Health PolicyPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2026.105563
Anna-Corinna Kulle, Stefanie Schumacher, Frauke von Bieberstein
{"title":"Prosocial versus self-interested appeals in offline health communication: A randomized trial of framed messages during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland","authors":"Anna-Corinna Kulle, Stefanie Schumacher, Frauke von Bieberstein","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2026.105563","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2026.105563","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Research on self-interested and prosocial appeals during COVID-19 has largely relied on online messages and self-reported intentions, leaving limited evidence on their effectiveness in offline health communication. This gap is important, as many preventive behaviors—such as hand hygiene— occur in stimuli-rich, offline environments.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To examine the relative effectiveness of prosocial, self-interested, and combined motivational appeals in promoting hand hygiene in an offline retail setting.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a randomized controlled trial in four Swiss supermarkets during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (January 26–29, 2021). Customers (<em>N</em> = 22,791) were exposed to poster messages encouraging hand disinfection. Hand hygiene behavior was directly observed. Treatment effects were estimated using linear probability models with cluster-robust standard errors, and exploratory analyses examined heterogeneity across age groups.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We find no statistically significant differences in hand disinfection rates between the three motivational-appeal treatments. Prosocial appeals showed slightly higher disinfection rates descriptively, but effects were small. Exploratory analyses suggest heterogeneity across age groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Our findings underscore the importance of testing health messages offline in the environments in which preventive behaviors are actually performed. Future research should examine the overall effectiveness of motivational appeals and heterogeneity across age groups.</div></div><div><h3>Classification codes</h3><div>I120, C930</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105563"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health PolicyPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105562
Eva Pattyn , Paul Gemmel , Ruben Willems , Susan Lagaert , Jeroen Trybou
{"title":"Factors influencing the experience of client-centeredness in flemish (Proxy) budget holders: a moderation analysis","authors":"Eva Pattyn , Paul Gemmel , Ruben Willems , Susan Lagaert , Jeroen Trybou","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105562","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105562","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Governments aim to stimulate care users/'budget holders’ empowerment and decisional power by implementing cash-for-care schemes. Such a policy is theorized to reflect client-centered care, a pivotal theme in policy and practice.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This paper explores the association between empowerment (PE score) and client-centered care (CCCQ score), and the possible moderating effect of the PE score on the associations between the CCCQ scores and contextual factors (for example, budget height) in Flemish personal budget (PB) holders.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Respondents were recruited using convenience sampling and multiple recruitment sources. Bivariate and linear regression analyses with the total CCCQ score and scores of its previously found subscales (conduct by caregiver and autonomy) as dependent variables, and PE score, contextual, and sociodemographic variables as independent variables, were used.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The survey was completed by 224 respondents. Respondent type and the interaction term of budget height with PE score are associated with CCCQ total and autonomy scores. Searching for a suitable caregiver and interaction term of PB administrator type with PE score are associated with CCCQ total and conduct by caregiver scores. A positively rated financial situation is positively associated with CCCQ autonomy scores. However, CCCQ scores are not associated with PB type, information accessibility, or interaction terms of these variables with PE score.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study demonstrates the importance of sufficiently large budgets and involving care users in PB management to achieve experiences of empowerment and client-centered care. Future research should further explore which other contextual factors affect this association.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105562"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Factors influencing eHealth adoption among healthcare users in Türkiye: A stepwise logistic regression analysis","authors":"Zeynep Güldem Ökem , Betül Akbuğa Özel , Gül Pamukçu Günaydın , Furkan Enes Dilek","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105539","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105539","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>eHealth services can improve healthcare access in Türkiye, yet disparities remain across socio-demographic groups. Despite major investments, quantitative evidence on user experiences with national eHealth platforms is limited.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To identify factors influencing eHealth use, focusing on three nationally available applications: Central Physician Appointment System (CPAS), Personal Medical Record System (PMR) and a self-diagnostic/referral system (e-diagnosis).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional survey of 450 participants collected data on socio-demographics, health status, internet access, and eHealth use. Stepwise logistic regression and mediation analysis were applied.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Higher educational attainment was consistently associated with greater eHealth use (university vs. primary, odds ratio [OR]=1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.54–2.98, <em>p</em> < 0.001); gender, household size, income, and residence were not significant. Age-related differences were mediated by internet access and user engagement, including perceived ease of use (OR=3.12, 95% CI:2.25–3.98, <em>p</em> < 0.001), prior evaluations of doctors/hospitals (OR=2.51, 95% CI: 0.38–4.64, <em>p</em> < 0.01), and unsuccessful CPAS attempts (OR=0.36, 95% CI:0.14–0.91, <em>p</em> < 0.01). Chronic disease status had no effect after adjusting for internet access and eHealth engagement. Higher education was linked to greater use of CPAS and PMR, and these platforms partly explained the overall association between education and eHealth use (indirect effects <em>p</em> ≤ 0.01).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Educational attainment emerged as the strongest predictor of eHealth adoption, partly mediated through CPAS and PMR use. Engagement and usability factors outweighed age and structural characteristics. These highlight the importance of user-centered design, digital literacy support, and targeted interventions to reduce disparities and may inform strategies in countries seeking to optimize eHealth initiatives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105539"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial. The health and care workforce: How to move from crisis to capacities?","authors":"Ellen Kuhlmann , Tiago Correia , Michelle Falkenbach , Gabriela Lotta , Ligia Paina","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105548","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105548","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105548"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145866393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health PolicyPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105524
Lana Kovacevic , Lindsay Forbes , Hutan Ashrafian , Erik Mayer , Elias Mossialos , David Lugo-Palacios
{"title":"The impact of primary care networks on emergency hospitalisations in the English NHS: An interrupted time series analysis","authors":"Lana Kovacevic , Lindsay Forbes , Hutan Ashrafian , Erik Mayer , Elias Mossialos , David Lugo-Palacios","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105524","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105524","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent years have seen an emergence of collaborative primary care models in the English National Health Service and other international health systems. Primary Care Networks (PCNs) were introduced in England in July 2019, marking the first time collaboration between general practices was incentivised through a nationwide policy. While participation was not mandatory, nearly all general practices joined a PCN, largely due to strong financial incentives. Our study aim was to estimate the impact of PCNs on emergency hospitalisations using an interrupted time series design. Quarterly data between October 2016 and March 2023 from the North West London Whole Systems Integrated Care dataset was used to construct two primary outcomes: all-cause and ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) emergency hospitalisations, as well as Accident and Emergency attendances, considered as a secondary outcome. Furthermore, we analysed whether the impact of PCNs varied based on practice characteristics. A reduction in all-cause and ACSC hospitalisations was observed following the PCNs’ introduction, until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis also revealed a smaller reduction in ACSC hospitalisations among practices with more deprived patient populations and larger populations of patients with long-term conditions. While PCNs’ implementation appears to have led to a reduction in emergency hospitalisations in North West London, this effect was only observed in the very short term as it stopped with the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies should examine the effect across England and evaluate their continued impact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105524"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145776478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health PolicyPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105536
Daihun Kang
{"title":"South Korea's 2024 medical school expansion: From healthcare reform to constitutional crisis","authors":"Daihun Kang","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105536","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105536","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>South Korea faces physician shortages (2.3 per 1,000 population vs. OECD 3.3-3.8) but maintains universal coverage via a hyper-efficient model where physicians see 6,113 patients annually (OECD: 1,788). After 27 years of failed negotiations, the government announced a 65 % medical school quota expansion without stakeholder consultation.</div></div><div><h3>Reform Content</h3><div>In February 2024, the government unilaterally increased medical school seats from 3,058 to 5,058, dismissing the medical community’s 350-seat proposal. When 86.7 % of residents resigned and 97.3 % of students boycotted, the government escalated with work maintenance orders and license suspension threats. As healthcare services collapsed—with major hospitals canceling 30-50 % of surgeries and rural areas losing specialists—the government declared martial law on December 3. Military forces attempted to block parliamentary proceedings, threatening execution for non-compliant professionals.</div></div><div><h3>Expected results</h3><div>The government anticipated improved physician distribution and political gains from 76 % public support. Instead, medical education completely collapsed, and the crisis spiraled into a constitutional catastrophe: President Yoon was impeached on December 14, followed by Acting President Han on December 27. The crisis was ultimately resolved following a snap election and a policy reversal by the new administration in 2025.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This case demonstrates that healthcare workforce reforms cannot succeed through coercion in professional-dependent sectors. Bypassing stakeholder engagement while ignoring systemic issues risks cascading institutional collapse—from medical education shutdown to constitutional crisis—warning all democracies about the dangers of forced healthcare reform and the immense societal costs incurred even when a flawed policy is eventually reversed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105536"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145783549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health PolicyPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105544
Rosanna Tarricone , Patrizio Armeni , Catherine Arsenault , Margaret E. Kruk
{"title":"The relationship between trust and compliance in the Italian NHS: Results of the People's Voice Survey","authors":"Rosanna Tarricone , Patrizio Armeni , Catherine Arsenault , Margaret E. Kruk","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105544","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105544","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Public health systems are assessed not only for outcomes but also for their ability to sustain legitimacy and trust. Trust supports long-term cooperation, while mandates can secure immediate adherence but risk eroding trust and weakening future willingness to comply. Italy illustrates this paradox, combining strong outcomes and extensive COVID-19 mandates with comparatively low public confidence.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To examine how trust, compliance, and intention to comply interact in the Italian health system, in the context of policies that rely on obligation rather than persuasion.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed data from the People’s Voice Survey conducted in Italy on a representative sample of 1001 adults. Outcomes were trust in the National Health Service, compliance with COVID-19 vaccination, and intention to comply with future directives. Determinants included perceptions of public influence, trust in scientists, vaccine attitudes, and past healthcare experiences, with education and income as moderators.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Trust in the NHS was predicted by public influence, trust in scientists, and positive experiences, while negative experiences reduced it. Compliance was driven mainly by vaccine attitudes, with negative experiences lowering adherence. Intention to comply was associated with both general and policy-specific beliefs. Education moderated the role of trust in scientists, and income shaped the effect of experiences.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Trust sustains future cooperation, whereas reliance on obligation may erode it even in high-performing systems. Policies should foster transparency, responsiveness, and patient experience, and strengthen education as a stable foundation, since mandates ensure short-term adherence but not long-term cooperation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105544"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145769841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health PolicyPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105541
Ellen Kuhlmann , Gabriela Lotta , Viola Burau , Tiago Correia , Michelle Falkenbach , Marius-Ionut Ungureanu , Iris Wallenburg , Gemma A Williams , Uta Lehmann
{"title":"Community health workers: a comparative assessment of capacities of a global policy approach in selected European health systems","authors":"Ellen Kuhlmann , Gabriela Lotta , Viola Burau , Tiago Correia , Michelle Falkenbach , Marius-Ionut Ungureanu , Iris Wallenburg , Gemma A Williams , Uta Lehmann","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105541","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Interest in community health workers (CHWs) and the benefits for health systems are growing globally, but research is focused on low- and middle-income countries and high-income Anglo-American countries.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This comparative assessment focuses on community health systems and health and care workers as advocates and boundary spanners, aiming to connect global evidence to high-income European countries and assessing the capacities for transformative change.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A qualitative comparative approach and case study design were chosen, aligning global expertise of the CHW pioneers, Brazil and South Africa, and selected European countries: Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, UK/England. Case studies were collected in April/May 2025, drawing on country experts and secondary sources; thematic analysis was performed following an explorative interactive consensus-based procedure.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>European countries create diverse occupational pathways into health systems that move beyond primary healthcare, clinical tasks, and CHWs as defined globally. Promising capacities emerge if occupational programs are interconnected with health system reform, community-based social and care services, the establishment of a regulated multi-professional community-centred group, and strengthening of public health and social support services. No country uses these capacities effectively.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Community-centred health and care workers need greater attention in Europe to drive health system transformations and global policy learning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105541"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145747607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health PolicyPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105538
Beth Parkinson, Matt Sutton, Rachel Meacock
{"title":"Provision of community health services and use of hospital care in England: Nationwide retrospective observational study","authors":"Beth Parkinson, Matt Sutton, Rachel Meacock","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105538","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105538","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Expanding healthcare provision in the community is a common policy solution for reducing hospital pressures. While there is some evidence that strengthening primary care can influence hospital use, little is known about the impact of community health services such as nurse-led care delivered in patients’ homes.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To examine whether the size of the community health services workforce influences use of hospital care.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Multivariable regression of the size of the community nursing and nursing support workforce against rates of hospital use by patients aged 65+ in English local authorities in 2019/20, accounting for population needs and availability of other services.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>On average per 1000 population aged 65+, there were 4.3 FTE community staff employed, 440 planned admissions, 267 emergency admissions (of which 66 were for ambulatory care sensitive conditions), 465 emergency department attendances, and 4204 outpatient appointments. Unadjusted positive associations of community workforce provision with measures of emergency hospital use were explained by population characteristics. Community workforce provision was not significantly associated with any hospital use outcomes in the fully adjusted analyses. Sensitivity analyses confirmed these null findings.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>We found no evidence that the size of the community workforce was associated with hospital activity. Despite substantial geographical variation in the size of the workforce, areas with more community staff did not have lower hospital use. Expanding community services alone is unlikely to reduce hospital activity at the system level. Direct intervention in the hospital sector will likely be required to achieve this aim.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105538"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145798706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Health PolicyPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105523
Eray Ontas , Cavit Işık Yavuz
{"title":"Healthcare workforce distribution during multiple crises: a 12-year analysis of physician allocation, retention and equity patterns in Turkey","authors":"Eray Ontas , Cavit Işık Yavuz","doi":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Health systems worldwide face compound crises that test workforce resilience and equity. Turkey’s centralized healthcare system offers a critical case to examine how governance models perform under sustained, sequential shocks.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To assess how Turkey’s compulsory service–based physician distribution system responded to major crises over the past decade and to introduce a novel metric for evaluating workforce retention efficiency.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This 12-year longitudinal ecological study (2013–2024) analysed Ministry of Health physician stock (active density) and flow (new appointments) data across 81 provinces. A \"retention efficiency\" metric (ΔStock/Flow) quantified system performance, and distributional inequality was assessed. Quasi-experimental methods, including difference-in-differences and interrupted time series analyses, assessed the impacts of the Syrian refugee influx, COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2023 earthquakes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Physician density under MoH increased by 57 % (2013–2023), yet regional inequality worsened markedly (Weighted-Gini:0.079→0.116; +47 %). A \"revolving door\" dynamic was identified: western regions retained physicians efficiently(>0.95), while peripheral eastern regions suffered catastrophic retention inefficiency(<0.10), rendering compulsory service ineffective. Crisis response phenotypes varied significantly. The 2023 earthquakes triggered a \"volatile surge\" with dose-response characteristics: the 3 epicentre provinces showed +239 % increase (ITS: +36.4;95 %CI: 35.4–37.4), declining 58.3 % by 2024. In contrast, the Syrian refugee influx elicited an \"integrated absorption\" pattern, with no significant targeted response (DiD:0.80; <em>p</em> = 0.574) despite increased demand.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Compulsory service enables short-term absorptive capacity but fails to ensure lasting equity. The retention efficiency metric exposes hidden inefficiencies that conventional density measures miss. Transitioning from coercive placements toward bundled incentives and investment in professional ecosystems is essential to achieve sustainable workforce resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55067,"journal":{"name":"Health Policy","volume":"165 ","pages":"Article 105523"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145783601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}