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TORONTO, Jan. 27 2003/CNW/ - Staff shortages and an ever-increasing workload are putting patients at risk in Ontario hospitals, according to a survey commissioned by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

The vast majority of respondents (78 per cent) believe that staff shortages are hurting patient care.

OPSEU President Leah Casselman said shortages of these hospital professionals are as critical as are shortages of doctors and nurses.

"Without the work of these people, doctors are only guessing at diagnoses. Other members are essential for patient recovery. These disciplines are vital to our health care system and they are consistently ignored and undervalued," she said.

The survey, conducted by Viewpoints Research in November, polled 608 medical laboratory technologists, laboratory technicians, medical radiation technologists, pharmacists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, and other hospital medical professionals.

One in five respondents told the interviewers that they were making too many mistakes because of staff shortages and difficult working conditions. A similar number were aware of at least one instance in the previous six months where a patient's condition had worsened because staff were unable to provide test results or care in a timely manner.

Overwhelmingly (92.8 per cent), they said their workload had increased but staffing levels had remained the same or declined in recent years. Almost 90 per cent said their workload had increased in the past year.

The extra work is reflected in being expected to work faster (82 per cent), being responsible for more patients (78 per cent), covering for absent co-workers more frequently (78 per cent), and performing more complex tests and procedures (63 per cent).

They also reported that more tests are being ordered (65 per cent) and patients require more care (77 per cent). More than two thirds feel rushed at work "usually or often" because of staff shortages. Another 23 per cent feel rushed sometimes.

As a result of these work pressures, almost 60 per cent regularly go to work when they are sick, and another 22 per cent work sick sometimes. More than 40 per cent skip meals, at least sometimes, to stay on top of their work in a normal week, and 16 per cent do so regularly.

Two thirds of them work unpaid overtime to keep up with their work, and both paid and unpaid overtime have increased in the past year for about a quarter of the group.

Nearly half of respondents feel patients are waiting longer for test results than they were three years ago.

The hospital professionals blame inadequate pay (79 per cent) and a lack of serious effort on the part of hospitals to hire staff (68 per cent) for the staff shortages. They also said not enough students training for these positions and the lack of full-time work (both 68 per cent) are key reasons why hospitals are having trouble filling vacancies.

Despite the problems, more than 75 per cent of the hospital professionals say that although they are stressed at work and are not being adequately supported by their employers, they still "go the extra mile" because they care about their patients.

OPSEU represents 12,000 hospital professionals who provide vital diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative care for patients in all areas of the hospital. The largest numbers of members are medical laboratory technologists and medical radiation technologists. Hospital physicians rely on information provided by these professionals for about 75 per cent of the diagnostic information they need to treat patients.

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