scholarly journals The Australian health workforce:facts and futures

2000 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Duckett
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Health Costs ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Australian Health ◽  
Care Services

The quality of care received by a patient or consumer critically depends on the knowledge, skills and attitudes of thehealth workforce; the structure and functioning of the health workforce is critical to the structure and functioning ofthe health system overall. To a very large extent, diagnosis and treatment decisions call on the training and experienceof the health professional. The quality of the interaction between a patient or consumer depends on the interpersonaland technical skills of health professionals. In a sense, health workers are important to defining the very nature ofhealth care services. The importance of the health workforce is further highlighted by the fact that, as is typical of mostservice industries, labour accounts for a large proportion of health costs (around 80%).This paper provides an overview of the size and composition of the health workforce in Australia. It then reviewsthree segments of the workforce in more detail (medical, nursing and other health professionals) and reviewscontemporary policy issues affecting those groups.

scholarly journals Size, composition and distribution of health workforce in India: why, and where to invest?

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anup Karan ◽  
Himanshu Negandhi ◽  
Suhaib Hussain ◽  
Tomas Zapata ◽  
Dilip Mairembam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Labor Markets ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Human Resources For Health ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Medical Practitioner ◽  
Skewed Distribution ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Skill Mix

Abstract Background Investment in human resources for health not only strengthens the health system, but also generates employment and contributes to economic growth. India can gain from enhanced investment in health workforce in multiple ways. This study in addition to presenting updated estimates on size and composition of health workforce, identifies areas of investment in health workforce in India. Methods We analyzed two sources of data: (i) National Health Workforce Account (NHWA) 2018 and (ii) Periodic Labour Force Survey 2017–2018 of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). Using the two sources, we collated comparable estimates of different categories of health workers in India, density of health workforce and skill-mix at the all India and state levels. Results The study estimated (from NHWA 2018) a total stock of 5.76 million health workers which included allopathic doctors (1.16 million), nurses/midwives (2.34 million), pharmacist (1.20 million), dentists (0.27 million), and traditional medical practitioner (AYUSH 0.79 million). However, the active health workforce size estimated (NSSO 2017–2018) is much lower (3.12 million) with allopathic doctors and nurses/midwives estimated as 0.80 million and 1.40 million, respectively. Stock density of doctor and nurses/midwives are 8.8 and 17.7, respectively, per 10,000 persons as per NHWA. However, active health workers’ density (estimated from NSSO) of doctor and nurses/midwives are estimated to be 6.1 and 10.6, respectively. The numbers further drop to 5.0 and 6.0, respectively, after accounting for the adequate qualifications. All these estimates are well below the WHO threshold of 44.5 doctor, nurses and midwives per 10,000 population. The results reflected highly skewed distribution of health workforce across states, rural–urban and public–private sectors. A substantial proportion of active health worker were found not adequately qualified on the one hand and on the other more than 20% of qualified health professionals are not active in labor markets. Conclusion India needs to invest in HRH for increasing the number of active health workers and also improve the skill-mix which requires investment in professional colleges and technical education. India also needs encouraging qualified health professionals to join the labor markets and additional trainings and skill building for already working but inadequately qualified health workers.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Education for Public Health: A Practical Foundation for Solidarity

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Perkiö ◽  
R Harrison ◽  
M Grivna ◽  
D Tao ◽  
C Evashwich
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Education ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Rigorous Evaluation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Professionals

Abstract Education is a key to creating solidary among the professionals who advance public health’s interdisciplinary mission. Our assumption is that if all those who work in public health shared core knowledge and the skills for interdisciplinary interaction, collaboration across disciplines, venues, and countries would be facilitated. Evaluation of education is an essential element of pedagogy to ensure quality and consistency across boundaries, as articulated by the UNESCO education standards. Our study examined the evaluation studies done by programs that educate public health professionals. We searched the peer reviewed literature published in English between 2000-2017 pertaining to the education of the public health workforce at a degree-granting level. The 2442 articles found covered ten health professions disciplines and had lead authors representing all continents. Only 86 articles focused on evaluation. The majority of the papers examined either a single course, a discipline-specific curriculum or a teaching method. No consistent methodologies could be discerned. Methods ranged from sophisticated regression analyses and trends tracked over time to descriptions of focus groups and interviews of small samples. We found that evaluations were primarily discipline-specific, lacked rigorous methodology in many instances, and that relatively few examined competencies or career expectations. The public health workforce enjoys a diversity of disciplines but must be able to come together to share diverse knowledge and skills. Evaluation is critical to achieving a workforce that is well trained in the competencies pertinent to collaboration. This study informs the pedagogical challenges that must be confronted going forward, starting with a commitment to shared core competencies and to consistent and rigorous evaluation of the education related to training public health professionals. Key messages Rigorous evaluation is not sufficiently used to enhance the quality of public health education. More frequent use of rigorous evaluation in public health education would enhance the quality of public health workforce, and enable cross-disciplinary and international collaboration for solidarity.

Using Employer Purchasing Power to Improve the Quality of Perinatal Care

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 103 (Supplement_E1) ◽  
pp. 248-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne G. Castles ◽  
Arnold Milstein ◽  
Cheryl L. Damberg
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Perinatal Care ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Purchasing Power ◽  
Care Services

Large employers have become increasingly involved in helping to set the agenda for quality measurement and improvement. Moreover, they are beginning to hold health care organizations accountable for their performance through marketplace incentives, including the public reporting of comparative quality data and the linkage of reimbursement to performance on quality measures. The Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH) is an employer coalition that has been prominent in establishing models for collaborative quality measurement and improvement in the California marketplace. PBGH's involvement in quality stems from an environment in which purchasers were faced with high health care costs, yet virtually no information with which to assess the value their employees received from that care. Research indicating widespread variation in performance across health care organizations and seemingly limited oversight for quality of care within the industry has further motivated purchasers' efforts to better understand the quality of care being delivered to their em-ployees. Using the purchasing power of employers representing 2.5-million covered lives, PBGH endeavors to encourage the transition of the health care marketplace from one that competes solely on price to one that competes on price and quality. This entails collaborating with the health care industry to develop and publicly report valid performance data for use by both large employers and consumers of health care services. It also includes communicating to the marketplace purchasers' commitment to making purchasing decisions based on quality as well as cost. PBGH efforts to measure, report, and improve quality have been demonstrated by several undertakings in the perinatal care arena, including research to assess cesarean section rates and newborn readmission rates across California hospitals. employer coalition, purchaser, quality measurement, quality improvement, report cards, perinatal quality of care.

Letter to the Editor

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 926-927
Author(s):  
Ralph I. Fried
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Child Behavior ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Emotional Problems ◽  
Routine Care ◽  
Parental Concerns ◽  
Life Saving

I gratefully accept your invitation to comment on the letter by Dr. Pick on allied health workers in the private practice of pediatrics. I support Dr. Pick in his statement that this would constitute a regression in the quality of care offered to our children. Dr. Charles A. Janeway remarked in 1957 that during his career the practice of pediatrics had reversed itself from 80% life-saving and 20% routine care, to the opposite figures, so that pediatricians have had to deal increasingly with parental concerns about child behavior and emotional problems.

Factors that contribute to high-quality clinical supervision of the rural allied health workforce: lessons from the coalface

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priya Martin ◽  
Katherine Baldock ◽  
Saravana Kumar ◽  
Lucylynn Lizarondo
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Supervision ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Allied Health Professionals ◽  
Remote Health ◽  
Rural And Remote Health

Objective The aim of this study was to identify the factors contributing to high-quality clinical supervision of the allied health workforce in rural and remote settings. Methods This quantitative study was part of a broader project that used a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. Participants were 159 allied health professionals from two Australian states. Quantitative data were collected using an online customised survey and the Manchester Clinical Supervision Scale (MCSS-26). Data were analysed using regression analyses. Results Supervisee’s work setting and choice of supervisor were found to have a positive and significant influence on clinical supervision quality. Supervisee profession and time in work role were found to have a negative and significant influence on the quality of clinical supervision. Conclusions High-quality clinical supervision is essential to achieve quality and safety of health care, as well as to support the health workforce. Information on high-quality clinical supervision identified in this study can be applied to clinical supervision practices in rural and remote settings, and to professional support policies and training to enhance the quality of supervision. What is known about the topic? There is mounting evidence on the benefits of clinical supervision to health professionals, organisations and patients. Clinical supervision enhances recruitment and retention of the health workforce. However, there are still gaps regarding the factors that contribute to high-quality clinical supervision, especially for rural and remote health professionals. What does this paper add? This study, the first of its kind, recruited rural and remote health professionals from seven allied health disciplines across two Australian states. It investigated the factors that influence high-quality clinical supervision in this under-resourced group. This paper outlines specific factors that contribute to clinical supervision quality for rural and remote allied health professionals. What are the implications for practitioners? Effective and high-quality clinical supervision of the rural and remote allied health workforce can enhance recruitment and retention in those areas. Healthcare organisations can facilitate effective clinical supervision delivery by using the evidence gathered in this study in clinical supervision policy, training and practice.

scholarly journals Birth Companions, Health workers perspective: Mixed Method Study in St. Paul’s Hospital and Millennium Medical College and its Catchment Centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kidist Gizachew ◽  
Tewodros Getinet ◽  
Delayehu Bekele
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Child Birth ◽  
Medical College

Abstract Background: Birth companions have been shown to improve quality of care provided to laboring women. Various studies have shown the benefits of companion during child birth. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of health care providers towards the involvement of birth companions during child birth in St Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) and its selected catchment health centers. Methods: The study used a cross-sectional study which was supplemented by qualitative study design which employed phenomenological design was conducted using in depth interview of health care providers who were on practice during the study period in SPHMMC. Result: The study included a total 58 health care providers. The finding from the study showed that great proportion of health care providers involved in the study (90 %) have positive attitude towards involvement of birth companions but majority 82.4 % didn’t allow birth companions. The commonest reasons mentioned for not involving companions include fear of breach of privacy, interference with routine medical care and risk of litigation/complaints.Conclusion and Recommendation: The findings from this study showed that majority of the health care providers are against the practice of involving birth companions. Since involvement of birth companions is one way to ensure the quality of care provided there should be an effort to increase the knowledge of health professionals on benefits of birth companions. There is also a need for improvement of the work setup. Simple measures like providing screens, providing separate rooms for laboring and post-partum women will have a significant impact on the quality of care provided.

Policies on Telemedicine-Enhanced Hospital Services

2013 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Angelo Rossi Mori ◽  
Mariangela Contenti ◽  
Rita Verbicaro
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Patient Engagement ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Comparative Assessment ◽  
Care Provision ◽  
Conceptual Frame ◽  
Care Processes

Modern telemedicine offers to hospitals a whole range of opportunities to improve the appropriateness of their care provision, to offer new services to primary care and to contribute to patient engagement. In this chapter, the authors briefly discuss their approach to facilitate the collaborative production of region-wide telemedicine roadmaps involving the hospitals, explicitly based on national and regional healthcare strategic priorities. In addition, as an operational contribution to support their approach, they introduce a conceptual frame for evaluating and prioritizing multiple ICT-enhanced innovation interventions, within an all-inclusive plan. The proposed frame captures relevant evaluation criteria belonging to four broad categories: the systemic benefits related to the quality of care; direct economic factors; the cultural viability; and the technological feasibility. As an example, the authors simulate an application of our conceptual frame to the comparative assessment of three kinds of telemedicine-enhanced interventions: (i) to improve the care processes driven by the hospital, (ii) to support health professionals, and (iii) to promote citizen’s engagement.

scholarly journals Beyond coverage: a qualitative study exploring the perceived impact of Gabon’s health insurance plan on access to and quality of prenatal care

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N’doh Ashken Sanogo ◽  
Arone Wondwossen Fantaye ◽  
Sanni Yaya
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Compulsory Health Insurance

Abstract Background Access to affordable and adequate healthcare in a health system determines the universal health coverage achievement for all residents in a country. Achieving access to healthcare requires the availability of a financing system that ensures access to and provision of adequate care, regardless of the ability to pay. In sub-Saharan Africa, accessibility, use and coverage of prenatal visits are very low and poor, which reduces the quality of care. This paper explored the impact of a social health insurance scheme on the quality of antenatal care in Gabon. Methods This qualitative study involved the analysis of data collected from semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations to assess the quality of antenatal care. The study elicited perceptions on the demand side (pregnant women) and the supply side (health professionals) in health facilities. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with pregnant women (aged between 15 and 49) and 5 with health professionals, who each had a seniority of at least 10 years, at different levels of care. Nine non-participant observations were also conducted. Coded transcripts were reviewed and analyzed using the Canadian Institute for Public Administration of Citizen-Centered Services model as an analytical guide. Results On the demand side, women were generally satisfied with the prenatal services they receive in health facilities. However, complaints were made about the rudeness of some nurses, the high price of the delivery kit (50,000 XAF), and the fact that some essential medicines for maternity are not covered. On the supply side, participants agreed that compulsory health insurance is important in providing antenatal care access to those who need it the most. However, some problems remain. The participants outlined some logistical problems and a lack of medical equipment, including the stock of drugs, disinfectants, and the absence of clean water. Conclusion Understanding the perceptions of pregnant women and health professionals regarding the quality of antenatal care can help to inform refinements to methods through which the services can be better provided. In addition, the study findings are vital to increasing the use of care, as well as combating high maternal mortality rates. Compulsory health insurance has improved the accessibility and utilization of healthcare services and has contributed to improved quality of care.

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