Abstract
BackgroundA strong health workforce is a key building block of a well-functioning health system. To achieve health systems goals, policymakers need information on what works to improve and sustain health workforce performance. Most frameworks on health workforce planning and policymaking are high-level and conceptual, and do not provide a structure for synthesizing the growing body of empirical literature on the effectiveness of strategies to strengthen human resources for health (HRH). Our aim is to create a detailed, interactive logic model to map HRH evidence and inform policy development and decision-making.MethodsWe reviewed existing conceptual frameworks and models on health workforce planning and policymaking. We included frameworks that were: (1) visual, (2) comprehensive (not concentrated on specific outcomes or strategies), and (3) designed to support decision-making. We compared and synthesized the frameworks to develop a detailed logic model and interactive evidence visualization tool.ResultsTen frameworks met our inclusion criteria. The resulting logic model, available at hrhvisualizer.org, allows for visualization of high-level linkages as well as a detailed understanding of the factors that affect health workforce outcomes. HRH data and governance systems interact with the context to affect how human resource policies are formulated and implemented. These policies affect HRH processes and strategies that influence health workforce outcomes and contribute to the overarching health systems goals of clinical quality, responsiveness, efficiency, and coverage. Unlike existing conceptual frameworks, this logic model has been operationalized in a highly visual, interactive platform that can be used to map the research informing policies and illuminating their underlying mechanisms.ConclusionsThe interactive logic model presented in this paper will allow for comprehensive mapping of literature around effective strategies to strengthen HRH. It can aid researchers in communicating with policymakers about the evidence behind policy questions, thus supporting the translation of evidence to policy.
Highlights
A strong health workforce is a key building block of a well-functioning health system
To make this growing literature more accessible to policymakers, frameworks can help consolidate research to demonstrate factors affecting workforce outcomes, strength of linkages, and interrelationships that impact the health workforce as part of a robust health system. Such a visual consolidation of evidence can provide researchers feedback on areas with existing evidence and those requiring greater attention. This could create a two-way interaction between researchers and policymakers facilitating the evidence-to-policy translation process in the context of human resources for health (HRH) policymaking
Most include some elements of contextual factors, health system building blocks, planning and implementation, and processes across the HRH lifecycle leading to HRH goals—but portray these elements and their relationships in different ways
Summary
A strong health workforce is a key building block of a well-functioning health system. Researchers have made strides in examining issues such as recruitment strategies, training, supervision, and outcomes such as retention, motivation, and distribution [5,6,7] To make this growing literature more accessible to policymakers, frameworks can help consolidate research to demonstrate factors affecting workforce outcomes, strength of linkages, and interrelationships that impact the health workforce as part of a robust health system. Such a visual consolidation of evidence can provide researchers feedback on areas with existing evidence and those requiring greater attention. The majority of frameworks are developed for decision-makers (e.g., government officials or leaders), showing how they can influence HRH outcomes to achieve health system goals—for example, through influencing health labor markets [9, 14] or using HRH “action fields” to advance policy objectives [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
