Future gaps in the public provision of health services in Austria? A mixed-methods analysis for specialists in internal medicine.

BACKGROUND

Population growth and aging are likely to increase demand for healthcare providers, even in countries with high provider-to-population ratios. To plan appropriate policy measures, detailed information on supply and demand trends in the physician workforce for each medical specialty is essential. This article assesses the current supply of all specialists in internal medicine (general and subspecialties) in Austria and projects future supply and demand until 2035.

METHODS

Our analysis follows a framework for workforce planning consisting of four stages: (1) horizon scanning, (2) scenario generation, (3) workforce modelling, and (4) policy analysis. We use stakeholder workshops, interviews and an online survey (n = 484) in the first two stages. Future supply is modelled using stock-flow models, whereas demand is projected using regression modelling based on existing forecasts and extrapolations of historical care use. Different scenarios are used to account for uncertain developments. The two main settings of care in Austria-public hospitals and publicly financed outpatient care-are modelled separately.

RESULTS

Overall, no severe shortage of specialists in internal medicine is expected in Austria until 2035. However, our analysis suggests that the two settings of care will experience very different developments: while the gap between supply and demand in public hospitals is expected to be small (± 5 percent), the supply of specialists in publicly financed outpatient care is projected to fall between 10 and 25 percent short of demand.

CONCLUSIONS

Without major reforms, capacity constraints will likely affect the publicly financed outpatient sector, hindering the desired shift from inpatient to outpatient care or driving patients into the private outpatient sector where higher user charges apply. Therefore, it is essential for policy makers to incentivize physicians to work in publicly financed outpatient care. Increasing enrolment in medical schools is not a suitable policy measure, as no significant shortage of specialists in internal medicine is expected overall.