Geriatric workforce capacity: a pending crisis for nursing home residents.

INTRODUCTION: The nursing home (NH) population in the US has grown to 1.6 million people and is expected to double by 2030. While 88.3% of NH residents are over 65, the elders aged 85 and more have become the principal group. This demographic change has increased the already high rates of chronic diseases and functional disabilities in NH residents. METHODS: This study reviewed the supply of geriatricians in addressing the growing healthcare needs of NH residents. RESULTS: English-written articles between 1989 and 2012 were reviewed. Trend data demonstrate that the geriatrician workforce has decreased from 10,270 in 2000 to 8,502 in 2010. Further, the pipeline analysis of physicians projected to receive board certification in geriatrics (and maintain this certification) indicates a worsening of the already insufficient supply of geriatricians for this vulnerable population. CONCLUSION: Strategies to attract and maintain a geriatrician workforce are imperative to avert a mounting crisis in the geriatric care in NH and, by extension, other living settings.

Meeting the geriatric workforce shortage for long-term care: opinions from the field.

This article seeks to raise awareness of workforce issues among geriatricians in caring for the increasing number of older Americans with disabilities who will need long-term care. Using a snowball sampling technique, telephone or in-person interviews were conducted with 10 geriatricians to obtain providers' perspectives of the challenges of having an adequate supply of qualified physicians working in Texas nursing homes. Speaking from experience (these geriatricians had an average of 15 years of work experience in nursing homes), the geriatric experts reflected upon reasons for choosing (or not) geriatric medicine; reasons for choosing (or not) to work in nursing homes; and the status of geriatrics in the United States. To meet the increasing demand for nursing home services, the findings of this article suggest strengthening support for the geriatrician workforce. Specific recommendations for training the next generation of geriatricians are presented.

The geriatrician and geriatric psychiatrist workforce in Texas: characteristics, challenges, and policy implications.

OBJECTIVE: This study provides a current analysis of the size and characteristics of the board-certified geriatrician and geriatric psychiatrist workforce in Texas, and thereby its capacity to meet increasing health needs of elders. METHOD: Secondary data on Texas board-certified geriatricians and geriatric psychiatrists from American Board of Medical Specialties database were analyzed. RESULTS: The study found 1 geriatrician per 5,132 elders, and 1 geriatric psychiatrist per 21,327 elders, in Texas. Over 62% of geriatricians had active certification, 30% were females and the average age was 55.2 years. Rural geriatricians were disproportionately scarce (p < .001). DISCUSSION: The study indicated a serious shortage of board-certified geriatricians and geriatric psychiatrists in Texas. This shortage is worse than that at the national level, and more marked along the Texas-Mexico border and counties lacking large health facilities. Addressing this workforce deficiency requires improvements in the geriatric training pipeline, reimbursements, and practice environments.

Enumeration and composition of the public health workforce: challenges and strategies.

The field of public health needs a comprehensive classification data system that provides a better assessment of the size and composition of its workforce. Such a data system is necessary for understanding the capacity, trend projections, and policy development critical to the future workforce. Previous enumeration and composition studies on the public health workforce have been helpful, but the methodology used needs further improvements in standardization, specificity, data storage, and data availability. Resolving this issue should follow a consensus-based course of action that includes public and private stakeholders at the national, state, and local level. This prime issue should be addressed now, particularly in the current environment of comprehensive health care reform.