Tackling the primary healthcare workforce crisis: time to talk about health systems and governance—a comparative assessment of nine countries in the WHO European region
2024

Addressing the Primary Healthcare Workforce Crisis in Europe

Sample size: 9 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Ellen Kuhlmann, Michelle Falkenbach, Monica Georgina Brînzac, Tiago Correia, Maria Panagioti, Bernd Rechel, Anna Sagan, Milena Santric-Milicevic, Marius-Ionuț Ungureanu, Iris Wallenburg, Viola Burau

Primary Institution: Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main

Hypothesis

How can health systems and governance approaches help address the healthcare workforce crisis in primary healthcare across nine European countries?

Conclusion

Aligning primary healthcare and workforce considerations within the broader health system context may help improve resilience in both areas.

Supporting Evidence

  • Primary healthcare has been a focal point of discussions in various WHO meetings.
  • Denmark, the Netherlands, and Kazakhstan show closer alignment to the ideal primary healthcare model.
  • Disparities persist in education and data availability across different healthcare systems.

Takeaway

This study looks at how different countries in Europe are handling the shortage of healthcare workers in primary care and suggests that better organization and support can help fix the problem.

Methodology

A qualitative comparative methodology was employed, conducting a rapid assessment of the primary healthcare workforce across nine countries.

Potential Biases

Potential biases may arise from the reliance on expert opinions and the qualitative nature of the study.

Limitations

The study relies on expert information and secondary sources, and the selected countries are not exhaustive.

Participant Demographics

The study includes healthcare systems from Denmark, Germany, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/s12960-024-00965-2

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