scholarly journals Regulating the health workforce in Europe: implications of the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitra Panteli ◽  
Claudia B. Maier
Keyword(s):  
Continuing Education ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Usual Practice ◽  
Professional Mobility ◽  
Workforce Flexibility ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
Future Policy ◽  
Flexible Mechanisms

AbstractIn the European free movement zone, various mechanisms aim to harmonize how the competence of physicians and nurses is developed and maintained to facilitate the cross-country movement of professionals. This commentary addresses these mechanisms and discusses their implications during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing lessons for future policy. It argues that EU-wide regulatory mechanisms should be reviewed to ensure that they provide an adequate foundation for determining competence and enabling health workforce flexibility during health system shocks. Currently, EU regulation focuses on the automatic recognition of the primary education of physicians and nurses. New, flexible mechanisms should be developed for specializations, such as intensive or emergency care. Documenting new skills, such as the ones acquired during rapid training in the pandemic, in a manner that is comparable across countries should be explored, both for usual practice and in light of outbreak preparedness. Initiatives to strengthen continuing education and professional development should be supported further. Funding under the EU4Health programme should be dedicated to this endeavour, along with revisiting the scope of necessary skills following the experience of COVID-19. Mechanisms for cross-country sharing of information on violations of good practice standards should be maintained and strengthened to enable agile reactions when the need for professional mobility becomes urgent.

scholarly journals Time trends in the regional distribution of physicians, nurses and midwives in Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane Winkelmann ◽  
Ulrike Muench ◽  
Claudia B. Maier
Keyword(s):  
Health Workforce ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Time Trends ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Physician Density ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
Nurses And Midwives ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Distribution Of Physicians

Abstract Background Country-level data suggest large differences in the supply of health professionals among European countries. However, little is know about the regional supply of health professionals taking a cross-country comparative perspective. The aim of the study was to analyse the regional distribution of physicians, nurses and midwives in the highest and lowest density regions in Europe and examine time trends. Methods We used Eurostat data and descriptive statistics to assess the density of physicians, nurses and midwives at national and regional levels (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 2 regions) for 2017 and time trends (2005–2017). To ensure cross-country comparability we applied a set of criteria (working status, availability over time, geographic availability, source). This resulted in 14 European Union (EU) countries and Switzerland being available for the physician analysis and eight countries for the nurses and midwives analysis. Density rates per population were analysed at national and NUTS 2 level, of which regions with the highest and lowest density of physicians, nurses and midwives were identified. We examined changes over time in regional distributions, using percentage change and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). Results There was a 2.4-fold difference in the physician density between the highest and lowest density countries (Austria national average: 513, Poland 241.6 per 100,000) and a 3.5-fold difference among nurses (Denmark: 1702.5, Bulgaria: 483.0). Differences by regions across Europe were higher than cross-country variations and varied up to 5.5-fold for physicians and 4.4-fold for nurses/midwives and did not improve over time. Capitals and/or major cities in all countries showed a markedly higher supply of physicians than more sparsely populated regions while the density of nurses and midwives tended to be higher in more sparsely populated areas. Over time, physician rates increased faster than density levels of nurses and midwives. Conclusions The study shows for the first time the large variation in health workforce supply at regional levels and time trends by professions across the European region. This highlights the importance for countries to routinely collect data in sub-national geographic areas to develop integrated health workforce policies for health professionals at regional levels.

Residential facilities project in Cuba: An original working model

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S519-S519
Author(s):  
A. Vaccaro ◽  
M.J. Brito Broche ◽  
M.I. Capote ◽  
C.B. Borrego Calzadilla ◽  
C. Mencacci
Keyword(s):  
Continuing Education ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Time Space ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Competing Interest

Psychiatry must have among its main aims to reintegrate in their own environment of life people with psychotic disorders, personality disorders and other serious disorder of the psychic sphere. We must be able to operate in places built ad hoc, that is, where time, space and procedures are marked with certainty and, as much as possible, managed firsthand. The environment must be constructed or modified in such a way as to make it unlikely the failure or discomfort. Patients also need to be strengthened in their ability to integrate in their environment and in the ability to cope with various life events. The goal is to transfer a first group of patients from large psychiatric hospital of La Habana to the territory, specifically in 2–3 already identified communities, to realize the rehabilitation projects that in 3–4 years can bring patients selected at their home or, alternatively, at self-managed apartments. The reference model of rehabilitative interventions is multimodal. The model explains the onset, course, prognosis and social functioning of the major mental disorders as a complex and mutually conditioning relation between biological, environmental and behavioural. The results will be evaluated over the next three years and will be the subject of future publications. A good practice cannot disengage from safe theoretical and methodological references. To show clearly and verifiably their work, operators must be trained before and during all phases of work, a job training, continuing education, which has as its primary objective the descriptive clarity and verifiability of results.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals The Humanitarian Action Qualifications Framework: a quality assurance tool for the Humanitarian Sector

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastiaan L. Aardema ◽  
Cristina Churruca Muguruza
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Humanitarian Action ◽  
European Universities ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Professional Mobility ◽  
Increasing Demand

The article presents the European Universities on Professionalisation on Humanitarian Action (EUPRHA) Project as an initiative that seeks to contribute to the professionalisation and quality assurance of the humanitarian sector. Its purpose is to explain the approach and the process leading to the development of the Humanitarian Action Qualifications Framework as an example of good practice for other sectors aiming at improving the recognition of qualifications as a precondition of academic and professional mobility. With this aim, it introduces the educational and humanitarian trends that led to this project: the move from transnational qualifications frameworks of which the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF) is the best example to sectoral qualifications frameworks and the increasing demand from the sector seeking to determine the competencies and required skills of a professional humanitarian aid worker. Based on the EQF and the Tuning methodology the framework will act as a translating device to make national and sectoral qualifications more readable and promote humanitarian workers’ and learners’ mobility between countries and organisations. It will facilitate inter-system transparency and recognition of (non-)formal and informal learning by linking occupations, skills, competences, and qualifications, thus benefiting the Humanitarian Sector as a whole.

ON THE ISSUE OF URBAN PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION. THE EXPERIENCE OF FRANCE 2000-2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-26
Author(s):  
SOFYA Ya. ISLEEVA
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Town Planning ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
Subsequent Application ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Flexible Mechanisms ◽  
Working Mechanisms

Mechanisms of city regulation are always complex and affect many areas of society. The concept of regulation itself should take into account both real needs and strategic goals, as well as the possibilities of the tools for its subsequent application. It is obvious that these mechanisms cannot be universal for different territories and political entities, and their functioning requires a developed administrative and legal base. It is worth noting that often local requests are in conflict with global geopolitical tasks, the implementation of which has certain risks and does not guarantee the same success in individual territories. Even in a relatively small area of France, it is difficult to develop equally effective universal regulatory mechanisms. The task of the reform started in the 1980s. in France, there was a process of decentralization of the administrative system in order to develop the most flexible mechanisms of territorial regulation. The changes that followed in the legislation on gradoregulation (Code de l’urbanisme) formed the legal framework of territorial relations, while the direct tools are created in hierarchically coordinated local entities - from region to city. Such a solution is intended to form working mechanisms for regulating the environment with possible consideration of all levels of interests, sometimes overlapping and contradictory. The article discusses the hierarchical system of urban regulation, currently used in France, highlights its strategic objectives, as well as the issues of the direct application of these regulations in practice: • principles for the development of local city regulatory documents and their main characteristics, • composition of town planning documentation, • main tools and features of the application of urban planning documentation. The article also addresses the problems of the functioning of urban planning documentation in the context of complex and controversial issues related to renovation, revalorization of individual territories, and negative public att itudes.

scholarly journals Preferred modalities for delivering continuing education to the public health workforce: a scoping review

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 116-125
Author(s):  
Anya Archer ◽  
Isha Berry ◽  
Uttam Bajwa ◽  
Robyn Kalda ◽  
Erica Di Ruggiero
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Public Health Training ◽  
Scoping Reviews

Introduction Continuing education (CE) can help public health professionals maintain and further develop their knowledge and skills to adapt to the changing public health landscape. This scoping review aims to identify the preferred modalities for delivering CE to public health professionals and to determine how equity has been incorporated into public health training. Methods Using the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews as a guide, we searched four databases for peer-reviewed primary research studies that evaluated public health workforce CE modalities. Results The review included 33 studies published between 1 January 2000 and 6 August 2019 from over 11 countries. Most articles broadly described their training audience as public health professionals employed by government or non-governmental organizations. Delivery methods included online, in-person or blended learning (combining online and in-person instruction). Learners strongly preferred self-directed approaches. Organizational support, including protected time for professional development during work hours, was an important enabler of training completion. Commonly cited barriers included course duration and a high number of contact hours. Conclusion Findings suggest that there is no single preferred training modality. We identified three elements that influence modality preference: design, delivery and organizational support. Modality should be determined by participants’ location, needs and previous experiences to ensure the content is relevant and delivered in a way that equips learners to apply the knowledge gained.

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