Time Trends in the Regional Distribution of Physicians, Nurses and Midwives in Europe
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 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 15 European countries 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: 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 variation and varied up to 4.5-fold both for physicians and 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 tends to be higher in more sparsely populated areas. Conclusions. The large variation in workforce supply at regional levels highlights the importance for countries to routinely collect data at sub-national geographic areas in order for workforce planners, employers, educators and others to develop policies and initiatives that may impact supply of health professionals at regional levels.