Human Resources for Health最新文献

{"title":"Building a One Health mobile laboratory workforce: strengthening public health preparedness across Europe and Africa.","authors":"Aryse Martins Melo, Beate Becker-Ziaja, Markus Keller, Duncan Sangale, Dewi Ismajani Puradiredja, Theresa Habermann, Juliane Bönecke, Alexandru Tomazatos, Johannes R Peham, Birgit Michalek, Andry Aasamäe, Georg G Duscher, Lisa Winkelmayer, Denise Framke, Monique-Theres Schranz, Daniela Gleißner, Martin Groschup, Fereshteh Haghighi, Patrick Slowikowski, Katrin Schwabe, Lida Politi, Kassiani Mellou, Anastasia Flountzi, Dafni Dimitriadou, Ioanna Spiliopoulou, Grigoris Spanakos, Andriani Varela, Ramadhani Libenaga, Mariagoreth Beda, Edna Mgimba, Andrew Ugolole, Jackson Rashidi, Anselmi Munga, Proscovia Kagaruki, Shabani Motto, Ambele Mwafulango, Nyambura Moremi, Peter Mkama, Jürgen May, Muna Affara, Florian Gehre","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01097-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-026-01097-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases remain a major public health threat in Europe. The Horizon Europe-funded MOBILISE project addresses this challenge by establishing a One Health Mobile Laboratory capable of handling risk group 3 and 4 pathogens, while strengthening outbreak preparedness through targeted capacity-building activities and the development of a rapid-response expert network. A key component of the project is a training-of-trainers (ToT) model, which enables participants to perform critical tasks in the field and transfer expertise within their home countries. This approach expands the pool of skilled professionals and strengthens collective preparedness. A descriptive mixed-methods programme evaluation, including pre- and post-test assessments, was conducted to assess the ToT model's implementation. In the first phase, two laboratory experts from each partner country were selected. They completed online courses, followed by a two-week in-person training at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, Germany. Training covered biosafety, molecular diagnostics, sequencing, and mobile laboratory operation. The programme concluded with four field missions, allowing participants to apply their skills and train new cohorts. The evaluation also highlighted challenges related to retaining trained experts within the expert pool over time. This structured approach enhances outbreak preparedness, fosters cross-border collaboration, and strengthens the resilience of the health system.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13543605/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148889021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physician workforce imbalances in Japan: how structural incentives shape hospital-based acute-care capacity.","authors":"George Kujo","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01099-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-026-01099-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Japan's physician workforce problem in hospital-based high-intensity care is better understood as an interaction between distribution and retention than as a simple question of national physician headcount. This Comment examines three pathways that can reduce hospital service capacity: working conditions that impede entry and career continuity in high-intensity specialties; early movement from initial residency into cosmetic medicine, known as choku-bi; and later movement from hospital employment to clinic practice. Recent national data show substantial improvement in physician working hours after the 2024 Work Style Reform, but long hours remain concentrated in surgery, emergency medicine, and obstetrics and gynaecology. The national prevalence of choku-bi is not known; professional-society data instead provide a limited indicator of early entry into cosmetic practice. Published income data also show a large difference between salaried hospital practice and clinic ownership, but do not establish that income causes physicians to leave hospitals. These distinctions matter because national supply, specialty distribution, and movement across care settings are analytically different problems. Policy should therefore focus on measurable retention and distribution mechanisms: phasing out routine dependence on the highest service-related overtime ceilings, testing targeted retention incentives for high-intensity hospital functions, strengthening training and competency governance in cosmetic medicine, supporting career continuity, and collecting longitudinal data on physician transitions. Japan illustrates a broader workforce principle: adequate national headcount does not guarantee adequate service capacity when clinicians are difficult to distribute and retain in the settings where they are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13536790/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148881896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"International migration of Africa-born health workers: a scoping review of drivers and policies, 2010-2024.","authors":"Beatrice Wamuti, Muhammad A Pate, Jessica E Justman","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01093-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-026-01093-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Africa faces a critical shortage of human resources for health (HRH), crucial for improving population health. We described drivers of and policies to manage the migration of Africa-born HRH from source (African) countries in Africa to destination (non-African) countries.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a scoping review, using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, using data from peer-reviewed articles (2010-2024) and gray literature from institutions like Africa Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). We used push-pull theory to identify economic, professional, social, and political drivers, and WHO's HRH Workforce 2030 policy levers framework to identify policies at national, regional, and global levels. We focused on targeted migration policies-those aimed at strengthening health system resilience and health worker density in Africa (mitigating brain drain), ensuring ethical recruitment practices by destination countries, and upholding the individual right to professional mobility-based on the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 335 citations, 65 articles were relevant. Key push factors included inadequate pay, limited professional growth, and political instability; pull factors included better remuneration and career opportunities abroad. Return migration to Africa was influenced by high costs of living, discrimination, and deskilling. Source countries have focused on economic reforms and improving working conditions. However, destination countries should adopt ethical recruitment and strengthen destination country HRH training. Regional bodies like Africa CDC should harmonize HRH practices, while global actors like WHO should enforce ethical recruitment and fair compensation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Multiple drivers influence migration of Africa-born HRH. Recent changes in the US government's global health funding will likely intensify these drivers. Targeted innovative approaches, including repatriation programs and public-private partnerships, offer the potential to improve HRH retention in Africa while protecting individual rights to mobility.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13570532/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148956923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Human resources management for communicable diseases in Afghanistan.","authors":"Enayatullah Hayat, Ali Mohammad Mosadeghrad","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01088-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-026-01088-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Effective management of communicable diseases (CDs) requires a professional, motivated, and dedicated health workforce. Afghanistan, which bears a high burden of CDs, faces significant challenges in maintaining such a workforce. This study aims to strategically analyze human resource management (HRM) for CDs in Afghanistan and to propose appropriate strategic solutions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative study was conducted between February 27 and September 21, 2024 using interpretative phenomenology (IP) through semi-structured interviews with 49 experts, including policymakers, managers, service providers, and NGO officers within Afghanistan's health system. Data were analyzed using a framework analysis approach guided by a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) framework to identify factors related to the health workforce in CDs management, including challenges and potential solutions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study identified 15 strengths, 16 weaknesses, 8 opportunities, 13 threats, and 23 potential solutions related to HR for managing CDs. Key strengths included an established network of community health workers and recruitment through online platforms. Major weaknesses involved inequitable distribution of health personnel, imbalance between supply and demand, shortage of qualified managers, insufficient female health workers, lack of CD specialists, and inadequate salaries. Opportunities included the presence of a young health workforce, while key threats were brain drain, resource limitations, and restrictions on women's education. Proposed solutions emphasized improving retention strategies, increasing recruitment budgets, promoting female education, and raising salaries for health professionals.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Effective management of CDs in Afghanistan requires a knowledgeable, sufficient, and well-supported workforce. Addressing workforce challenges through strategic planning, recruitment, and retention initiatives-guided by insights from the SWOT analysis-can strengthen the health system's capacity for sustainable CD control.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13670434/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploratory analysis of factors affecting the retention of medical students, doctors, and nurses in Lebanon during socioeconomic and political crises: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Houssein Baher, Muhammad Ahmad Barakat, Jana Kotaich, Hadi Ftouni, Abdallah Safawi, Moetasem Al Sayed, Fatima Saleh Almoussawi, Diala El Khoury","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01085-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-026-01085-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Due to the ongoing socioeconomic and political crisis in Lebanon, healthcare personnel face numerous challenges that are driving them toward emigration. This cross-sectional study examines the factors that affect Lebanese medical students', doctors', and nurses' retention in the country.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were collected from August to December 2024 from Lebanese medical students, doctors, and nurses during a severe socioeconomic and political crisis. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on 819 participants via a structured 60-item online survey following a Likert-style scale to identify key retention determinants. Reliability analysis was performed via Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega, with a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of 0.964 and a statistically significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (p < 0.05), confirming the data's suitability for factor analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twelve retention factors were identified and ranked by importance: compensation & benefits (mean = 4.58, α = 0.821), work‒life balance (mean = 4.55, α = 0.796), workplace sanitation & security (mean = 4.54, α = 0.813), disaster preparedness & crisis management (mean = 4.51, α = 0.919), job satisfaction & recognition (mean = 4.50, α = 0.911), political & economic stability (mean = 4.49, α = 0.844), autonomy (mean = 4.47, α = 0.809), support from colleagues (mean = 4.44, α = 0.889), career development (mean = 4.38, α = 0.773), support from management (mean = 4.38, α = 0.894), mental health & stress management (mean = 4.31, α = 0.862), and workplace comfort & amenities (mean = 4.20, α = 0.830).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlights the multifaceted factors influencing healthcare professionals' retention in Lebanon amid ongoing crises. These insights provide an opportunity for policymakers and healthcare leaders to focus on critical areas where targeted investments could strengthen the retention of doctors, nurses, and medical students in Lebanon and possibly in other countries experiencing similar crises.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13660339/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148473362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continuing medical education in crisis: regulatory adaptations, digital acceleration, and insights from Armenia.","authors":"Gohar Yerimyan, Sharon Chekijian, Anna Isahakyan, Davit Abrahamyan, Gevorg Yaghjyan, Vicken Sepilian, Alexander Bazarchyan, Lena Nanushyan","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01086-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-026-01086-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Continuing professional development (CPD) plays a vital role in maintaining the competence of health professionals and ensuring quality health care. Health emergencies such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and armed conflicts globally have disrupted traditional educational formats and accelerated the adoption of digital and online learning.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study explores the Armenian experience of CME transformation during recent crises, focusing on the transition to online education, its outcomes, challenges, and opportunities for long-term reform.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A descriptive analysis of CME/CPD activities conducted in Armenia during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and the 44-day War in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 was performed. Data on the number of online courses and participants were collected, and findings were interpreted in the context of international developments in CME/CPD during health emergencies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Armenia experienced a significant increase in online CME offerings and participation during recent crises, aligning with global trends. The shift ensured continuity of professional education, expanded access to rural areas, and enhanced workforce preparedness. However, challenges emerged, including the absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework, limited quality assurance mechanisms, and concerns regarding sustainability and equity.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Armenia's experience reflects global patterns of emergency-driven innovation in CME but also highlights specific national challenges. Lessons from international practice demonstrate the need for stronger regulation, monitoring and integration of CME with workforce planning systems.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The Armenian experience demonstrates how a health workforce development system adapted to substantial challenges through the rapid expansion of digitally enabled CME/CPD, regulatory flexibility, and international collaboration. While further research is needed to assess long-term educational and workforce outcomes, the findings suggest that adaptive educational infrastructures may represent an important component of health workforce resilience during periods of crisis and recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13656360/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148473412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An empirical study on the influencing factors and mechanisms of contract compliance intention among oriented medical students in China: the case of Hubei Province.","authors":"Li Xiao, Wang Chao, Yin Xiaoxv, Jiang Heng, Li Shaoshuai","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01084-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-026-01084-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The shortage of health personnel facing China, particularly in rural areas, has posed a great obstacle to the sustainable development of its health system. The Chinese government has, therefore, implemented the Rural-Oriented Tuition-Waived Medical Higher Education (ROTWMHE) program to address this issue, which recruits and trains medical students (oriented medical students) with contracts to serve in designated areas. This study attempts to identify the contract compliance intention of medical students in the ROTWMHE program and investigate the influencing factors and mechanisms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>From May to June 2023, a total of 1130 oriented medical students engaged in the ROTWMHE program were selected from oriented medical student educational institutions in Hubei Province to conduct questionnaire surveys. The questionnaire, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, consisted of four parts: demographics, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Descriptive analysis, chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were employed to identify the factors influencing the contract compliance intention of oriented medical students.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1114 (98.58%) valid questionnaires were included, and the contract compliance intention rate of oriented medical students in Hubei Province was 75.31%. Regression analysis showed that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control all had statistically significant effects (P < 0.05). Specifically, the gender, the matriculation year, whether you apply for the RDTWME program voluntarily, attitude toward the education program, whether rural medical work holds value, whether rural healthcare systems require high-level medical professionals, maternal education attainment, family attitude toward the ROTWMHE program, compliance rate among peers, and whether you acquaint with rural healthcare work environment were all associated with contract compliance intention.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The contract compliance intention among oriented medical students in Hubei Province was relatively positive, but negative attitudes and the adverse effects of subjective norms have weakened their intention. Policymakers and medical educational institutions should formulate differentiated enrollment policies, reinforce integrity mechanisms in the employment sector, strengthen practice-based education and value cultivation related to rural healthcare, leverage new media platforms to enhance policy outreach, and improve the benefits and compensations to further enhance the contract compliance intention in oriented medical students.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13543621/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148309739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A time-to-practice metric for refugee clinician integration in receiving health systems: England as a worked example.","authors":"Patrick Kierkegaard","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01082-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-026-01082-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Receiving health systems cannot improve refugee clinician integration pathways if no actor is responsible for the denominator, milestones, or stage-specific delays. England is a useful worked example. Published UK initiatives show that already-resident refugee and asylum-seeking doctors can reach NHS employment, supervised placements and professional registration, but they use different denominators, endpoints and follow-up conventions. They demonstrate feasibility without yielding a pathway metric that system-level purchasers, funders or regulators can compare, fund or improve. A minimum time-to-practice (TTP) specification would separate two clocks. A population or pre-pathway clock would record earlier dates, such as arrival, asylum-claim lodgement, first contact or first documentation of professional background, to show upstream delay and attrition. The pathway TTP clock would begin at pathway registration, when a minimum dataset is complete, a named pathway owner can act, and the case enters the reporting denominator. Two auditable milestones would then be measured from registration: TTP-1, the verified start of the first qualifying paid supervised placement; and TTP-2, practice-enabling, profession-equivalent registration. Work-eligibility status, documentation completeness, years out of practice and route complexity should be recorded to interpret variation rather than to exclude people from the denominator. TTP is not a measure of competence, programme effectiveness or speed alone. Its purpose is workforce governance: to define the denominator, milestones, safeguards and funding conditions needed to compare and improve a poorly observed route back into practice, while remaining distinct from active overseas recruitment.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13274039/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148273300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"TASK PACT: a framework for exploring opportunities to expand pharmacists' roles in supporting equitable cancer control in low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa.","authors":"Otuto Amarauche Chukwu, Beverley M Essue","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01080-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12960-026-01080-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer is a complex global health issue that continues to overburden healthcare systems worldwide. Estimates suggest that the burden of cancer will double in the next decade, further straining healthcare systems if effective interventions are not scaled up. One critical barrier to scaling up cancer interventions is the shortage of the cancer workforce, which is particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in sub-Saharan Africa, many of which do not have a single oncologist. Task shifting offers a potential strategy to expand the cancer workforce. However, there is limited evidence on task shifting to advanced clinical professionals, such as pharmacists, who could help improve access to cancer control services. Pharmacists are integral members of the healthcare team and possess advanced clinical knowledge that can be leveraged to enhance cancer care. In many LMICs, pharmacists serve as the first point of contact for health complaints and minor ailments, positioning them to aid in early diagnosis and intervention for cancer.The objective of this study is to develop a conceptual framework, TASK PACT (Task Shifting Concepts for Pharmacists to Advance Cancer Control and Treatment), to systematically assess the feasibility of task shifting selected cancer control services to pharmacists. The framework was developed through an integrative review of the literature on task shifting, and is grounded in a synthesis of intellectual capital, organizational readiness for change, motivation, and change theories, and the theoretical domains framework. It provides a structured approach to explore the perspectives of pharmacists, oncologists, policymakers, and patients regarding the acceptability, readiness, and practical implementation of expanding pharmacists' roles in cancer control.The TASK PACT framework could serve as a practical tool for research that informs policy, guides implementation research, and supports the design of scalable, context-specific collaborative models of cancer care in sub-Saharan Africa. Its application could strengthen the oncology workforce, improve access to cancer control services, and generate evidence to inform broader health system strategies in LMICs.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13274079/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148266601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What matters most in family doctor teams? Preference evidence from community residents and primary healthcare providers.","authors":"Ganquan Yu, Kuimeng Song, Xin Wang","doi":"10.1186/s12960-026-01083-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-026-01083-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Family doctor contract services (FDCS) are a key strategy to strengthen primary healthcare systems in China. Understanding preferences for the design of family doctor teams is essential for optimising health workforce performance and service delivery. This study aimed to elicit and compare the preferences of community residents and primary healthcare providers (PHPs) regarding key attributes of FDCS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Two discrete choice experiments (DCEs) were conducted, one for community residents and the other for PHPs. Attributes and levels were established using qualitative methods. There were six attributes for community residents and PHPs, with most attributes differing between the two groups, except for FDCS composition. Data were analysed using mixed logit models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 1,110 community residents and 1,298 PHPs completed a discrete choice experiment questionnaire, resulting in effective response rate of 77.08% and 81.38%, respectively. The most significant factors influencing community residents' FDCS preferences were advanced competence (β = 1.948, p < 0.001) and good friendliness (β = 1.939, p < 0.001) of the family doctor team. In contrast, PHPs placed the greatest emphasis on good coordination (β = 3.494, p < 0.001) and regular composition (β = 3.438, p < 0.001) of the family doctor team. Improvements of the these attributes of FDCS would result in a notable increase in the uptake rates of both community residents and PHPs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This is the first study employing two DCEs to comprehensively reveal the preferences of community residents and PHPs regarding the use of FDCS in urban communities of China. To advance the design and implementation of the FDCS, it is essential to consider three key aspects: the differentiated construction of family doctor teams, improvement of service experience, and development of supportive measures. It has the potential to contribute to the development of FDCS in China and other developing countries with similar primary healthcare systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":39823,"journal":{"name":"Human Resources for Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148228623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}