Abstract
The rapid development of pathology is in contrast to a shortage of qualified staff. The aims of the present study are to compile basic information on the numbers of German physicians in pathology and to compare it with the situation in Europe and overseas. In addition, model calculations will shed light on the effects of part-time working models. Various publicly accessible databases (EuroStat) as well as publications of medical associations and professional associations of European countries and the USA/Canada were examined. In addition, a survey was carried out among the institutes of German universities. Figures from 24 European countries and the USA/Canada were evaluated. With one pathologist per 47,989 inhabitants, the density of pathologists in Germany in relation to the population is the second-lowest in Europe (average: 32,018). Moreover, the proportion of pathologists among the physicians working in Germany is the lowest in Europe and at the same time lower than in the USA and Canada (Germany: 1:200, USA: 1:70, Canada: 1:49). The ratio of pathologists to medical specialists is shifted in the same direction. The survey among university pathologists revealed a relevant increase in the workload over the last 10 years. The majority of institutes can manage this workload only with considerable difficulties. With a ratio between specialists and residents of 1:1, the university institutes show a high commitment in the area of training. The results of this study indicate a shortage of pathologists in Germany that could lead to a bottleneck in large parts of the health system.
Highlights
The rapid development of pathology is in contrast to a shortage of qualified staff
The number of pathologists working within one of the European countries listed above ranges from 18 (Malta) to 2271 (United Kingdom) in 2017
From the point of view of pathologists working in Germany, a unfavorable situation arises here, since the density of pathologists is among the lowest in international comparison, while the density of physicians is generally high (Fig. 1B)
Summary
The rapid development of pathology is in contrast to a shortage of qualified staff. The aims of the present study are to compile basic information on the numbers of German physicians in pathology and to compare it with the situation in Europe and overseas. Reports have been accumulating about an increasing shortage of healthcare personnel in Germany and in other parts of Europe and North America. This applies primarily to nursing care and parts of the medical profession. It is primarily general medicine and anesthesia, and numerous other disciplines, which are confronted with considerable problems [1,2,3,4,5,6,7] These personnel bottlenecks lead to relevant difficulties in the care of patients with diseases of all degrees of severity, both in the outpatient and inpatient sector. Virchows Arch (2021) 478:335–341 positive aspects of part-time working nor to criticize changes concerning the attitude to a work-life-balance between the generations
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