2023-07-24 17:03:12
Ruptures of services, growing waiting lists, delays in surgical interventions and in cancer treatment: the shortage of technologists might jeopardize the quality of care for the population.
“We are concerned regarding the short, medium and long-term consequences generated by this situation on the quality and accessibility of patient care,” said the president of the Order of Technologists in Medical Imaging, Radiation Oncology and Medical Electrophysiology of Quebec, Vincent Dubé, in an open letter published Monday.
These specialists use a variety of technologies to provide images and data that allow doctors to make diagnoses. “Without their work, diagnoses and treatments are compromised,” says Vincent Dubé.
But the labor shortage is glaring, and the situation does not seem to be improving. At the end of May, The Press reported that nearly a third of technologists are considering leaving the public network in the next year because of working conditions and the lack of recognition of their profession.
At the beginning of July, medical imaging technologists at the CHU Sainte-Justine also said they were exhausted due to a heavy workload caused by the lack of staff and feared that the situation would affect the quality of care for children.
Exodus of technologists
Currently, nearly 6,500 technologists practice in Quebec. “They often work in the shadows, because these professions are unknown and yet their contribution to the health system is essential,” he writes.
In recent years, the Order has observed an exodus of technologists to Ontario, particularly in the bordering regions, and has noted a drop in the number of young people in the colleges.
For those who remain in post in Quebec, they face a lack of recognition of the profession, and the constant evolution of technological advances requires them to specialize more and obtain certificates of continuing education, explains the president of the Order.
The president wants the Department of Health and Human Services and medical associations to work together to find solutions. “Technologists also have a role to play in the implementation of the Health Plan,” he adds.
With Henri Ouellette-Vézina
1690237813
#Shortage #medical #imaging #technologists #quality #care #stake #Order
