Background The number of older adults with complex health needs in Ontario is growing. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care requested a resource mapping project to assess the current 2018 and projected 2025 number of specialist physi­cian resources. Methods Geriatric specialist physicians were defined as geriatricians, geriatric psychiatrists, and Care of the Elderly (COE) physi­cians. We determined the current number of geriatricians, geri­atric psychiatrists, and COEs and clinical full-time-equivalent complement (CFTE) for geriatric medicine and geriatric psychiatry specialists. We projected the number of new train­ees expected to enter practice and the number of physicians expected to retire by 2025. We compared these numbers and projections against established specialist/population ratios for geriatricians and geriatric psychiatrists. Results There was a deficit of geriatricians and geriatric psychiatrists (geriatricians: CFTE deficit of 150.5; geriatric psychiatrists: CFTE deficit of 116.3). In 2025, the projected CFTE deficit of geriatricians will increase to at least 210.35 and geriatric psychiatrists to 194.6. Only about 30% of COE physicians work in direct support of specialized services for the elderly. Conclusions There is significant current and anticipated undersupply in the required number of geriatricians, geriatric psychiatrists, and COE physicians to meet anticipated population demand.

Background The predicted growth of Canadians aged 65+ and the resultant rise in the demand for specialized geriatric services (SGS) requires physician resource planning. We updated the 2011 Canadian Geriatrics Society physician resource inventory and created projections for 2025 and 2030. Methods The number and full-time equivalents (FTEs) of geriatri­cians and Care of the Elderly (COE) physicians working in SGS were determined. FTE counts for 2025 and 2030 were estimated by accounting for retirements and trainees. A ratio of 1.25/10,000 population 65+ was used to predict physician resource requirements. Results Between 2011 and 2019 the number of geriatricians and COE physicians increased from 276 (235.8 FTEs) and 128 (89.9 FTEs), respectively, to 376 (319.6 FTEs) and 354 (115.5 FTEs). This increase did not keep pace with the 65+ population growth. The current gap between supply and need is expected to increase. Discussion The physician supply gap is projected to widen in 2025 and 2030. Increased recruitment and interdisciplinary team-based care, supported by enhanced funding models, and full integra­tion of COE physicians in SGS could reduce this increasing gap. In contrast to pediatrician supply in Canada, the specialist physician resources available to the population 65+ reflect a disparity.

Background Healthcare systems rely heavily upon human resources to ensure high-quality access to care for the general population. With significant health worker shortages predicted worldwide in the coming decades, maximizing the current workforce by means of a physician resource planning (PRP) strategy that ensures the right number, mix, and distribution of physicians to meet population needs is warranted. In Canada, there is an insufficient number of primary care providers, and disproportionately low numbers of specialist physicians in rural compared to urban regions. Currently, Canadian medical students are not effectively included in PRP strategy and lack the required information for career orientation to help rebalance the population’s workforce needs. This paper present the Health Human Resource (HHR) Platform, a comprehensive web tool that includes relevant workforce data to empower medical students in choosing a discipline based on both personal interests and social accountability. Results Physician workforce data, comments from Canadian residency program directors, and career planning resources were collected by the Canadian Federation of Medical Student’s (CFMS) HHR Task Force. This information was consolidated to create a national interactive platform that uses a map, comparison table, and trend graphs to illustrate over 500,000 unique data points from 37 datasets, including specific information and resources spanning 62 medical specialties from 2015 onwards. There was a 24.6% response rate for program director comments. During the first 4 months of the HHR Platform launch, there were 2434 different users, of which 985 were returning, with an average of 20.0 users per day spending on average 3 min on the platform. Conclusions The HHR Platform constitutes a national approach to PRP informing medical students on the mix and distribution of physicians needed to meet the future healthcare demands of the Canadian population.

Background: Healthcare systems rely heavily upon human resources to ensure high-quality access to care for the general population. With significant health worker shortages predicted worldwide in the coming decades, maximizing the current workforce by means of a physician resource planning (PRP) strategy that ensures the right number, mix, and distribution of physicians to meet population needs is warranted. In Canada, there is an insufficient number of primary care providers, and disproportionately low numbers of specialist physicians in rural compared to urban regions. Currently, Canadian medical students are not effectively included in PRP strategy and lack the required information for career orientation to help rebalance the population’s workforce needs. This paper aims to present the Health Human Resource (HHR) Platform, a comprehensive web tool that includes relevant workforce data to empower medical students in choosing a discipline based on both personal interests and social accountability.Methods: Physician workforce data were amalgamated from national public agencies. Comments from Canadian residency program directors and useful resources for career planning were collected by the Canadian Federation of Medical Student’s (CFMS) HHR Task Force. This information was consolidated to create the HHR Platform using a DigitalOcean server. The backend database utilizes MySQL, while the frontend utilizes React and Material UI, with additional aspects integrated through Leaflet and Google Charts. Results: A national interactive platform was created that uses a map, comparison table, and trends graph to illustrate over 500,000 unique data points from 37 datasets, including specific information and resources spanning 62 medical specialties from 2015 onwards. There was a 24.6% response rate for program director comments. During the first four months of the HHR Platform launch, there were 2463 different users, of which 998 were returning, with an average of 20.2 users per day spending on average 3 minutes and 4 seconds on the platform.Conclusions: The HHR Platform constitutes a bottom-up national approach to PRP informing medical students on the mix and distribution of physicians needed for a better alignment with residency positions, and ultimately meet the future healthcare demands of the Canadian population.