Background: Spain has gone from a surplus to a shortage of medical doctors in very few years. Medium and long-term planning for health professionals has become a high priority for health authorities.
Methods: We created a supply and demand/need simulation model for 43 medical specialties using system dynamics. The model includes demographic, education and labour market variables. Several scenarios were defined. Variables controllable by health planners can be set as parameters to simulate different scenarios. The model calculates the supply and the deficit or surplus. Experts set the ratio of specialists needed per 1000 inhabitants with a Delphi method.
Results: In the scenario of the baseline model with moderate population growth, the deficit of medical specialists will grow from 2% at present (2800 specialists) to 14.3% in 2025 (almost 21 000). The specialties with the greatest medium-term shortages are Anesthesiology, Orthopedic and Traumatic Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Aesthetic and Reparatory Surgery, Family and Community Medicine, Pediatrics, Radiology, and Urology.
Conclusions: The model suggests the need to increase the number of students admitted to medical school. Training itineraries should be redesigned to facilitate mobility among specialties. In the meantime, the need to make more flexible the supply in the short term is being filled by the immigration of physicians from new members of the European Union and from Latin America.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1478-4491-8-24 | DOI Listing |
J Vitreoretin Dis
December 2024
Retina Consultants of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
To understand the environmental burden associated with intravitreal injections (IVIs) and propose actionable solutions to mitigate this impact. An analysis of current IVI practices was conducted, focusing on packaging waste, energy consumption, the carbon footprint, and disposal processes. Data on the environmental footprint of IVIs were collected from the literature and industry reports.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent healthcare staff industrial action disrupted operating theatres activity, delaying procedures, and increasing waiting lists due to cancellations. Strike days have also led to inadvertent idling of theatre practitioners during decreased activity. To maximise paid staff working time during down-times, the Theatres Education Team devised the Education Café for self-directed online specialist continuing professional development activities compiled into menus of QR codes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Palliat Care
December 2024
Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, Tampere, 33520, Finland.
Background: Patients with chronic nonmalignant pulmonary disease and lung cancer both need palliative care, but palliative care services may be better adjusted to serve cancer patients. We compared the timing and clinical practice of palliative care and acute hospital usage during the last year of life in patients with nonmalignant pulmonary disease or lung cancer.
Methods: This was a retrospective study of all patients in a palliative care phase (palliative goal of care) with nonmalignant pulmonary disease or lung cancer who were treated at Tampere University Hospital, Finland, during the years 2018-2020.
BMC Surg
December 2024
Department of Research and Education, Oli Health Magazine Organization, Research and Education, Kigali, Rwanda.
Introduction: Plastic surgery is an essential yet underdeveloped field in many African nations, especially in rural areas. The demand for plastic surgery is increasing, but differences in access to respective services between rural and urban domiciles remain ever existent, despite the exponentiation of trauma, burns, and congenital disorders. According to this review, urban areas have access to better facilities and specialized surgeons, while rural areas frequently lack infrastructure, educated healthcare personnel, and medical resources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Med Syst
December 2024
School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 548 Binwen Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou, 310053, China.
The success of large language models (LLMs) in general areas have sparked a wave of research into their applications in the medical field. However, enhancing the medical professionalism of these models remains a major challenge. This study proposed a novel model training theoretical framework, the M-KAT framework, which integrated domain-specific training methods for LLMs with the unique characteristics of the medical discipline.
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