Premium
METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN MEDICAL WORKFORCE ANALYSIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR REGIONAL AUSTRALIA
Author(s) -
Hays Richard B.,
Veitch P. Craig,
Franklin Lucy,
Crossland Lisa
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
australian journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.48
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1440-1584
pISSN - 1038-5282
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1584.1998.tb00278.x
Subject(s) - workforce , clarity , workforce planning , perspective (graphical) , interpretation (philosophy) , population , public relations , business , political science , medicine , economic growth , computer science , environmental health , economics , biochemistry , chemistry , artificial intelligence , programming language
Medical workforce data have a profound impact on health policy formulation, but derived doctor population ratios (DPR) are often more relevant to plotting national trends than providing a detailed regional or local workforce perspective. Regional workforce data may be more useful if national approaches are augmented by local information. In developing a detailed workforce analysis for one region of Australia, the authors encountered several challenging methodological issues, including the accuracy of medical workforce databases, clarity of definition of community boundaries, interpretation of workforce definitions and the difficulty accounting for local community needs. This paper discusses the implications for regional workforce research.