Dataset Information

Global nephrology workforce: gaps and opportunities toward a sustainable kidney care system.

ABSTRACT: The health workforce is the cornerstone of any health care system. An adequately trained and sufficiently staffed workforce is essential to reach universal health coverage. In particular, a nephrology workforce is critical to meet the growing worldwide burden of kidney disease. Despite some attempts, the global nephrology workforce and training capacity remains widely unknown. This multinational cross-sectional survey was part of the Global Kidney Health Atlas project, a new initiative administered by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN). The objective of this study was to address the existing global nephrology workforce and training capacity. The questionnaire was administered online, and all data were analyzed and presented by ISN regions and World Bank country classification. Overall, 125 United Nations member states responded to the entire survey, with 121 countries responding to survey questions pertaining to the nephrology workforce. The global nephrologist density was 8.83 per million population (PMP); high-income countries reported a nephrologist density of 28.52 PMP compared with 0.31 PMP in low-income countries. Similarly, the global nephrologist trainee density was 1.87 PMP; high-income countries reported a 30 times greater nephrology trainee density than low-income countries (6.03 PMP vs. 0.18 PMP). Countries reported a shortage in all care providers in nephrology. A nephrology training program existed in 79% of countries, ranging from 97% in high-income countries to 41% in low-income countries. In countries with a training program, the majority (86%) of programs were 2 to 4 years, and the most common training structure (56%) was following general internal medicine. We found significant variation in the global density of nephrologists and nephrology trainees and shortages in all care providers in nephrology; the gap was more prominent in low-income countries, particularly in African and South Asian ISN regions. These findings point to significant gaps in the current nephrology workforce and opportunities for countries and regions to develop and maintain a sustainable workforce.

SUBMITTER: Osman MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6336213 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Global nephrology workforce: gaps and opportunities toward a sustainable kidney care system.

Osman Mohamed A MA Alrukhaimi Mona M Ashuntantang Gloria E GE Bellorin-Font Ezequiel E Benghanem Gharbi Mohammed M Braam Branko B Courtney Mark M Feehally John J Harris David C DC Jha Vivekanand V Jindal Kailash K Johnson David W DW Kalantar-Zadeh Kamyar K Kazancioglu Rumeyza R Klarenbach Scott S Levin Adeera A Lunney Meaghan M Okpechi Ikechi G IG Olanrewaju Timothy Olusegun TO Perl Jeffrey J Rashid Harun Ur HU Rondeau Eric E Salako Babatunde Lawal BL Samimi Arian A Sola Laura L Tchokhonelidze Irma I Wiebe Natasha N Yang Chih-Wei CW Ye Feng F Zemchenkov Alexander A Zhao Ming-Hui MH Bello Aminu K AK Bello Aminu K AK

Kidney international supplements 20180119 2

The health workforce is the cornerstone of any health care system. An adequately trained and sufficiently staffed workforce is essential to reach universal health coverage. In particular, a nephrology workforce is critical to meet the growing worldwide burden of kidney disease. Despite some attempts, the global nephrology workforce and training capacity remains widely unknown. This multinational cross-sectional survey was part of the Global Kidney Health Atlas project, a new initiative administe ...[more]

PMID: 30675439

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Project description:Approximately 13% of the total UK workforce is employed in the health and care sector. Despite substantial workforce planning efforts, the effectiveness of this planning has been criticised. Education, training, and workforce plans have typically considered each health-care profession in isolation and have not adequately responded to changing health and care needs. The results are persistent vacancies, poor morale, and low retention. Areas of particular concern highlighted in this Health Policy paper include primary care, mental health, nursing, clinical and non-clinical support, and social care. Responses to workforce shortfalls have included a high reliance on foreign and temporary staff, small-scale changes in skill mix, and enhanced recruitment drives. Impending challenges for the UK health and care workforce include growing multimorbidity, an increasing shortfall in the supply of unpaid carers, and the relative decline of the attractiveness of the National Health Service (NHS) as an employer internationally. We argue that to secure a sustainable and fit-for-purpose health and care workforce, integrated workforce approaches need to be developed alongside reforms to education and training that reflect changes in roles and skill mix, as well as the trend towards multidisciplinary working. Enhancing career development opportunities, promoting staff wellbeing, and tackling discrimination in the NHS are all needed to improve recruitment, retention, and morale of staff. An urgent priority is to offer sufficient aftercare and support to staff who have been exposed to high-risk situations and traumatic experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to growing calls to recognise and reward health and care staff, growth in pay must at least keep pace with projected rises in average earnings, which in turn will require linking future NHS funding allocations to rises in pay. Through illustrative projections, we show that, to sustain annual growth in the workforce at approximately 2·4%, increases in NHS expenditure of 4% annually in real terms will be required. Above all, a radical long-term strategic vision is needed to ensure that the future NHS workforce is fit for purpose.

Project description:BackgroundOutcomes after acute kidney injury (AKI) are well described, but not for those already under nephrology clinic care. This is where discussions about kidney failure risk are commonplace. We evaluated whether the established kidney failure risk equation (KFRE) should account for previous AKI episodes when used in this setting.MethodsThis observational cohort study included 7491 people referred for nephrology clinic care in British Columbia in 2003-09 followed to 2016. Predictors were previous Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes-based AKI, age, sex, proteinuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and renal diagnosis. Outcomes were 5-year kidney failure and death. We developed cause-specific Cox models (AKI versus no AKI) for kidney failure and death, stratified by eGFR (</?30?mL/min/1.73?m2). We also compared prediction models comparing the 5-year KFRE with two refitted models, one with and one without AKI as a predictor.ResultsAKI was associated with increased kidney failure (33.1% versus 26.3%) and death (23.8% versus 16.8%) (P ?<?0.001). In Cox models, AKI was independently associated with increased kidney failure in those with an eGFR ?30?mL/min/1.73?m2 {hazard ratio [HR] 1.35 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-1.70]}, no increase in those with eGFR <30?mL/min/1.73?m2 ([HR 1.05 95% CI 0.91-1.21)] and increased mortality in both subgroups [respective HRs 1.89 (95% CI 1.56-2.30) and 1.43 (1.16-1.75)]. Incorporating AKI into a refitted kidney failure prediction model did not improve predictions on comparison of receiver operating characteristics (P?=?0.16) or decision curve analysis. The original KFRE calibrated poorly in this setting, underpredicting risk.ConclusionsAKI carries a poorer long-term prognosis among those already under nephrology care. AKI may not alter kidney failure risk predictions, but the use of prediction models without appreciating the full impact of AKI, including increased mortality, would be simplistic. People with kidney diseases have risks beyond simply kidney failure. This complexity and variability of outcomes of individuals is important.

Dataset Information

Global nephrology workforce: gaps and opportunities toward a sustainable kidney care system.

Publications

Global nephrology workforce: gaps and opportunities toward a sustainable kidney care system.

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