One of the important decisions we had to make when designing our iHRIS Plan workforce modeling software was which HRH projection model to use as the foundation for the software. We even held a workshop with workforce planning experts from all over the world to discuss this critical issue.
The purpose of workforce planning is to determine the most appropriate balance among the mix, distribution and number of health workers. A new technical brief by HRIS strengthening team member Dr. Pamela McQuide provides a review of different workforce planning approaches and models used to project the workforce. We think this brief is essential reading before getting started with a program like iHRIS Plan.
This brief discusses six different HRH projection approaches, based on a review of the current literature. Although the main unit of analysis in these approaches is the number of health care providers, the method chosen to estimate human resources requirements reflects the political and economic choices and social values of a health system. A list of references serves as a guide for those who would like more information on this subject.
The Capacity Project’s invaluable library of human resources for health information, the HRH Global Resource Center, provides even more resources on workforce planning. These include the publications Health Human Resources Planning from the International Centre for Human Resources in Nursing; Forecasting the Global Shortage of Physicians: An Economic- and Needs-Based Approach; and Monitoring the Health Workforce: Measurement Issues and Tools.
Three new technical briefs from the Capacity Project expand the breadth and depth of information available to HR practitioners. “An Overview of Human Resources for Health (HRH) Projection Models” provides a rapid review of health workforce projection approaches and includes a list of references for further research. “Building the Bridge from Human Resources Data to Effective Decisions: Ten Pillars of Successful Data-Driven Decision-Making” provides guidance in the use of HR data for making policy and management decisions. “Data Quality Considerations in Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) Strengthening” discusses concepts of data quality and provides concrete examples of the importance of data management specific to the field of HRH. Technical briefs are available in print and on the Capacity Project website in English, French and Spanish.
The Department of Planning and Policy at the Zanzibar Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) is taking a leadership role in coordinating donor and government efforts toward adoption of new systems. Following Capacity Project’s installation of the iHRIS Manage software application earlier this year, the Department of Planning and Policy has been working with DANIDA to coordinate a government-wide data collection activity. Work is scheduled to begin in the upcoming months and will collect data on health workers, training needs, and many other vital pieces of information for entry into the new iHRIS Manage system. Capacity Project will assist again following the data collection activity with data entry and I am certain we will find additional areas to compliment the good work of the Zanzibar MoHSW and DANIDA.
We are often challenged by multiple donors and government organizations all working to solve similar problems but not always collaborating on the solutions. It is very encouraging to see what the Department of Planning and Policy is accomplishing by marrying the donor activities of Capacity Project and DANIDA and by obtaining buy-in and participation committment from all government agencies.
What is happening with HRIS Strengthening? Get news about our ongoing work in the field, find out when new features and releases of the software are available, learn more about human resource information systems, and join the conversation. Your comments and questions are welcome.