So, what? What shall we do?

The Swiss Competence Network Health Workforce (CNHW) is the unification of forces to come up with solutions to the problem of workforce shortage. Researchers from all public Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences with programs for health professions come together focusing on questions how to educate health workforce, how to make working in the healthcare attractive, and how to keep workforce in the field. Science and practice must provide evidence how to organize healthcare effectively and efficiently.

The problem of the shortage of health professionals can only be solved from within Switzerland and must rely on three main strategies:

• Make the work environment attractive so that health professionals feel that they can adequately care for patients and their families/ relatives.

• Attract those who already left health care by providing a welcoming work environment, e.g., piloting new models of working shifts, providing onsite childcare 24/7.

• Define career paths especially for the non-physician health workforce in order to develop advanced practice and to provide career perspectives for young staff.

• Cooperate and support informal caregivers to built up resources for care at home

 

Furthermore, we need to widen our view and, in response to Daniel Scheidegger’s ideas for the Swiss health care system, we need to decide wisely: What therapies and interventions should not be offered any longer when they are proven to not be effective (Interview zu überlasteten Spitälern: «Wir müssen weniger Medizin machen» | Tages-Anzeiger (tagesanzeiger.ch).

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