Planning

Models and Tools for Health Workforce Planning and Projections

The objective of this paper is to take stock of the available methods and tools for health workforce planning and projections, and to describe the processes and resources needed to undertake such an exercise. [from introduction]

Costing the Scaling-Up of Human Resources for Health: Lessons from Mozambique and Guinea Bissau

This paper reports on two separate experiences of human resources development plans costing in Mozambique and Guinea Bissau to provide insight into the practice of costing exercises in information-poor settings and contribute to the existing debate on HRH costing methodologies. [adapted from abstract]

Meeting Human Resources for Health Staffing Goals by 2018: a Quatitatvie Analysis of Policy Options in Zambia

The MOH has developed a human resources for health strategic plan to address the health workforce crisis through improved training, hiring, and retention. This study used a model to forecast the size of the public sector health workforce in Zambia over the next ten years to identify a combination of interventions that would expand the workforce to meet staffing targets. [adapted from abstract]

Finding Affordable Health Workforce Targets in Low-Income Nations

The World Health Organization has suggested a minimum target for all countries: 2.3 health professionals per 1,000 people. Many countries cannot afford to meet the target; in fact, funding the proposed number of health workers would require some countries to devote 50 percent of their gross domestic product to health. We offer an alternative solution that would allow governments to set targets that are realistic and achievable within their financial constraints. [from abstract]

Assessing Financing, Education, Management and Policy Context for Strategic Planning of Human Resources for Health

This document contains a method for assessing the financial, educational and management systems and policy context, essential for strategic planning and policy development for human resources for health. This tool has been developed as an evidence-based comprehensive diagnostic aid to inform policy-making in low and middle income countries in regard to human resources for health. [from introduction]

Assessment of Human Resources for Health: Survey Instruments and Guide to Administration

This document is intended to help countries to identify appropriate human resource interventions, by making it possible to see how the current health workforce is distributed within and between public and private sectors, areas of specialization and level of care. It is proposed that a common approach be used to collect data in a number of areas, including workforce demographics and planning, staffing distribution, remuneration of health workers and skill mix. [from author]

Human Resources for Health and Aid Effectiveness Study in Mozambique

This report presents the results and conclusions of a case study conducted within the broader context of assessing resource flows into the development of human resources for health (HRH). Using the example of Mozambique, it examines whether the emerging policy focus on aid effectiveness responds to the evident needs in scaling up HRH. [from publisher]

Human Resources for Health and World Bank Operations in Africa

The purpose of the present paper is to shed light on the treatment of health workforce issues under health sector investments by the World Bank and its African country borrowers and their project agencies. [from introduction]

Nurse Labor and Education Markets in the English-Speaking CARICOM: Issues and Options for Reform

The chief objective of this research was to produce a comprehensive assessment of the nurse labor and education markets of the English-speaking Caribbean community (CARICOM). [adapted from summary]

Model Linking Clinical Workforce Skill Mix Planning to Health and Health Care Dynamics

This paper presents a structural map of a health system based on a synthesis of a needs-based analytic framework and a supply side framework, showing the interactive connections between its major components, which could be expanded at a later date to show the linkages between the tasks performed by a health workforce and the cadres of personnel that could supply those tasks. [adapted from author]

General Practitioner Workforce Planning: Assessment of Four Policy Directions

This study uses Ireland as a case study to determine the future demand and supply of general practitioners and to assess the potential impact of several possible interventions to address future shortages. [from abstract]

Emerging Opportunities for Recruiting and Retaining a Rural Health Workforce through Decentralized Health Financing Systems

This paper looks at the potential for decentralization to lead to better health workforce recruitment, performance and retention in rural areas through the creation of additional revenue for the health sector; better use of existing financial resources; and creation of financial incentives for health workers. [from introduction]

Nursing Human Resources in Kenya: Case Study

This report aims to outline the composition of the nursing workforce in Kenya, including recent trends and dynamics, and describes the involvement of stakeholders, both within and beyond Kenya, in the development of nursing and the nursing workforce. [from summary]

WISN: a Workforce Planning Tool with Unexpected Motivational Benefits

In Indonesia, a bottom-up workforce planning tool used with health workers directly has changed practice, realigned health workers’ roles, and increased motivation among staff. It shows how effective empowerment can be in the workplace. Workload Indicators of Staffing Need, or WISN, is straightforward and easily applied. [from author]

Calculating Human Resource Need

Who will you need, when will you need them, can you afford them? This toolkit, recently developed for use in Liberia, can substantially assist the process. [from author]

Planejamento de recursos humanos de enfermagem: desafio para as lideranças

Propõe-se um ensaio das questões que envolvem o planejamento de recursos humanos de enfermagem na área hospitalar em nossa realidade, abordando possíveis temas para futuras pesquisas. Traça-se uma retrospectiva da evolução das pesquisas sobre dimensionamento de pessoal no país e a incorporação de novos instrumentos para avaliação da carga de trabalho com base no grau de dependência dos pacientes e nas ações de cuidado.

Human Resource and Funding Constraints for Essential Surgery in District Hospitals in Africa: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Survey

While constrained health budgets and health worker shortages have been blamed for the low rates of surgery, there has been little empirical data on the providers of surgery and cost of surgical services in Africa. This study described the range of providers of surgical care and anesthesia and estimated the resources dedicated to surgery at district hospitals in three African countries. [from abstract]

Cost and Cost-Effectiveness of Smear-Positive Tuberculosis Treatment by Health Extension Workers in Southern Ethiopia: A Community Randomized Trial

In this study, we aimed to determine the cost and cost-effectiveness of involving health extension workers in tuberculosis treatment in Southern Ethiopia. This paper presents an ancillary cost-effectiveness analysis of data from a randomized control trial. [adapted from introduction]

Financing and Economic Aspects of Health Workforce Scale-Up and Improvement: Framework Paper

This paper identifies key considerations for countries and policymakers planning the financing of their health workforce, and is based on an extensive review and synthesis of the literature, research findings, and experience on the financing and economic aspects of health workforce scale-up and improvement. [from author]

What Countries Can Do Now: Twenty-Nine Actions to Scale-Up and Improve the Health Workforce

This document explains seven financing and economic issues that matter for health workforce scale-up and financing. It then states twenty-nine actions that policy-makers could take right away to address the issues, independent of any long-term HRH interventions in progress. [from introduction]

Evaluation of a Rapid Workforce Expansion Strategy: the Kenya Emergency Hiring Plan

This evaluation presents the results of a Kenyan emergency hiring plan (EHP) to quickly hire, train and deploy workers to high-need areas. The report presents the tracked hiring, training and deployment of all new hires compared to identified gaps. It also contains facility statistics and new hire and coworker feedback in a sample of ten facilities at baseline and every six months for period of three years. [adapted from summary]

Planning the Development of Human Resources for Health for Implementation of the Stop TB Strategy: a Handbook

This handbook provides background information on the current workforce situation in the health sector and summarizes the issues and challenges; introduces the HRH Action Framework and the Stop TB (tuberculosis) Strategy; applies the Framework to human resource development (HRD) for comprehensive TB control; describes how to prepare a strategic plan for HRD in support of comprehensive TB control; and gives a step-by-step guide on how to develop HRD plans based on the structures and processes described. [adapted from introduction]

Macroeconomic and Fiscal Issues in Scaling Up Human Resources for Health in Low-Income Countries

This background paper to the World Health Report 2006 discusses the fiscal and macroeconomic implications associated with scaling up health workforce capacity. While these general issues and concepts are relevant in all setting, the focus of the discussion is on low-income countries and sub-Saharan Africa in particular. [from publisher]

Will There Be Enough People to Care? Notes on Workforce Implications of Demographic Change 2005-2050

This background paper to the World Health Report 2006 aims to calculate the workforce implications of demographic changes by projecting future health workforces for developed economies, including Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America and Canada. [from publisher]

Measuring Expenditure for the Health Workforce: Evidence and Challenges

Managing health workforce expenditure requires the generation of evidence in order to support informed policy decisions. This background paper for the World Health Report 2006 takes a step forward in exploring HRH expenditures and presents the results of a first measurement for the health workforce in WHO Member States in the years 1998–2003. [from publisher]

Counting Health Workers: Definitions, Data, Methods and Global Results

This background paper to the World Health Report 2006 describes the approaches followed in assembling the global database as well as some preliminary analysis of the content of the source data. The broad picture of health workers worldwide is examined and some useful strategies for improving health workforce statistics are highlighted. [from publisher]

WISN Toolkit: Toolkit for Implementing Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) to Improve Health Workforce Planning and Management in Decentralized Health Systems

The Toolkit is adapted from the WHO WISN Manual. WISN has traditionally been in a top down approach with limited success, particularly when applying it within the context of a decentralized government system. It was recognized that a more innovative approach was required to implement the methodology successfully at decentralized levels. [from author]

National Trends in the United States of America Physician Assistant Workforce from 1980 to 2007

The physician assistant (PA) profession is a nationally recognized medical profession in the United States of America. The authors examined the 1980-2007 US census data to determine the demographic distribution of the PA workforce and PA-to-population relationships. Maps were developed to provide graphical display of the data. [adapted from abstract]

Health Workforce Development in the Cuban Health System

A well trained and well managed workforce is crucial for facilitating access to good quality health services. This brief article examines the development of the health workforce and the systems that support them in Cuba. [adapted from author]

Are Vaccination Programmes Delivered by Lay Health Workers Cost-Effective? A Systematic Review

This paper reviews the costs and cost-effectiveness of vaccination programme interventions involving lay or community health workers. [from abstract]