With a new cohort of students, new research studies, and a busy fall season underway, the HWRC LTC Center is working hard to address looming workforce shortages and the changing care needs of an aging population. Whether we’re looking at opioid prescribing patterns, changing roles for geriatricians, or ways to leverage emerging technologies, we continue to explore the question: Is our health care workforce prepared to meet the growing long-term care needs of the aging U.S. population?
The impact of emerging technologies on long-term care & the health workforce
New technological advances could mitigate rising health workforce demand, but will not replace the direct care workforce, according to our latest study. The Impact of Emerging Technologies on Long-Term Care & the Health Workforce, authored by Susan Chapman, RN, PhD, Jacqueline Miller, BA, and Joanne Spetz, PhD contributes to the emerging evidence on how technological advances will affect the size, skills, and training needs of the workforce required to care for aging Americans.
Geriatricians in the evolving health care system
There are insufficient numbers of practicing geriatricians to meet current demand for their services, and the shortage is projected to worsen in the coming decades. A new report, Geriatrician Roles and the Value of Geriatrics in an Evolving Healthcare System, conducted by UCSF Health Workforce Research Center authors Timothy Bates, MPP, Aubri Kottek, MPH, and Joanne Spetz, PhD, focuses on how to best leverage geriatricians as members of an overall care team, and how geriatrician roles may evolve as health care systems and organizations reorganize care.
Laura Wagner interviewed about nurses and the aging population
NextAvenue, a public media journalism service for America’s booming older population, interviewed HWRC’s Laura Wagner about preparing nurses to care for aging adults.
“It’s very rewarding [to work with older patients],” Wagner says. “You’re dealing with the some of the most complicated cases.”
New HWRC studies for our 7th year
We are excited to start five new studies this year! The new projects are:
- Understanding Personal Assistance Services Experiences in Rural States – in collaboration with Rayna Sage and her colleagues at the University of Montana Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities
- Staff Turnover in Home Health – in collaboration with Guy David and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania
- Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner Employment in Long-Term Care
- Opioid Prescribing Patterns in Skilled Nursing Facilities
- Peers in the Behavioral Health Workforce: Costs and Contributions – in collaboration with the University of Michigan Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center
You can read more about these and our other projects on our website’s project page!
Scope of Practice Regulations for Home Health Aides and Personal Care Assistants
California faces an estimated shortage of 200,000 home health and home care aides by 2030, but the state’s home health and home care aides are underutilized because of some of the most restrictive scope of practice laws in the country. In a new brief, Home Health Aides and Personal Care Assistants: Scope of Practice Regulations and Their Impact on Care, Joanne Spetz examines how California’s regulations compare with those of other states, and what evidence exists to guide changes in health profession regulations. This brief is one of a series that examines California regulations of health professions, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Envisioning an Ideal Health Workforce Data System for California
Seven million Californians live in areas experiencing shortfalls of primary care, dental care, or mental health care providers. Without accurate, robust and timely health workforce data, the state will be unable to adequately address these challenges. Healthforce’s publication Envisioning an Ideal Health Workforce Data System for California, authored by Janet Coffman and Joanne Spetz, proposes recommendations to create a system to monitor trends in supply and demand for health care workers and health professions education. The report aims to support implementation of the California Future Health Workforce Commission’s recommendation that the state invest in its health workforce data collection and reporting.
Special issue of Health Affairs on the workforce for serious illness care
Joanne Spetz was the Consulting Editor of a theme issue of Health Affairs focused on the workforce that cares for people with serious illness living in the community. The issue, released in June, includes articles on a variety of important topics, most of which focus on recent research. Joanne Spetz and Susan Chapman authored a paper in the issue with UCSF HWRC Expert Advisor Committee member Robyn Stone on the direct-care workforce that serves people with serious illness and disability.
Recent publications from UCSF HWRC-LTC investigators
Wagner, L, Katz, P, Karuza, J, Sharp, L, Seet, A, Kwong, C, Spetz, J. Director of Nursing Perceptions of Medical Directors' Roles in U.S. Nursing Homes. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2019, online July 1.
Donelan, K, Michael, C, Chang, Y, Spetz, J, Norman, L, Auerbach, D, Buerhaus, P. Care Management For Older Adults: The Roles Of Nurses, Social Workers, And Physicians. Health Affairs, 2019, 38 (6): 941-949.
Spetz, J, Stone, R, Chapman, S, Bryant, N. The Existing Home- and Community-Based Workforce for Patients with Serious Illness Needs Support to Meet Growing Needs. Health Affairs, 2019, 38 (6): 902–909.
Toretsky, C, Mutha, S, Coffman, J. Reducing Educational Debt Among Underrepresented Physicians and Dentists. San Francisco: Healthforce Center at UCSF, August 2019.
Please visit our website to learn about our ongoing projects!
Visit us at: http://healthworkforce.ucsf.edu
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