Issues in planning for specialist physicians

OBJECTIVES. The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation worked in support of a provincial Physician Resource Committee to address questions p ertinent to assessing Manitoba's supply of specialist physicians. RESEARCH DESIGN. Because there was no direct method of determining whether the province's supply of specialists was adequate, three types of evidence were reviewed: the supply of specialists relative to recommended population /physician ratios; the supply of specialists relative to other Canadian pro vinces; and the level of care delivered by specialists in Manitoba relative to other provinces. Four additional questions were addressed: is a problem developing from the aging of Manitoba's specialist physicians? and will th e supply of specialists be sufficient to keep up with the aging of the popu lation? How well do specialists serve as a provincial resource? and how wel l do specialists serve high-need populations?