Preparing the 21st century global healthcare workforce

Achieving blood pressure goals globally: five core actions for health-care professionals. A worldwide call to action

“…Meeting these challenges will require a concerted and global initiative, with active contributions from numerous constituencies as summarized in Table 1, and a strategic shift at multiple levels within health-care systems from the current emphasis on acute disease towards more effective management of chronic illness. 23,24 While acknowledging that the current pandemic can only be overcome through the concerted action of multiple constituencies and macrolevel changes, the Working Group focused its discussions on the practical role of health-care professionals. At this level, effective management of hypertension requires vigorous and sustained intervention, involving regular consultations, a willingness to titrate therapy until goals are reached, and the follow-up of patients into the long term.…”

Options for expanding the health workforce

“…Given that much of their work will be in the area of chronic disease this training should espouse the five basic competencies required of the future health workforce outlined recently by the World Health Organization. 14 There is significant and growing interest in the development of physician assistant programs in Australia but also pressure to develop speciality models of training driven in part by interests within the private sector. While we applaud the enthusiasm of this sector in embracing opportunities for workforce change it is our strong belief that the generalist model will serve Australia better in the long term and does not preclude the development of specialty interests once general competencies have been achieved.…”

The patient and the crossing between Primary and Hospital care. Systematic review of trials for the implementation of tools for integration in Spain

“…40, Nº 3, septiembre-diciembre inTroduCCión Los profundos cambios demográficos, epidemiológicos, culturales y tecnológi-cos que ocurrieron durante el siglo XX dieron lugar a un espectacular aumento de la esperanza de vida en la población de las sociedades más desarrolladas, donde las enfermedades crónicas pasaron a ser las principales causas de muerte 1,2 . Estas transformaciones obligaron a redirigir el foco de los sistemas sanitarios desde el tratamiento de patologías agudas hacia el cuidado de la cronicidad, con especial atención a la prevención de la enfermedad, con las consiguientes adapaciones en la organización de la estructuras y la formación de los profesionales sanitarios 3 . Todos estos cambios coincidieron en el tiempo con la transformación del papel del paciente sobre su salud pasando de una medicina centrada en las actuaciones y las decisiones de los profesionales sanitarios a una medicina centrada en los pacientes 4 donde estos son los protagonistas de su propia salud 5 .…”