Comprehensive and Influential
A Comprehensive Survey of the Medical Profession
The National Physician Survey (NPS) is Canada’s most comprehensive survey of physicians and future physicians. The survey reaches out to all physicians, medical residents, and medical students in the country – this year this amounts to approximately 90 000 individuals.
Prior to 2004, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Medical Association and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada carried out our physician resource surveys separately. As part of a collaborative initiative, all three organizations consolidate their resources in an effort to more efficiently inform the key decisions that affect Canadian physicians and their patients today and in the future. In addition to these three organizations, funders for NPS have included the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Health Canada.
The National Physician Survey is conducted every three years to provide a dynamic picture of the profession, how it responds to societal needs, and the personal and professional interests of its members and future members.
An Important and Influential Source
The scale of the NPS has made it one of the most turned-to and influential sources of information about the medical profession and healthcare in Canada. All three partner organizations have used NPS data to support their government relations and advocacy efforts. In addition, one in five (21%) requests for NPS data came from organizations that help shape healthcare policy in Canada, including governments at all levels, research networks and hospitals. NPS data has also been used by researchers in a number of disciplines and cited in influential peer reviewed journals in Canada and around the world. The Canadian news media has also paid close attention to NPS results, helping to place important medical and healthcare issues on the public agenda – including wait times, electronic health records and barriers to care.
