Health workforce and labour market dynamics in OECD high-income countries: a synthesis of recent analyses and simulations of future supply and requirements

Overview

The backbone of any health-care system is the human resources who deliver care. Thus, human resources for health (HRH) planning has a direct impact on the functioning of health-care systems, which are critical to ensuring a healthy population. According to one of the early seminal texts on the subject, HRH planning is,

the process of estimating the number of persons and the kind of knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to achieve predetermined health targets and ultimately health status objectives. Such planning also involves specifying who is going to do what, when, where, how, and with what resources for what population groups or individuals so that the knowledge and skills necessary for the adequate performance can be made available according to predetermined policies and time schedules. This planning must be a continuing and not a sporadic process, and it requires continuous monitoring and evaluation. (Mejía & Fülöp, 1978).