In: Nursing
Primary care physicians:
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO SPECIALITY MALDISTRIBUTION-
1.Better income - earnings across different specialized streams vary considerably. So, streams that pay well attract more healthcare providers.It , however, denies quality care to patients in other streams.Reimbursements from Medicare are also low for several streams.
2 Improper policies - policies are not framed in a way that could rectify this imbalance. There is a lack of political will. It is not even considered an issue that has to be resolved.
3. Prestige - certain specialities are considered more prestigious than others. They pay well. Some are more intellectually challenging than others. Some are considered more prestigious by the society.
CHANGES TO EASE SHORTAGE - Simply increasing the number of healthcare providers will not solve the problem.
1.Providing integrated care to the patient- Integrated healthcare delivery will ensure that the less number of available providers give quality care to the patient. It will also improve productivity of the physicians.
2.Telemedicine - researches have shown that adopting this technology does reduce the demand for healthcare providers. It decreases burden on the provider. It also help patients in remote areas to get access to quality care.