The estimation of manpower needs is a complex endeavour due to the multiplicity of variables involved. Part I of this report presents national and interprovincial comparisons of demographic and practice data collected through a questionnaire survey of 1089 psychiatrists listed in the provincial specialists registers (i.e. 51.6% response rate). Of our respondents, 57.9% practice in urban areas of 500,000 inhabitants or more; the male-female ratio is 9 to 1; 37.9% are foreign medical graduates; and 98.5% of the specialists are exam qualified. General adult psychiatry accounts for 57.6% of the time spent in clinical practice and the total professional week is estimated to be 48.9 hours.
The experience gathered towards the design of a monitoring system, the significance of the psychiatrist-to-population ratio, the comparison of our data with other manpower studies and a review of recruitment variables conclude the report.
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