Supply and demand in the physician workforce: an integrative review

The medical profession faces multiple challenges worldwide in the 21st century. This integrative review of the literature published between 2014 to 2018 on supply and demand in the health care labor market was based on a search of the SciELO, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (Virtual Health Library), and MEDLINE databases, in addition to specific periodicals in the area of Health Economics. The final sample included 21 studies, 13 of which were related to workforce supply and 8 to demand. Physicians reported that work satisfaction was an important factor in accepting a job offer, including being close to their family, working with colleagues in the same specialty, and the possibility of career advancement. For health system users, a fundamental question is how to resolve the unequal distribution of physicians.