An advisor who communicates with the Saskatchewan Health Authority to give a patient’s point of view told the SHA board at a recent meeting that rural doctors and other healthcare workers and their patients are all at risk of burnout.

Elke Hutton says from her experiences in the healthcare system and from her experiences with her late husband’s care, she believes the doctor shortage is leading to challenges in rural areas where doctors come and go. It means the patients are constantly meeting new doctors and if you have delicate issues like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, you are having to explain it all over again with each new doctor. She would like to see better compensation for the doctors to have them stick around.

Hutton would also like to see more attention to mental health and its affects on physical health. She has suggested a pilot project in her community of Shellbrook where a qualified professional would teach mindfulness based stress reduction to the healthcare workers, which can then in turn help the patients.