Burnout is prompting emergency physicians to leave the specialty or reduce clinical hours, adding to the body of research suggesting a crisis in health care in Canada, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Journal of the Canadian Medical Association) .
“The prevailing theme was that the health system is broken,” writes Dr. Kerstin de Wit, an emergency physician and thrombologist at Kingston Health Sciences Center and professor at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, with co-authors.”We found repeated reports in the emergency department covering the inadequacies of the system, with fewer resources and little support, and the expectation that the situation will get worse. For many, the future of emergency medicine was bleak, with no possibility of recovery.“
The study, conducted by researchers at the Network of Canadian Emergency Researchers, consisted of a 2025 survey of 410 emergency medicine physician respondents in all Canadian provinces and territories except Yukon and Nunavut. The main themes were a broken health care system, a difficult workplace, physician anxiety and a desire to leave emergency medicine. Of all respondents, 10% had left the specialty, 48% had reduced clinical hours, and 20% had taken a leave of absence. Female and younger physicians reported higher rates of burnout.
These findings are alarming and indicate that patient care in Canada is under threat, as is the well-being of emergency physicians.
“Burnout levels remain high and should no longer be considered a pandemic phenomenon,“Writers write.”Burnout is a risk to patient safety, is associated with poor quality care, and is at odds with the Fivefold Aim of a sustainable health care system.“
Potential sources of burnout include a dysfunctional health system at both the government and hospital levels, unrealistic patient expectations about the role of emergency physicians, lack of clinical support, patient volumes, and inability to meet patient needs beyond the scope of emergency practice.
These data add to findings from recent studies. The Canadian Medical Association’s National Health Survey showed similar burnout rates. In June 2026, the Canadian Institute for Health Information released a report stating that wait times for admitted patients are increasing annually for emergency department care, and patients often leave without being seen by a doctor.
“Emergency physician loss is a crisis for the Canadian health care system, and our results suggest attrition in the emergency workforce, which in turn exacerbates burnout in those who remain.”
To address this crisis, governments and institutions must prioritize addressing gaps in patient care, invest in emergency geriatric care, expand non-healthcare staff to address patients’ social and other needs, and other changes. Also, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians has set out an action plan for change in its EM:POWER initiative.
Commenting on the increasing burden on doctors, Dr. Kathryn Varner, an emergency physician and associate editor at CMAJwrites in a related editorial “Their collective anguish and silent attrition signals a serious threat: Canada’s 50-year investment in developing a highly effective fleet of physicians with specialty or additional training in emergency medicine, who provide 24-hour coverage in most emergency departments across the country, could be lost.“
It calls for immediate action on this critical matter.
“As Canada’s population ages—along with increasing health complexities, climate-related disasters and threats of international conflict—all levels of government should urgently prioritize attrition prevention in emergency medicine,” writes Dr. Varner.However, the profession cannot wait for complex systems-level solutions to be implemented. Immediate action must be taken to protect emergency department staff now.”
The federal government could move from Canada’s unconditional health transfers to holding provincial and territorial governments accountable for emergency department wait times and access to care and requiring those governments to report data.
“Without thoughtful and deliberate action by provincial and national leaders, access to 24-hour emergency care in Canada is at risk and preventable tragedies will continue to occur in our waiting rooms,concludes Dr. Varner.
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