HUMAN RESOURCE IN HEALTHCARE

Human Resource in Healthcare



Human Resource in Healthcare

Introduction

Human beings are the most important resources in health care. Machines and gadgets which are integral parts of health care require the human touch, expertise, and commitment for their full utility and application in delivery of health care. Therefore planning of human resources is the key to any health care provision. The objective of human resource (HR) policy is to a) attract, recruit, retain and develop competent personnel and b) create a continuously learning health care organisation.

Human resources: a cornerstone in health care

In an era of rising health expenditures in developed countries, the management of human resources is a key issue. Human resources occupy a central position in any health care system3 and health budgets are mostly allocated to wages. In the WHO European Region, the share of total public health expenditure allocated to salaries in 2000 ranges from 17 % in the Czech Republic to 71 % in Cyprus (68 % in Denmark, 59 % in the Netherlands). The health market hires an important proportion of the workforce: in 2001, total health employment as a percentage of overall employment ranged between 1.8 % in Mexico to 10.3 % in Switzerland and Germany (Simoens, 2004, 167).

Therefore, the demography of human resources for health care is strongly influenced by the general demography. In 2000, 10.7 % of the Swiss GDP was devoted to health expenditures. Many methods aim at estimating the supply and demand of health personnel and services. One simple and widespread method is based on a population to workforce ratio. This normative approach is not recommended for planning. It does not take into account the productivity of physicians, neither the evolution of technology, nor the epidemiological changes (Crivelli, 2003, 397).

Health workforce shortage: a multidimensional issue

Another dimension should be taken into account in any evaluation of the workforce supply: a shortage of human resources can be absolute or relative. An absolute shortage would refer to an insufficient total number of workers to meet the needs, or to reach a reference level. A relative shortage would mean that absolute numbers of workers are high and acceptable according to international standards, but that the services they deliver are not adequate: in other words, under specific conditions, the medical needs of the population can be neglected even with an adequate supply of health professionals. Services delivered (but not covered by basic ...