Report uses input from healthcare professionals to highlight training and support needs, while also warning about departures
Elisevier Health’s ‘Clinician of the Future’ global report – conducted in partnership with Ipsos – reveals that doctors and nurses have called for urgent support, in areas such as skills training, especially in the effective application of technology in healthcare.
The report has acted as a platform for these voices to be heard, helping to understand where the healthcare system is, following the COVID-19 pandemic, and where it needs to be in ten years to ensure a future that both providers and patients deserve.
The global study found that 71% of doctors and 68% of nurses believe their jobs have changed considerably in the past decade, with many saying that their jobs have become more difficult. One in three clinicians are considering leaving their current role by 2024, with as much as half of this group wanting to leave healthcare permanently. This adds to the existing global healthcare workforce shortage.
“Doctors and nurses play a vital role in the health and well-being of our society. Ensuring they are being heard will enable them to get the support they need to deliver better patient care in these difficult times,” commented Jan Herzhoff, President at Elsevier Health. “We must start to shift the conversation away from discussing today’s healthcare problems to delivering solutions that will help improve patient outcomes. In our research, they have been clear about the areas they need support; we must act now to protect, equip and inspire the clinician of the future.”
In the report, clinicians also highlighted numerous priority areas for greater support, including enhancing health technology skills, providing a greater focus on the patient-provider relationship and delivering an expanded healthcare workforce.
“Ultimately, we asked clinicians what they needed and now it’s our responsibility as a healthcare industry to act,” said Thomas Erlinger, Vice President, Clinical Analytics at Elsevier Health.
“Now is the time for bold thinking — to serve providers and patients today and tomorrow. We need to find ways to give clinicians the enhanced skills and resources they need to better support and care for patients in the future. And we need to fill in gaps today, to stop the drain on healthcare workers to ensure a strong system in the next decade and beyond,” he added.
