Impact of the doctor deficit on hospital management in Poland: A mixed-method study

The primary objective was to assess the scale and consequences of the doctor deficit in Poland with the main focus on hospital care providers. To provide the background for the above, an analysis of the system level responses to the problem was also conducted.

A mixed-method approach was used. We triangulated data collected using 3 methods: (1) a literature review, (2) an analysis of the national statistical databases, and (3) in-depth interviews with hospital managers.

Poland is characterized by the lowest number of physicians per 1000 population in the European Union (2.3 in 2015). Also, the age structure of the doctor working population constitutes an alarming factor (in 2015, approx. 48% of all practicing doctors and 61% of specialists were above 50). In recent years, numerous hospitals were forced to cease provision of specific services and/or close wards due to the doctor deficit. The high competition in employing doctors and pressure for wage increases puts hospital managers in situations where they must often choose between securing service provision (by offering higher wages for doctors) and maintaining the hospital's positive financial outcome (by containing costs).

In Poland, the long-term neglect of health workforce planning at the system level (there is neither a dedicated structure nor a formal strategy) has contributed to the current doctor deficit crisis. From the hospital managers' perspective, who are on the frontline of the problem impact, urgent solutions are needed that would at least alleviate its scale in the short term.