Health workforce shortage – doing the right things or doing things right?

Healthcare workforce shortage is a worldwide problem (1). Workforce shortage may be defined as not having the right number of people with the right skills in the right place at the right time, to provide the right services to the right people (2). In this regard, the trends are worrisome, and the situation is getting worse. The consequences are also very consistent – limited care health services and limited quality of health care (1). In short, there is an imbalance between need and supply. The solution: as health care needs increase worldwide, the “production” of personnel must be increased! But is it really that simple? Are the problem and the solution so reciprocal and directly linked?