THE PRACTICE OF ENDOSCOPY IN ALBERTA DURING HEALTH CARE RESTRUCTURING 1994-1996

LJ Smith

Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

The Klein government implemented the regionalization of health care in Alberta in 1994, when 189 hospital boards were collapsed into 17 regional health authorities. Over the next year, the provincial health care budget was reduced by 17%, and targeted bed reductions to 2.4/100,000 population were over-achieved in both Calgary (1.4) and Edmonton (1.7). Reinvestment began in 1996. This restructuring of health care delivery provided significant challenges to physicians practising endoscopy in the province.
METHODS: Eligible gastroenterologists practising in Alberta between 1994-1996 completed a semistructured interview in person or by telephone in 2001 pertaining to the practice of endoscopy, their experience of the changes occurring during health care restructuring, and their quality of work and personal life at that time.
RESULTS: 30/38 eligible gastroenterologists participated in the survey (79% survey rate). 80% of the practising GI specialists were male. The responses are summarized below:

CONCLUSIONS: The impact of the regionalization of health care between 1994-1996 on the delivery of endoscopy and on the work and personal lives of Alberta gastroenterologists was profound, but provided both significant challenges and opportunities.