Abstract
Human resources for health (HRH) are the backbone of the healthcare system, but a shortage of medical manpower and the misdistribution of human resources are critical problems in the rural areas of many countries till 2017. The shortage of medical manpower is a big issue between 2004 and 2013. Data mining of bibliometrics is a good tool to find the solutions for shortage of medical manpower. By analyzing 118,092 citations in 2,000 articles published in the SSCI and SCI databases addressing HRH from 2004 to 2013, we plotted the networks among authors in the field. We combine quantitative bibliometrics and a qualitative literature review to determine the important articles and to realize the relationships between important topics in this field. We find that retention and task shifting are the hot topics in HRH field between 2004 and 2013, and find out the solutions for these issues through literature review in later papers. The solution to the HRH shortage is to determine the motivations of health workers and to provide incentives to maintain their retention. Task shifting is another solution to the HRH crisis.
Highlights
There is a broad consensus that shows qualified, accessible, and responsive human resources for health (HRH) can make a major impact on the health of the people
After analyzing the 118,092 citations from 2,000 HRH articles published in the Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index (SCI) journals from 2004 to 2013, a timeline of the most cited authors and papers was developed
We find the hot topics are retention and task shifting in HRH field
Summary
There is a broad consensus that shows qualified, accessible, and responsive human resources for health (HRH) can make a major impact on the health of the people. The shortage of medical manpower and the misdistribution of human resources are critical problems in the rural areas of many countries till 2017. Challenges related to human resources for health (HRH) are important in low- and middle-income countries. These challenges include shortages of staff, shortages of health workers in remote rural districts, staff absenteeism and poor motivation. These problems are likely caused by low pay, poor supervision and support, and unsatisfactory working conditions (Chopra, Munro, Lavis, Vist, & Bennett, 2008). A higher density of health workers and nurses increases the availability of vaccination services, and a shortage of HRH can significantly constrain vaccination coverage in developing countries. The density of HRH is important to the rates of maternal mortality, infant mortality, and mortality under five years of age (Anand & Bärnighausen, 2004)
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