As Doctor Shortage Looms, States Start Getting Creative
States have taken a variety of measures -- such as increasing their number of medical residencies and offering grants to students who do rotations in underserved areas -- to address doctor shortages. In other news, a health policy fellowship tries to give medical students a firmer grasp on the complex interworkings of the health system.
Stateline:
States Attack A Severe Doctor Shortage
Earlier this month, dignitaries gathered at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro to cut the ribbon on a new medical school, only the second in a state with a dire shortage of doctors....The Arkansas initiative is one of several that states are undertaking to address a doctor shortage that is going to get worse in much of the nation, especially in states with large rural areas or high concentrations of minorities. (Ollove 6/10)
Kaiser Health News:
For Doctors-In-Training, A Dose Of Health Policy Can Help The Medicine Go Down
Doctors-in-training learn a lot about the workings of the human body during medical school and residency. But many are taught next to nothing about the workings of the health care system. One university in Washington, D.C., is trying to change that. The three-week fellowship in health policy for medical residents is run jointly by the George Washington University schools of medicine and public health. In addition to hearing lectures from policy experts in and around the nation’s capital, the residents take field trips to Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, other federal and local health-related agencies, as well as local health care facilities. (Rovner, 6/10)
Meanwhile, a new study takes a look at doctors' behavior regarding hygiene and how it differs when they know they're being watched —
The Associated Press:
Doctors' Hand Hygiene Plummets Unless They Know They're Being Watched, Study Finds
For doctors and nurses, hand hygiene is supposed to be as intuitive as breathing. But is this behavior really second-nature, or do health care workers need supervision to keep their hand cleaning habits on target? (Barzilay, 6/10)
