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The healthcare workforce

This thematic series in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research considers the healthcare workforce. The physicians, nurses, and other professionals who provide direct patient care are vital to the success of the health care systems within which they operate. Accordingly, policymakers around the world are deeply concerned about such issues as whether they have enough professionals, whether they are being adequately trained and their skills used to the fullest, and whether they are appropriately distributed between and within countries. This article collection explores how these and related issues are playing out, both in Israel and internationally.

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  1. In their recent IJHPR article, Wimpfheimer and colleagues outline the implications for the field of anesthesia of two major healthcare policy changes in Israel: The Yatziv Reform in licensing foreign medical g...

    Authors: Yoel Angel and Gil Fire
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2023 12:28
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2023 12:8

  2. The Israeli physician workforce faces multiple challenges. These include planned policies reducing physician on-call from 26 to 18 h and, from 2026, allowing only graduates of Ministry of Health approved forei...

    Authors: Ariel Wimpfheimer, Charles Weissman, Shai Fein and Yehuda Ginosar
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2023 12:8
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2023 12:28

  3. Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition affecting children worldwide. Rapid cooling remains the most important feature of emergency management. The accepted preferred method of evaporative cooling in the E...

    Authors: Noy Cohen-Ronen, Ayelet Rimon, Neta Cohen and Tali Capua
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2021 10:35
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

  4. We examined health behaviors and perceptions among medical students and compared them with the results of a previous survey among residents and senior physicians.

    Authors: Rachel Wilf-Miron, Ilya Kagan and Mor Saban
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2021 10:13
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2022 11:10

  5. We planned an observational study to assess obstetric anesthesia services nationwide. We aimed to assess the effect of the anesthesia workload/workforce ratio on quality and safety outcomes of obstetric anesth...

    Authors: Gal Schtrechman-Levi, Alexander Ioscovich, Jacob Hart, Jacob Bar, Ronit Calderon-Margalit, Eshel A. Nir and Yehuda Ginosar
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2021 10:24
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2021 10:30

  6. Teaching medical students is a central part of being a doctor, and is essential for the training of the next generation of physicians and for maintaining the quality of medicine. Our research reviews the train...

    Authors: Simon Nothman, Michael Kaffman, Rachel Nave and Moshe Y. Flugelman
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2021 10:10
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

  7. The challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic on health systems have tested primary care clinicians, who are on the front lines of care delivery. To ensure the longevity of the primary care workforce, strong...

    Authors: Erin E. Sullivan and Russell S. Phillips
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:77
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

  8. The Hadassah Medical Organization operates two hospitals in Jerusalem. During the COVID-19 pandemic it made an administrative decision to operate one hospital as a COVID-19 treatment hospital (CTH) and to have...

    Authors: Yael Milgrom, Yuval Tal and Aharon S. Finestone
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:55
    Content type: Short communication Published on:

  9. The shift from inpatient care to community patient care has had an essential impact on the nursing profession. Despite the growing demand for community nurses in many countries, their number remains relatively...

    Authors: Yael Sela-Vilensky, Keren Grinberg and Rachel Nissanholtz-Gannot
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:44
    Content type: Integrative article Published on:

  10. The issue of patient–physician relationships in general, and particularly the trust of patients in their primary care physician has gained much interest in academia and with practitioners in recent years. Most...

    Authors: Ron Berger, Ben Bulmash, Netanel Drori, Ofir Ben-Assuli and Ram Herstein
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:33
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2021 10:21

  11. Early professional care in emergencies is beneficial in general and its utility has been proven in many studies, particularly in regard to out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest. A person in distress can expec...

    Authors: Michael Khalemsky, David G. Schwartz, Raphael Herbst and Eli Jaffe
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:11
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

  12. Continuity of care between the community and hospital is considered of prime importance for quality of care and patient satisfaction, and for trust in the medical system. In a unique model of continuity of car...

    Authors: Moshe Y. Flugelman, Ronen Jaffe, Gil Luria and Dana Yagil
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:7
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2021 10:21

  13. Interprofessional (IP) practice and education are important when seeking to respond to the growing demand for primary and preventive care services. Multiple professions with synergistic expertise are needed to...

    Authors: Terri Fowler, David Garr, Natalie Di Pietro Mager and Joan Stanley
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:12
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:50

  14. Israeli emergency medicine is undergoing change. The paramedic is experiencing high separation rates because the position is understaffed, overworked, and underpaid. Physician assistants (PAs) were introduced ...

    Authors: Roderick S. Hooker
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:2
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:78

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:4

  17. Preventive medicine and health education are among the strategies used in coping with chronic diseases. However, it is yet to be determined what effect do personal and organizational aspects have on its’ imple...

    Authors: Ayelet Schor, Lucia Bergovoy-Yellin, Daniel Landsberger, Tania Kolobov and Orna Baron-Epel
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:50
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:12

  18. Physician burnout and depression have been recognized as serious international problems and the secondary costs of poor physician mental health are substantial. Interventions to address this problem can be spl...

    Authors: Stuart Slavin
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:34
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:2

  19. A new role of Physician Assistant (PA) was introduced into Emergency Departments (ED) in Israel in 2016, as part of a larger effort to improve the quality of service in the EDs. When the new role was introduce...

    Authors: Rina Maoz-Breuer, Oren Berkowitz and Rachel Nissanholtz-Gannot
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:4
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2020 9:2

  20. To evaluate the effect of monetary grants on young physicians’ choice of remote or rural hospital-based practice.

    Authors: Yishay Wasserstrum, Racheli Magnezi, Ofer Tamir, Stav Koren, Dor Lotan and Arnon Afek
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:1
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:74

  21. In the past decade, direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOAC) have been introduced to medical practice for several indications, with a wide range of dosing regimens. As both over- and under-dosing might lead to...

    Authors: Amichai Perlman, Ehud Horwitz, Bruria Hirsh-Raccah, Gefen Aldouby-Bier, Tamar Fisher Negev, Sarit Hochberg-Klein, Yosef Kalish and Mordechai Muszkat
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2019 8:19
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

  23. Professional skills and academic records of the highest degree are essential requirements for the chairmanship of internal medicine departments. Whether the new generation and future successors of Israeli chai...

    Authors: Dana Zelnik Yovel, Orna Tal, Dror Dicker, Avishay Elis and Micha Rapoport
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:73
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

  24. Physiotherapy has a vital role in helping patients manage and overcome musculoskeletal pain. Healthcare providers’ beliefs about pain are associated with the beliefs of their patients. This study evaluated the...

    Authors: Shmuel Springer, Hadas Gleicher and Hila Hababou
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:67
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

  25. Chronic conditions and health inequalities are increasing worldwide. Against this backdrop, several countries, including Israel, have expanded the roles of nurses as one measure to strengthen the primary care ...

    Authors: Claudia B. Maier, Hannah Budde and James Buchan
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:64
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:69

  26. The emerging science in early childhood development challenges past paradigms of health care. There is consideration within the profession of paediatrics, and health care more broadly, of how to make systems o...

    Authors: Moira Inkelas and Frank Oberklaid
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:62
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:53

  27. Primary care is a crucial part of a functional health care system, though in many parts of the world there are current or projected gaps in the primary care physician workforce. The academic family medicine or...

    Authors: Amanda Weidner and Ardis Davis
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:57
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:28

  28. The occupational health and safety of direct care workers in the home health setting has been the focal point of a somewhat scarce, though highly important, body of research. Although the demand for home care ...

    Authors: Miriam Ryvicker
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:51
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:32

  29. Violence in healthcare settings is a global problem and violent acts are more likely to occur in emergency departments (EDs). Significant barriers to reporting workplace violence persist among healthcare worke...

    Authors: Beth A. Lown and Gary S. Setnik
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:39
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:6

  30. Home care workers work in an isolated environment, with limited supervision and guidance which makes them more prone to abuse and exploitation. While past research focused mostly on the well-being of care reci...

    Authors: Ohad Green and Liat Ayalon
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:32
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:51

  31. In a recent IJHPR article, Dankner et al. describe a reform in one longitudinal strand within Basic Medical Education i.e.“ public health and preventive medicine curriculum” using a Competency Based Medical Ed...

    Authors: Shmuel Reis
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:30
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:13

  32. The greatest challenges facing healthcare systems include ensuring a sufficient supply of primary care physicians and physicians willing to work in rural or peripheral areas. Especially challenging is enticing...

    Authors: Charles Weissman, Rachel Yaffa Zisk-Rony, Alexander Avidan, Uriel Elchalal and Howard Tandeter
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:28
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:57

  33. A recent study of patient violence toward hospital physicians and nurses offers a welcome perspective in its classifying of aggressive behaviors as workplace violence. While patients and families are widely re...

    Authors: Sharone Bar-David
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:15
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:43

  34. There is increasing agreement among medical educators regarding the importance of improving the integration between public health and clinical education, understanding and implementation of epidemiological met...

    Authors: Rachel Dankner, Uri Gabbay, Leonard Leibovici, Maya Sadeh and Siegal Sadetzki
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:13
    Content type: Integrative article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:30

  35. In Israel, there is a shortage of family medicine (FM) specialists that is occasioned by a shortage of students pursuing a FM career.

    Authors: Sody Naimer, Yan Press, Charles Weissman, Rachel Yaffa Zisk-Rony, Yoram G. Weiss and Howard Tandeter
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:1
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:52

  36. There is extensive evidence that the role of nurse coordinators is beneficial for patients. Nurse coordinators are more available to patients compared to general registered nurses, know better to control sympt...

    Authors: Liza Monas, Orly Toren, Beatrice Uziely and David Chinitz
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:66
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

  37. New ways of thinking about medicine and health care demand new methods in medical education. Over the past two decades, as both the practice and the study of medicine have become increasingly concerned with de...

    Authors: Raymond H. Curry
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:65
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:42

  38. Simulation-based training improves residents’ skills for end-of-life (EOL) care. In the field, staff providers play a significant role in handling those situations and in shaping practice by role modeling. We ...

    Authors: Mayer Brezis, Yael Lahat, Meir Frankel, Alan Rubinov, Davina Bohm, Matan J Cohen, Meni Koslowsky, Orit Shalomson, Charles L Sprung, Henia Perry-Mezare, Rina Yahalom and Amitai Ziv
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:48
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:62

  39. Every country struggles with how best to meet the demand for health care services with the available resources. This commentary offers a perspective on the Israeli physician workforce and the analyses of Horow...

    Authors: Lewis G. Sandy
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:55
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:31

  40. Worldwide, there is a widespread and disturbing pattern of violence towards healthcare workers. However, violent occurrences in Israeli hospitals have often been unrecognized and underreported. Moreover, most ...

    Authors: Sigal Shafran-Tikva, Revital Zelker, Zvi Stern and David Chinitz
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2017 6:43
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:15

  42. Patient preferences regarding the gender of their physicians is a highly sensitive issue, which can be particularly salient in intimate medical situations. Previously published studies found that women tend to...

    Authors: Asnat Groutz, Hadar Amir, Revital Caspi, Eran Sharon, Yifat Amir Levy and Mordechai Shimonov
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:35
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2018 7:37

  43. We reviewed the existing programs for basic medical education (BME) in Israel as well as their output, since they are in a phase of reassessment and transition. The transition has been informed, in part, by ev...

    Authors: Shmuel Reis, Jacob Urkin, Rachel Nave, Rosalie Ber, Amitai Ziv, Orit Karnieli-Miller, Dafna Meitar, Peter Gilbey and Dror Mevorach
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:45
    Content type: Integrative article Published on:

  45. To date, studies on the outcomes of a shared war reality among mental health professionals (MHPs) in southern Israel have focused only on those residing and working in Otef Gaza. The aim of this study is to de...

    Authors: Itay Pruginin, Dorit Segal-Engelchin, Richard Isralowitz and Alexander Reznik
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:17
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

  46. Recruitment and retention of a diverse ethnic workforce in healthcare settings contribute to the provision of culturally competent care in multicultural contexts. Nevertheless, the work experiences of ethnic m...

    Authors: Yael Keshet and Ariela Popper-Giveon
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:18
    Content type: Original research article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:33

  47. The literature in the area of the health workforce and societies in conflict encompasses a wide range of studies and potential directions. Lately, Keshet and Popper-Giveon reported on a study based on intervie...

    Authors: Daniella Arieli and Miriam J. Hirschfeld
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:33
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:18

  48. Many countries, including Israel, face health workforce challenges to meet the needs of their citizens, as chronic conditions increase. Provider shortages and geographical maldistribution are common. Increasin...

    Authors: Claudia B. Maier and Linda H. Aiken
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:21
    Content type: Commentary Published on:

    The original article was published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:7

  49. Many countries around the world have integrated various types of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) into their healthcare systems. The main motivating factors for recognizing and developing APPs worldwide incl...

    Authors: Eliana Marcus Aaron and Caryn Scheinberg Andrews
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:7
    Content type: Integrative article Published on:

    The Commentary to this article has been published in Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2016 5:21

  50. Concern is growing over serious shortages in the nursing workforce and imbalance between supply and demand. Projections indicate that the demand for the nursing workforce will increase due to the aging populat...

    Authors: Nurit Nirel, Orli Grinstien-Cohen, Yonatan Eyal, Hadar Samuel and Assaf Ben-Shoham
    Citation: Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 2015 4:46
    Content type: Original research article Published on: