Professional staffing in Speech-Language Pathology: challenges and perspectives within the SUS context

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Public Health Policy
• Speech-Language Pathology Workforce Analysis

Background:

• Effective healthcare workforce planning is crucial for meeting public health needs.
• Speech-Language Pathology services are integral to comprehensive healthcare within public systems.
• Existing planning models may not adequately address the specific demands of Speech-Language Pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel methodology for Speech-Language Pathology workforce planning within the Unified Health System (SUS).
• To align workforce planning with population health requirements and national health guidelines.
• To establish a framework for optimizing Speech-Language Pathology service delivery.

Main Methods:

• Conducted an extensive literature review on healthcare workforce planning, focusing on Speech-Language Pathology.
• Defined preliminary staffing parameters based on demand, supply, and public policy analysis.
• Formulated a flowchart and a preliminary equation for workforce planning.

Main Results:

• Identified key variables for workforce planning, including population needs and service types for demand.
• Assessed supply based on professional working hours and productivity.
• Developed a calculation incorporating population served, health needs, procedure types, follow-up frequency, and session duration.

Conclusions:

• Workforce planning is essential for matching Speech-Language Pathology service supply with population demand.
• The proposed methodology can enhance the organization of care pathways and service effectiveness.
• Adequate planning ensures equitable access to Speech-Language Pathology services within the SUS.