Capacity Planning in Health Care: A review of the international literature

Abstract

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public HealthVolume 33, Issue 5 p. 497-497 Free Access Capacity Planning in Health Care: A review of the international literature First published: 06 October 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00439.xAboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat By Ettelt, Stefanie, Note, Ellen, Thomson, Sarah, Mays, Nicholas and the International Health Care Comparison Network Reviewed by Pat Neuwelt School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, New Zealand Books comparing health system decision-making structures are only infrequently produced, presumably due to the reality of constant health system restructuring in many nations. This recent publication potentially fills that gap. It is a 62-page policy brief, published by the World Health Organization on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, which provides a useful summary of health systems planning in nine western countries. Written by members of the International Healthcare Comparisons Network, it is exactly as it is named, a ‘policy brief’. It is brief and is most likely to be useful for policy makers in western countries interested in comparing their own planning processes to those of similar western nations. It might also be useful to those involved in health services research and teaching. The book provides a high-level overview of the basic health care structures of Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand. (Of note, there is no mention of Australia in the publication). It focuses almost entirely on hospital-based health care, with some mention of ambulatory care, and only very limited mention of primary health care. It does not explicitly discuss the planning or delivery of public health services, nor does it discuss equity (despite its mention on p. 1) and, therefore, may be of limited interest to a wider public health audience. For health services research and policy people, the book is a useful ‘primer’ on the essential structures of health care in nine nations, and includes an interesting eight-page analysis comparing and contrasting capacity planning among them. It begins with an introductory section, which summarises the key aspects of capacity planning to be discussed in subsequent chapters. These include health plans and planning types, the scope of planning, hospital capacity planning, and capital-investment planning. The introductory summary states that the review of the nine countries “illustrates how approaches to planning strongly reflect the institutional, legislative and regulatory framework of a country's health system, and this, in turn, reflects the wider political, social, economic and cultural context” (p. 7). My view would be that this publication illustrates those points, but only to a limited extent, given its brevity and its stronger emphasis on description than analysis. As a public health and health services researcher, I would argue that the notable weaknesses of the policy brief are the lack of definitions and of a conclusion section. The authors do not clearly define what they mean by the term ‘capacity planning’, for example. Where one might expect a book to include a discussion of workforce capacity, it primarily focuses on health system structures, as well as high level decision-making processes, particularly with regard to health care expenditure and investment. Its limited discussion of community-based health care and broader public health is disappointing. The lack of a final conclusion section left me unsure of the intended audience. According to an online business dictionary, ‘capacity planning’ is defined as “ Systematic determination of resource requirements for the projected output, over a specific period”.1 Public health researchers and practitioners would tend to interpret the term ‘resources’ more broadly than simply ‘economic resources’, as appears to be the interpretation in this publication. Despite that fact, this is a useful resource that should not be overlooked by health services research and policy personnel, particularly those with an economic focus. References 1 WebFinance Inc, Business Dictionary.com Definition of Capacity Planning. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/capacity-planning.html (Accessed 27Apr09). Google Scholar Volume33, Issue5October 2009Pages 497-497 ReferencesRelatedInformation