range of initiatives to improve physician wellness.