Improving health workforce data and evidence
National and sub-national data on the health workforce is a pre-requisite for evidence-informed policy. Many countries and sub-national authorities face challenges in reporting and publishing a full account of the HRH situation; the information is often dispersed across institutions, with incomparable infrastructure and capacity constraints (especially in data collection and utilization). Amid these challenges future health and social protection systems are evolving, demanding new, intelligent responses to drive efficiency and improve outcomes.
The Health Workforce Department is engaged in multiple efforts and partnerships to: improve minimum, inter-operable data sets; enable national authorities to develop strategic intelligence on HRH; and inform health workforce projections in relation to population needs and health systems priorities.
Improving data collection through National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA)
The National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA) is a system by which countries progressively improve the availability, quality, and use of data on health workforce through monitoring of a set of indicators to support achievement of Universal Health Coverage, Sustainable Development Goals and other health objectives. In May 2016, the 69th World Health Assembly adopted the Global Strategy on HRH: Workforce 2030 (GSHRH). The World Health Assembly, in its resolution 69.19, “URGES all Member States to […] progressively implement the National Health Workforce Accounts”. Both, the High-Level Commission on Health Employment & Economic Growth (ComHEEG) and the UN General Assembly resolution (A/RES/71/159) adopted in December 2016, support the implementation of NHWA. Access the WHO National Health Workforce Accounts Data Portal.
Understanding and managing human resources through the Workload Indicator for Staffing Needs (WISN)
The Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method is a human resource management tool. It provides health managers a systematic way to make staffing decisions in order to manage their valuable human resources well. The WISN method is based on a health worker’s workload, with activity (time) standards applied for each workload component. The method: determines how many health workers of a particular type are required to cope with the workload of a given health facility and assesses the workload pressure of the health workers in that facility. The current version is a revision of an earlier WISN user’s manual, which WHO published in 1998. The revised documents take into account the now-decentralized nature of health management in many countries. It is thus intended for the wider range of managers working at the different levels in today’s health systems. Access the WISN tool.
Health Workforce Global Statistics
The data presented in the Global Health Workforce Statistics database are processed data extracts of the national reporting in the National Health Workforce Accounts data platform. Complementing the national reporting, additional sources such as the National Census, Labour Force Surveys and key administrative national and regional sources are also employed. Find out more
