Global experiences in health workforce policy, planning and management using the Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method, and way forward

Abstract

Health systems can only function with health workers; improving health service coverage, and realizing the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is dependent on their availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of service [1]. The multi-country study on planning reproductive maternal newborn child health (RMNCH) services in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Oman and Papua New Guinea by Kunjumen et al. demonstrates that evidence-based workforce planning must be context-specific requiring that each country develop its own workload components and activity standards aligned to their local contexts and that activity standards cannot be adopted or adapted from one country to another despite having similar workload components [23] Knowing your health staff requirements for palliative care, trauma care and in emergency situations play a huge role in ensuring timely and efficient care. [...]McQuide et al., utilized the service standards set up in WISN studies and another WHO tool—The Health Workforce Estimator (HWFE) [25] to estimate the required number in each relevant health occupation to determine staffing requirements for COVID-19 management in Mali and Kenya [26]. [...]the body of evidence shows that WISN continues to be a relevant and effective tool for health workforce planning which when complemented with other tools can provide a comprehensive outlook to support policy and planning dialogue, decision-making and investment in health [28].