Doctor Retention in a COVID-World: An Opportunity to Reconfigure the Health Workforce, or “Plus ça change plus c’est la meme chose”? A Response to the Recent Commentaries

Document Type : Correspondence

Author

Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland

Keywords

Main Subjects


 

Let me start by thanking the International Journal of Health Policy and Management (IJHPM) and the authors for the seven informative commentaries on Brugha and colleagues’ “Doctor Retention: A Cross-sectional Study of How Ireland Has Been Losing the Battle.” ...(Read more...)

  1. Brugha R, Clarke N, Hendrick L, Sweeney J. Doctor retention: a cross-sectional study of how Ireland has been losing the battle. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.2020.54
  2. Connell J. Doctor retention or migration: from Ireland to the world? comment on "doctor retention: a cross-sectional study of how Ireland has been losing the battle.” Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.2020.196
  3. Offiah G, Murray F, Walsh C. Doctor retention in Ireland - where are the failings that prolong the problem? comment on "doctor retention: a cross-sectional study of how Ireland has been losing the battle.” Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.2020.163
  4. Brugha R, Cronin F, Clarke N. Retaining our Doctors: Medical Workforce Evidence, 2013-18, Challenges and Responses. Dublin: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 2018.
  5. Medical Council of Ireland. Your Training Counts 2015 Results of the National Trainee Survey. Dublin: Medical Council of Ireland; 2015.
  6. Crowe S, Clarke N, Brugha R. 'You do not cross them': hierarchy and emotion in doctors' narratives of power relations in specialist training. Soc Sci Med. 2017;186:70-77. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.05.048
  7. Health Service Executive (HSE). Medical Workforce Report 2020-21. National Doctors Training and Planning. Dublin: HSE; 2020-21.
  8. Burke S, Barry S, Siersbaek R, Johnston B, Fhallúin MN, Thomas S. Sláintecare - a ten-year plan to achieve universal healthcare in Ireland. Health Policy. 2018;122(12):1278-1282. doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.05.006
  9. MacCraith B. Strategic Review of Medical Training and Career Structure; Report on Medical Career Structures and Pathways Following Completion of Specialist Training. Dublin: Department of Health; 2014.
  10. Chevillard G. Training, migration and retention of doctors: is Ireland a Danaides' jar? Comment on "doctor retention: a cross-sectional study of how Ireland has been losing the battle.” Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.2020.217
  11. Sousa A, Scheffler RM, Nyoni J, Boerma T. A comprehensive health labour market framework for universal health coverage. Bull World Health Organ. 2013;91(11):892-894. doi:10.2471/blt.13.118927
  12. Taderera BH. Doctor retention in Ireland - what it may mean for the global health workforce reform agenda: Comment on "doctor retention: a cross-sectional study of how Ireland has been losing the battle.” Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.2020.126
  13. Davda LS, Radford DR, Gallagher JE. Migration, retention and return migration of health professionals: Comment on "doctor retention: a cross-sectional study of how Ireland has been losing the battle.” Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.2020.225
  14. Arnold DR. Expanding medical education and task shifting: Comment on "doctor retention: a cross-sectional study of how Ireland has been losing the battle.” Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.2020.218
  15. Humphries N, Crowe S, Brugha R. Failing to retain a new generation of doctors: qualitative insights from a high-income country. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):144. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-2927-y
  16. Mwapasa G, Pittalis C, Clarke M, et al. Evaluation of a managed surgical consultation network in Malawi. World J Surg. 2021;45(2):356-361. doi:10.1007/s00268-020-05809-3
  17. Gajewski J, Conroy R, Bijlmakers L, et al. Quality of surgery in Malawi: comparison of patient-reported outcomes after hernia surgery between district and central hospitals. World J Surg. 2018;42(6):1610-1616. doi:10.1007/s00268-017-4385-9
  18. Bijlmakers L, Cornelissen D, Cheelo M, et al. The cost of providing and scaling up surgery: a comparison of a district hospital and a referral hospital in Zambia. Health Policy Plan. 2018;33(10):1055-1064. doi:10.1093/heapol/czy086
  19. Gajewski J, Mweemba C, Cheelo M, et al. Non-physician clinicians in rural Africa: lessons from the Medical Licentiate programme in Zambia. Hum Resour Health. 2017;15(1):53. doi:10.1186/s12960-017-0233-0
  20. Richardson E, Aissat D, Williams GA, Fahy N. Keeping what works: remote consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eurohealth. 2020;26(2):73-6.
  21. Humphries N, Creese J, Byrne JP, Connell J. COVID-19 and doctor emigration: the case of Ireland. Hum Resour Health. 2021;19(1):29. doi:10.1186/s12960-021-00573-4
  22. Tankwanchi AS, Hagopian A, Vermund SH. African physician migration to high-income nations: diverse motives to emigrate ("we are not Florence Nightingale") or stay in Africa ("there is no place like home"): Comment on "Doctor retention: a cross-sectional study of how ireland has been losing the battle.” Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020. doi:10.34172/ijhpm.2020.219
  23. Humphries N, McAleese S, Matthews A, Brugha R. 'Emigration is a matter of self-preservation. The working conditions . . . are killing us slowly': qualitative insights into health professional emigration from Ireland. Hum Resour Health. 2015;13:35. doi:10.1186/s12960-015-0022-6
  24. Brugha R, McAleese S, Dicker P, et al. Passing through - reasons why migrant doctors in Ireland plan to stay, return home or migrate onwards to new destination countries. Hum Resour Health. 2016;14(Suppl 1):35. doi:10.1186/s12960-016-0121-z
  25. Michael N. Public Health Doctors to Be Offered Pay Rise and Consultant Status After Deal Reached. Irish Examiner; 2021.
  26. Amri MM, Drummond D. Punctuating the equilibrium: an application of policy theory to COVID-19. Policy Desig Pract. 2021;4(1):33-43. doi:10.1080/25741292.2020.1841397