Ensuring accessible work environments for disabled physicians may enhance patient care

New research indicates that 5% of practising physicians report a disability "always or often," and another 12% report disability "sometimes." The authors call for action on improving accessibility to ensure equity and sustainability in the physician workforce. The study https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.260075 is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

"Physicians with disabilities frequently face discrimination, inaccessible workplaces, and inadequate support," writes Dr. Michael Quon, a general internal medicine specialist and clinician investigator at The Ottawa Hospital, and an assistant professor, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, with coauthors. "Not retaining physicians with disabilities in the workforce means losing skilled providers with valuable perspectives, negatively affecting human health resources. Improving accessibility in medicine is important."

The study, based on data from the 2021 Canadian long-form Census, helps fill an important gap in evidence about the prevalence of disability in practising physicians and their demographics. Unlike other studies, which were voluntary, the Census is mandatory, with a 97% completion rate by a randomly selected 25% of the population living in Canada, making this study nationally representative.

The most commonly reported disability was mental health (40%) followed by visual (37%), hearing (15%), mobility or physical (13%), and cognitive or learning (6%). Disabilities were more common in female (6.0%) than male physicians (4.5%).

The authors note that younger age does not preclude disability.

While disability rates generally increased with age, the prevalence in physicians younger than 35 years remained notable (5.2%). The prevalence of hearing, mobility, and physical disabilities increased with age, while mental health disabilities were more common in younger age groups."

Dr. Michael Quon, general internal medicine specialist and clinician investigator, The Ottawa Hospital

Physicians report fewer disabilities compared with other professions, such as law, academia, engineering, and nursing, as well as the general workforce. 

The authors emphasize that supporting physicians with disabilities is important for Canada's health systems.

"Disabilities are an important yet often overlooked contributor to workforce diversity," write the authors. "Ensuring accessible work environments and equitable policies can promote the well-being and retention of physicians with disabilities and support those seeking to return to practice. Beyond benefits to the physicians themselves, advancing accessibility might enhance patient care by fostering a workforce that better reflects the populations it serves."