Health workforce monitoring in Portugal: Does it support strategic planning and policy-making?. Issue 3 (March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Correia, Tiago; Gomes, Inês; Nunes, Patrícia; Dussault, Gilles
• Is Part Of: Health policy. Volume 124:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 303
• Page End: 310
• Publication Date: 2020-03
• Subjects: Scoping review -- Health workforce -- Monitoring -- Planning -- Portugal; Medical education -- Periodicals; Medical policy -- Periodicals; Delivery of Health Care -- Periodicals; Education, Medical -- Periodicals; Health Education -- Periodicals; Health Planning -- Periodicals; Public Policy -- Periodicals; Enseignement médical -- Périodiques; Politique sanitaire -- Périodiques; Medical education; Medical policy; Periodicals; Electronic journals; Electronic journals; 362.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2019.12.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0168-8510

Abstract

Highlights: Health workforce monitoring is a precondition for strategic planning and policy-making. More attention to workforce data quality, comparability and availability is required. In Portugal the data is insufficient, not used and lacks analysis. Recommendations to improve health workforce monitoring are offered. Abstract: The quality of the available information on Human Resources for Health (HRH) is critical to planning strategically the future workforce needs. This article aims to assess HRH monitoring in Portugal: the data availability, comparability and quality. A scoping review of academic literature was conducted, which included 76 empirical studies. The content analysis was guided by the World Health Organization 'AAAQ framework' that covers availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of the health workforce. The analysis identified three types of problems affecting HRH monitoring in Portugal: insufficient data, the non-use of available data, and the general lack of analysis of the HRH situation. As a consequence, the data availability, comparability and quality is poor, and therefore HRH monitoring in Portugal makes strategic planning of the future health workforce difficult. Recommendations to improve HRH monitoring include: 1) make data collection aligned with the standardized indicators and guidelines by the Joint Eurostat-OECD-World Health Organization questionnaire on Non-Monetary Health Care Statistics; 2) cover the whole workforce, which includes professions, sectors and services; 3) create a mechanism of permanent monitoring and analysis of HRH at the country level.