Physician Health Care Visits for Mental Health and Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario, Canada 

JAMA Network Open

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians face specific occupational stressors, including a potentially greater risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, with consequent concerns over personal health and infecting family, friends, and colleagues; inadequate personal protective equipment; rapid practice changes including loss of income; and high, and at times overwhelming, workloads. In this population-based cohort study of 34,055 physicians in Ontario, Canada, the rate of outpatient visits for mental health and substance use increased on average by 13% per physician during the first 12 months of the pandemic compared with the prior 12 months. These findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with greater mental health services use among physicians.

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