Handling healthcare workforce planning with care: where do we stand?

Amorim‐Lopes, Mário; Almeida, Álvaro; Almada-Lobo, Bernardo

doi:10.1186/s12960-015-0028-0

Cited by 97 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…INTRODUCTION Current epidemiological and demographic changes and the expansion of the health care labour market have caused an increase in the demand for doctors and a global deficit that hinders the implementation of Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) in many countries. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] This shortage creates an inequitable distribution of physicians worldwide and varying consequences for populations. 1,2 Low-income countries report severe shortages in the number of qualified professionals, which limits access to health care and improvements in health care indicators, as defined in the Millennium Development Goals.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Current epidemiological and demographic changes and the expansion of the health care labour market have caused an increase in the demand for doctors and a global deficit that hinders the implementation of Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) in many countries . This shortage creates an inequitable distribution of physicians worldwide and varying consequences for populations .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Medical school expansion policies: educational access and physician distribution

et al. 2019

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Introduction Many countries are employing strategies intended to reduce maldistribution of health workers and inequities. The purpose of this study was to analyse the impact of expansion policies of medical schools on regional inequalities in the distribution of undergraduate class sizes, and the capacity to attract and retain doctors and to expand health facilities. Methods We conducted a descriptive analysis to compare the distribution of undergraduate places in 2007 and 2016 to determine the impact of targeted expansion policies on inequalities in access to medical education in Brazil. A group of municipalities with new medical schools (n = 54) and a control group without medical schools (n = 408) were compared to analyse impacts of expansion in the health sector. We compared the increase in the number of physicians per 1000 inhabitants and health establishments per inhabitants between 2007 and 2016 based on these two groups. We also analysed the relationship between geographic distance from the state capital and capacity to attract physicians. Results There was a decrease in the regional inequalities of undergraduate places in medical schools; the greatest increase in the places per 1000 inhabitants was in municipalities of between 50 000 and 100 000 inhabitants. Municipalities with new medical schools showed an increase in physicians per 1000 inhabitants and in health establishments per inhabitant ratio, demonstrating the potential to attract and retain doctors, as well as strengthening the health infrastructure. Municipalities more distant from state capitals showed a greater increase in physician : inhabitant ratio. Discussion Countries with health workforce shortages and inequalities in their distribution might consider public financing and regulation policies for expansion of medical schools as a strategy to attract and retain professionals. Early results in Brazil showed that such strategies could strengthen service networks in deprived areas, supporting implementation of Universal Healthcare Coverage.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical school expansion policies: educational access and physician distribution

et al. 2019

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“…Demand for healthcare services can be assessed in two conceptually different ways (Amorim Lopes et al, 2015). Effective demand measures demand for care effectively observed.…”

Section: Demand-based Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While mortality-and morbidity-based indicators provide us with an insight of the general healthcare needs of a population, which may or may not translate into effectively observed demand (Amorim Lopes et al, 2015)), utilisation-based indicators translate actual utilisation ratios of the healthcare facilities, such as hospitals or primary care centres.…”

Section: Utilisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing comparables: an approach to accurate cross-country comparisons of health systems for effective healthcare planning and policy guidance

et al. 2016

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With rising healthcare costs, using health personnel and resources efficiently and effectively is critical. International cross-country and simple worker-to-population ratio comparisons are frequently used for improving the efficiency of health systems, planning of health human resources, and guiding policy changes. These comparisons are made between countries typically of the same continental region. However, if used imprudently, inconsistencies arising from frail comparisons of health systems may outweigh the positive benefits brought by new policy insights. In this work, we propose a different approach to international health system comparisons. We present a methodology to group similar countries in terms of mortality, morbidity, utilization levels, and human and physical resources, which are all factors that influence health gains. Instead of constructing an absolute rank or comparing against the average, the method finds countries that share similar ground, upon which more reliable comparisons can then be conducted, including performance analysis. We apply this methodology using data from WHO's HFA-DB, and we present some interesting empirical relationships between indicators that may provide new insights into how such information can be used to promote better healthcare planning and policy guidance.

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“…The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) broadly describes five main approaches; [5] the World Health Organisation (WHO) has four; [6] and other literature presents differently. [7][8][9] Several approaches, each with unique underlying assumptions, are customarily used and advocated. Among these, the workforce-to-population ratio, needs based, and utilization based approaches are the most prominent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing health workforce forecasting approaches for healthcare planning: The case for ophthalmologists

Ansah

Koh

Korne

et al. 2017

IJH

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Health workforce planning is essential in the provision of quality healthcare. Several approaches to planning are customarily used and advocated, each with unique underlying assumptions. Thus, a thorough understanding of each assumption is required in order to make an informed decision on the choice of forecasting approach to be used. For illustration, we compare results for eye care requirements in Singapore using three established workforce forecasting approaches -workforce-to-population-ratio, needs based approach, utilization based approach -and a proposed robust integrated approach to discuss the appropriateness of each approach under various scenarios. Four simulation models using the systems modeling methodology of system dynamics were developed for use in each approach. These models were initialized and simulated using the example of eye care workforce planning in Singapore, to project the number of ophthalmologists required up to the year 2040 under the four different approaches. We found that each approach projects a different number of ophthalmologists required over time. The needs based approach tends to project the largest number of required ophthalmologists, followed by integrated, utilization based and workforce-to-population ratio approaches in descending order. The four different approaches vary widely in their forecasted workforce requirements and reinforce the need to be discerning of the fundamental differences of each approach in order to choose the most appropriate one. Further, health workforce planning should also be approached in a comprehensive and integrated manner that accounts for developments in demographic and healthcare systems.

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Handling healthcare workforce planning with care: where do we stand?

Cited by 97 publications

References 61 publications

Medical school expansion policies: educational access and physician distribution

Medical school expansion policies: educational access and physician distribution

Comparing comparables: an approach to accurate cross-country comparisons of health systems for effective healthcare planning and policy guidance

Comparing health workforce forecasting approaches for healthcare planning: The case for ophthalmologists

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