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The growing demand for cancer surgery has placed a global strain on health systems. In-depth analyses of the global demand for cancer surgery and optimal workforce requirements are needed to plan service provision. We estimated the global demand for cancer surgery and the requirements for an optimal surgical and anaesthesia workforce, using benchmarks based on clinical guidelines. Using models of benchmark surgical use based on clinical guidelines, we estimated the proportion of cancer cases with an indication for surgery across 183 countries, stratified by income group. These proportions were multiplied by age-adjusted national estimates of new cancer cases using GLOBOCAN 2018 data and then aggregated to obtain the estimated number of surgical procedures required globally. The numbers of cancer surgical procedures in 44 high-income countries were divided by the actual number of surgeons and anaesthetists in the respective countries to calculate cancer procedures per surgeon and anaesthetist ratios. Using the median (IQR) of these ratios as benchmarks, we developed a three-tiered optimal surgical and anaesthesia workforce matrix, and the predictions were extrapolated up to 2040. Our model estimates that the number of cancer cases globally with an indication for surgery will increase by 5 million procedures (52%) between 2018 (9 065 000) and 2040 (13 821 000). The greatest relative increase in surgical demand will occur in 34 low-income countries, where we also observed the largest gaps in workforce requirements. To match the median benchmark for high-income countries, the surgical workforce in these countries would need to increase by almost four times and the anaesthesia workforce by nearly 5·5 times. The greatest increase in optimal workforce requirements from 2018 to 2040 will occur in low-income countries (from 28 000 surgeons to 58 000 surgeons; 107% increase), followed by lower-middle-income countries (from 166 000 surgeons to 277 000 surgeons; 67% increase). The global demand for cancer surgery and the optimal workforce are predicted to increase over the next two decades and disproportionately affect low-income countries. These estimates provide an appropriate framework for planning the provision of surgical services for cancer worldwide. University of New South Wales Scientia Scholarship and UK Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund.

Despite efforts to mitigate a projected primary care physician (PCP) shortage required to meet an aging, growing, and increasingly insured population, shortages remain, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, growing inequity, and persistent underinvestment. We examined primary care workforce trends over the past decade and revisited projected primary care clinician workforce needs through the year 2040. Using data from the AMA Masterfile and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), we analyzed trends in the number of primary care physicians (PCPs) and in outpatient PCP visits by age and gender over the past decade. We then used the Medicare PECOS and Physician & Other Practitioners datasets to identify nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in primary care. Using these baseline clinician enumerations and projected population growth estimates from the US Census Bureau for the years 2020-2040, we calculated estimated primary care workforce needs by 2040. The effects of aging and population growth and baseline shortages in the primary care workforce call for significant increases in the primary care workforce to accommodate rising demands. Office visits to primary care clinicians are projected to increase from 773,606 in 2020 to 893,098 in 2040. We project a need for an additional 57,559 primary care clinicians by 2040. Workforce shortages in primary care continue to expand due to population aging, growth, and heightened rates of clinician burnout & egress.

Background There has been a growing imbalance between supply of dermatologists and demand for dermatologic care. To best address physician shortages, it is important to delineate supply and demand patterns in the dermatologic workforce. The goal of this study was to explore dermatology supply and demand over time. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of workforce supply and demand projections for dermatologists from 2021 to 2036 using data from the Health Workforce Simulation Model from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. Estimates for total workforce supply and demand were summarized in aggregate and stratified by rurality. Scenarios with status quo demand and improved access were considered. Results Projected total supply showed a 12.45% increase by 2036. Total demand increased 12.70% by 2036 in the status quo scenario. In the improved access scenario, total supply was inadequate for total demand in any year, lagging by 28% in 2036. Metropolitan areas demonstrated a relative supply surplus up to 2036; nonmetropolitan areas had at least a 157% excess in demand throughout the study period. In 2021 adequacy was 108% and 39% adequacy for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, respectively; these differences were projected to continue through 2036. Conclusions The findings suggest that the dermatology physician workforce is inadequate to meet the demand for dermatologic services in nonmetropolitan areas. Furthermore, improved access to dermatologic care would bolster demand and especially exacerbate workforce inadequacy in nonmetropolitan areas. Continued efforts are needed to address health inequities and ensure access to quality dermatologic care for all.

Although the promise of radionuclides for the diagnosis and treatment of disease was recognised soon after the discovery of radioactivity in the late 19th century, the systematic use of radionuclides in medicine only gradually increased over the subsequent hundred years. The past two decades, however, has seen a remarkable surge in the clinical application of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, particularly in oncology. This development is an exciting time for the use of theranostics in oncology, but the rapid growth of this area of nuclear medicine has created challenges as well. In particular, the infrastructure for the manufacturing and distribution of radiopharmaceuticals remains in development, and regulatory bodies are still optimising guidelines for this new class of drug. One issue of paramount importance for achieving equitable access to theranostics is building a sufficiently trained workforce in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries. Here, we discuss the key challenges and opportunities that face the field as it seeks to build its workforce for the 21st century.

Background The feminisation of the global health workforce presents a unique challenge for human resource policy and health sector reform which requires an explicit gender focus. Relatively little is known about changes in the gender composition of the health workforce and its impact on drivers of global health workforce dynamics such as wage conditions. In this article, we use a gender analysis to explore if the feminisation of the global health workforce leads to a deterioration of wage conditions in health. Methods We performed an exploratory, time series analysis of gender disaggregated WageIndicator data. We explored global gender trends, wage gaps and wage conditions over time in selected health occupations. We analysed a sample of 25 countries over 9 years between 2006 and 2014, containing data from 970,894 individuals, with 79,633 participants working in health occupations (48,282 of which reported wage data). We reported by year, country income level and health occupation grouping. Results The health workforce is feminising, particularly in lower- and upper-middle-income countries. This was associated with a wage gap for women of 26 to 36% less than men, which increased over time. In lower- and upper-middle-income countries, an increasing proportion of women in the health workforce was associated with an increasing gender wage gap and decreasing wage conditions. The gender wage gap was pronounced in both clinical and allied health professions and over lower-middle-, upper-middle- and high-income countries, although the largest gender wage gaps were seen in allied healthcare occupations in lower-middle-income countries. Conclusion These results, if a true reflection of the global health workforce, have significant implications for health policy and planning and highlight tensions between current, purely economic, framing of health workforce dynamics and the need for more extensive gender analysis. They also highlight the value of a more nuanced approach to health workforce planning that is gender sensitive, specific to countries’ levels of development, and considers specific health occupations.

AbstractObjectivesTo compare the numbers and characteristics of English general practitioner doctors (GPs) across publicly available data sources, and to examine trends in GP numbers relative to population growth and the specialist medical workforce in England.DesignRepeat cross sectional study.SettingThree national data sources, England, 2012-24: General Medical Council (GMC) GP and specialist registers; NHS England GP Performers List; and NHS England’s General Practice Workforce and NHS Workforce Statistics datasets.ParticipantsAll GMC licensed, fully qualified GPs in England.Main outcome measuresDifferences over time in total numbers and GP characteristics. Changes in the difference between GMC and NHS general practice GP numbers and characteristics, and analysis of trends relative to population size and equivalent data on specialist doctors.ResultsAs of 31 December 2024, 58 548 GPs were listed on the GMC GP register, 55 958 on the Performers List, but only 38 626 by headcount and 28 197 by full time equivalent GPs in NHS general practice. Between 2015 and 2024, on average, for every five additional GPs licensed by the GMC, NHS general practice lost one full time equivalent GP each year. As a result, the proportion of GMC licensed GPs not working in NHS general practice increased from 27% (13 492) in 2015 to 34% (19 922) in 2024 by headcount and from 41% (20 210) to 52% (30 351) by full time equivalent GPs. Differences were greatest among female GPs, younger GPs, UK qualified GPs, and GPs in London and the South East of England. In contrast, between 2015 and 2024, for every five additional GMC licensed specialist doctors, the NHS gained 4.3 full time equivalent consultants. Taking population growth into account, the number of NHS patients for each full time equivalent GP in NHS general practice increased by15%, whereas the number of patients for each full time equivalent NHS consultant fell by 18%. By the end of 2024, there were twice as many NHS patients for each full time equivalent NHS general practice GP (2260) than for each full time equivalent NHS consultant (1092).ConclusionThe growing difference between GMC licensed GPs and those working in NHS general practice is in contrast with trends among specialists. This shift is occurring despite rising patient demand and policy commitments to strengthen primary care. Addressing the underlying reasons for workforce attrition in NHS general practice is critical to achieving the government’s stated goals of strengthening community based care and shifting the focus of care from treatment to prevention.

Introduction . Shifting care from hospitals into community‐based settings is a major policy goal internationally. Community health services in England currently face the greatest workforce shortages of all sectors, threatening the feasibility of this policy. Moreover, little is known about the extent of variation in community workforce provision regionally and how this relates to determinants of need. Aim . To analyse regional variation in the community services workforce in England between 2010 and 2021. Methods . We obtained NHS workforce statistics data on the number of nurses and nursing support staff providing community services at each NHS organisation in England, from March 2010 to November 2021. We aggregated the organisation‐level data to both regional and national levels, which enabled us to maintain consistent units of analysis across the decade. To examine longitudinal trends and regional variation in workforce provision, we calculated the number of staff per 100,000 population aged 65+ in each region and each period. We then graphed and summarised the variation and examined the correlations with levels of deprivation and rurality. Results . There was a twofold variation in community services workforce provision between English regions. In November 2021, the number of staff per 100,000 people aged over 64 ranged from 300 in the South West to 697 in the North West. Most regions experienced a reduction in provision between 2010 and 2021, with a 21.2% reduction nationally. East of England experienced the largest reduction of 39.3%, whilst London experienced a 2.1% increase. In November 2021, regions with more deprived populations had higher workforce provision and regions with a larger proportion of residents living in rural areas had lower workforce provision. Conclusions . The size of the community services workforce has fallen relative to population needs, contradictory to the policy priority to enhance care in the community. There was substantial regional variation in the size of the workforce, which has persisted throughout the decade. Workforce provision was higher in more deprived areas but lower in rural areas, potentially impacting equitable access in rural areas.

Objectives. To explore whether and how the local health department (LHD) workforce shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic given the large influx of supplemental funding to public health. Methods. We used data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials National Profile of Local Health Departments, the main source of comprehensive data collected from LHDs across the United States. Total numbers of employees, total numbers of full-time equivalents (FTEs), and employee types (full time, part time, contractual, and seasonal) were used to estimate the total LHD workforce in 2022, changes in the LHD workforce from 2019 to 2022, and changes in the LHD workforce from 2019 to 2022 by employee type. Results. In 2022, the estimated LHD workforce consisted of 182 100 employees or 163 200 FTEs. Between 2019 and 2022, there was a 19% increase in the total LHD workforce, but the size of the workforce varied according to jurisdiction size and rurality. The largest increase was among contract workers (175%), whereas the full-time workforce grew by approximately 7%, indicating that the permanent workforce was predominantly unchanged. Conclusions. With the surge in temporary and contract workers in 2022, there are concerns regarding the sustainability of the LHD workforce. Without continued strategic and sustained funding across jurisdiction types, the workforce may be in jeopardy. ( Am J Public Health. 2025;115(8):1271–1277. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308096 )

As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a health care workforce that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs. Retooling for an Aging America calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. The book also recommends that Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides. Educators and health professional groups can use Retooling for an Aging America to institute or increase formal education and training in geriatrics. Consumer groups can use the book to advocate for improving the care for older adults. Health care professional and occupational groups can use it to improve the quality of health care jobs.

Background Country-level data suggest large differences in the supply of health professionals among European countries. However, little is know about the regional supply of health professionals taking a cross-country comparative perspective. The aim of the study was to analyse the regional distribution of physicians, nurses and midwives in the highest and lowest density regions in Europe and examine time trends. Methods We used Eurostat data and descriptive statistics to assess the density of physicians, nurses and midwives at national and regional levels (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 2 regions) for 2017 and time trends (2005–2017). To ensure cross-country comparability we applied a set of criteria (working status, availability over time, geographic availability, source). This resulted in 14 European Union (EU) countries and Switzerland being available for the physician analysis and eight countries for the nurses and midwives analysis. Density rates per population were analysed at national and NUTS 2 level, of which regions with the highest and lowest density of physicians, nurses and midwives were identified. We examined changes over time in regional distributions, using percentage change and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). Results There was a 2.4-fold difference in the physician density between the highest and lowest density countries (Austria national average: 513, Poland 241.6 per 100,000) and a 3.5-fold difference among nurses (Denmark: 1702.5, Bulgaria: 483.0). Differences by regions across Europe were higher than cross-country variations and varied up to 5.5-fold for physicians and 4.4-fold for nurses/midwives and did not improve over time. Capitals and/or major cities in all countries showed a markedly higher supply of physicians than more sparsely populated regions while the density of nurses and midwives tended to be higher in more sparsely populated areas. Over time, physician rates increased faster than density levels of nurses and midwives. Conclusions The study shows for the first time the large variation in health workforce supply at regional levels and time trends by professions across the European region. This highlights the importance for countries to routinely collect data in sub-national geographic areas to develop integrated health workforce policies for health professionals at regional levels.