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Health workforce governance in Italy
Giovanna Vicarelli1, Emmanuele Pavolini2
1DISES, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Piazzale Martelli, 8, 60100 Ancona (AN), Italy.
Health Policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|October 17, 2015
Summary
Italy faces a potential doctor shortage due to an aging physician workforce. Current health workforce planning is inadequate, requiring multi-professional approaches and stakeholder cooperation for better governance.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Public Health Policy
- Health Workforce Planning
Background:
- Italy's healthcare system is characterized by a doctor-centered approach.
- A significant aging of the physician labor force presents a critical challenge.
- Historical physician entry patterns in the 1970s and 1980s contribute to the current demographic imbalance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reasons behind Italy's potential medium-term doctor reduction without skill mix rebalancing.
- To assess the effectiveness of the Italian healthcare system's capacity for health workforce needs planning.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of statistical data.
- Review of official healthcare planning documents.
- Interviews with key informants in the Italian healthcare sector.
Main Results:
- The aging physician population is a consequence of past recruitment trends.
- Factors such as institutional fragmentation, reform difficulties, political instability, and austerity hinder effective health workforce planning.
- Recent developments suggest potential improvements in planning and forecasting.
Conclusions:
- Improved health workforce governance requires addressing the aging physician demographic.
- Enhanced cooperation among diverse stakeholders is essential for effective planning.
- Transitioning to multi-professional health workforce planning and partial re-centralization of decision-making are recommended strategies.
