Spain is struggling with a shortage of medical professionals, a problem that mirrors the global medical professional shortage crisis. The World Health Organization projects a shortfall of 10 million health workers by 2030. Despite the widespread recognition of this issue, solutions are lacking. 

McKinsey and Deloitte’s reports highlight three priorities for healthcare organizations: improving efficiency, raising productivity, and retaining staff. Experts have noted that countries could adopt these strategies amid advances in technology and artificial intelligence.

A survey by the Deloitte US Center for Health Solutions, conducted in August-September 2024, surveyed 121 senior executives from healthcare organizations in Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. More than 70% said that improving efficiency and achieving productivity gains will be top priorities for their healthcare organizations. Health systems worldwide face constrained budgets, staffing shortages, clinician burnout, and pressure to adopt modern technologies as patient expectations evolve. 

Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is expected to accelerate by 2025, with countries progressing at different rates. Virtual care can improve access but may raise costs if it supplements rather than replaces in-person visits, as noted in the report. Virtual wards and hospital-at-home programs reduce pressure only when they have free capacity, and limited funding or concerns about return on investment can slow their adoption.

Workflow Design

The Deloitte report highlighted that health systems must optimize process flows and operations to make virtual health options financially viable. Despite workforce shortages, existing clinicians could see more patients through higher appointment turnover, and clinics could extend their operating hours to improve access, including flexible online shifts.

Improving the quality of clinician work is critical; however, attrition driven by heavy workloads and poor working conditions remains a major challenge. The report noted that investing in staff retention and engagement can reduce burnout, stabilize hiring and training costs and boost productivity. 

Experts have emphasized that new technologies are valuable only if they free physicians’ time for patient care and reduce administrative tasks. Supporting staff with appropriate tools boosts productivity, motivation, and overall efficiency.

Staff Training

These proposals raise practical questions, such as how to train practicing professionals in modern technologies so that they can apply these tools effectively in routine clinical practice beyond pilot testing.

The McKinsey study addresses this challenge, noting that educational partners can help address the shortage of healthcare workers. US health systems could address gaps across multiple healthcare roles by establishing their own training programs or partnering with post-secondary institutions.

The study also highlighted rising professional resignations, from approximately 400,000/ month in 2020 to nearly 600,000/month by May 2023. Simultaneously, the demand for care is growing owing to an aging population, more chronic conditions, and rising mental health needs.

Alternatively, the report suggests that health systems could develop training programs in partnership with existing post-secondary education providers.

Education Partnerships

Although the Spanish and US education systems differ and are not directly comparable, the report suggests that partnerships between health systems and educational institutions can guide investments in digital health training and continuing education to enhance clinician performance.

This approach allows health systems to customize programs to the system’s specific needs while leveraging existing resources, such as faculty, curricula, assessment methods, student enrolment processes, and financial management systems, without losing sight of core operations.

The report highlighted that partnerships between health systems and post-secondary institutions can deliver benefits beyond what each partner contributes. These include higher-quality education, better-prepared graduates, and stronger long-term connections between students, health systems, and schools.

The report concluded that addressing current workforce shortages while building a diverse and equitable workforce to meet future demands is a critical priority for healthcare systems globally.

This story was translated from El Medico Interactivo.