Integrating competency analysis into national rehabilitation workforce evaluation: a case study

Area of Science:

• Health Workforce Planning and Policy
• Rehabilitation Sciences
• Occupational Competency Analysis

Background:

• Effective healthcare delivery relies on a competent workforce, necessitating robust evaluation methods.
• Traditional health workforce evaluation methods like labor market analysis and workload estimations lack competency assessment.
• Competency analysis offers insights into workforce composition, optimization, and training needs for improved healthcare planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of integrating competency analysis into national rehabilitation workforce evaluation.
• To determine the perceived added value of competency analysis for shaping rehabilitation workforce planning.
• To explore the potential of competency analysis in guiding workforce composition and education.

Main Methods:

• A case study approach was employed in Poland.
• Participant observation was combined with key informant interviews.
• Experts from policy, education, research, clinical practice, and professional associations were engaged.

Main Results:

• Competency analysis integration is feasible, especially with online platform support.
• Experts found competency analysis valuable for understanding rehabilitation roles, task allocation, and advocating for workforce strengthening.
• Findings highlight the need for broader data collection and suggest competency data can foster inter-occupational cooperation in policy and planning.

Conclusions:

• Competency analysis complements traditional workforce evaluation methods by adding depth to performance and self-perception understanding.
• It provides richer data to guide decisions on workforce composition, optimization, and education.
• This approach enhances the understanding of workforce deficiencies and their impact on care provision.