Planning for Canada's health workforce; past, present and present

Area of Science:

• Health Services Management
• Healthcare Workforce Planning
• Human Resources in Healthcare

Background:

• Healthcare human resources are often viewed as simple inputs, neglecting their role as the core product in service enterprises.
• Existing approaches to health human resources planning are insufficient and data alone cannot resolve these challenges.
• A critical gap exists in defining healthcare workforce needs based on service delivery models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for a paradigm shift in healthcare workforce planning.
• To emphasize the need for service delivery models centered on healthcare professionals.
• To address the escalating shortage of healthcare workers.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of healthcare service delivery.
• Framework development for workforce planning based on professional roles.
• Examination of factors influencing career choices in health services.

Main Results:

• Current planning models fail to adequately address the complexities of healthcare human resources.
• A service-delivery-centric model is essential for accurate workforce needs assessment.
• Failure to adapt planning strategies will exacerbate healthcare worker shortages.

Conclusions:

• Rethinking healthcare human resources planning is imperative.
• Models must be built around professional healthcare workers and their service delivery roles.
• Proactive strategic planning is necessary to attract and retain talent in the healthcare sector.