CHART 12
Bed occupancy rate for acute care hospitals: Years 2002, 2008, 2016
2002
2008
100
2016
94.2
90
84.3
84.2
83.1
80
80.2
77.5
76.1
75.3
74.8
74.3
73.6
70.7
70.9
70
70.5
70.0
69.1
68.5
67.4
65.1
59.2
60
50
40
30
20
10
ce
th
n.a.
0
CHART 13
Rate of practising nurses per physician: Years 2002, 2008, 2016
2002
5.0
2008
4.6
2016
4.4
4.5
4.1
4.0
4.0
3.6
3.5
3.2
3.1
3.0
3.0
2.8
2.6
2.5
2.2
2.1
2.0
2.0
1.8
1.7
1.6
1.4
1.5
1.4
1.4
1.0
makers are raising issues about the upcoming
retirement of the ‘baby-boom’ generation of
doctors and nurses, exacerbating the workforce
shortage in the health field. Health workforce
concerns have shifted from worries on shortages
towards issues related to the right skill-mix, to
better respond to evolving population health
needs (Health Workforce Policies in OECD
Countries, OECD March 2016).
According to the European Commission
supplement to the quarterly review on ‘Health
and social services from an employment and
economic perspective’ (December 2014), there are
large imbalances in skills levels, and working
patterns and recruitment and retention are
conditioned by demanding working conditions.
The financial constraints are leading in most
European countries to a decrease in the resources
available for healthcare professionals, reducing
Healthcare
workforce in
2016 highlights
the presence of
about 1,400,000
physicians and
3,300,000 nurses
with an average
rate of about
2.4 nurses per
physician
11
HHE 2019 | hospitalhealthcare.com
0
0.5
the possibilities of hiring new staff. Additionally,
several countries, especially in Central and
Eastern Europe, are experiencing migrations of
their healthcare workforce.
European countries, European Organisations
and EU institutions are discussing possible
impacts and achievable solutions to these issues.
Interestingly, several countries are shifting
competences from doctors to nurses, creating
new educational pathways and bachelor degrees
addressed to nurses. In many cases nurses and
general practitioners acquire new skills and
competences relieving the burden of hospital care
by enforcing primary care institutions and
community services.
The trends described above, are likely to have
major impacts on the hospital sector, since
inpatient care alone absorbs about a third of the
healthcare resources and since the hospital sector