Great expectations: the 21st century health workforce

Am J Surg. 2003 Jan;185(1):35-41. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9610(02)01142-x.

Abstract

Health workforce studies have mostly predicted an oversupply of physicians, a shortage of primary care doctors, and an excess of specialists. As the target date of many of these studies is now passed, it is clear that we are evolving into a shortage of physicians, especially specialists, and that primary care will increasingly be done by nonphysician clinicians. The "knowledge society" requires a different workforce than that predicted by most health planners.

MeSH terms

  • Delivery of Health Care*
  • Forecasting
  • Health Services Accessibility / standards
  • Health Services Accessibility / trends
  • Health Workforce / statistics & numerical data
  • Health Workforce / trends*
  • Humans
  • Managed Care Programs / trends
  • Needs Assessment*
  • Physicians / supply & distribution*
  • Primary Health Care* / trends
  • United States