WORKFORCE ISSUES

A CALL TO ACTION: HEALTH WORKFORCE DATA

Access to health workforce data is essential to inform various aspects of policy and programs, such as identifying health workforce shortage areas, planning for educational programs or regulatory policy changes, forecasting employment demands, and justifying funding requests. Detailed information about the health workforce is necessary to evaluate existing programs and to plan for future needs. In the face of pervasive workforce shortages, health workforce data collection has emerged as a top national and state priority.

Now, more than ever before, a Cross-Profession Minimum Data Set (CPMDS) is needed to ensure consistency, where appropriate, in health workforce data. In 2022, seven national organizations came together to review existing survey tools and prepare the CPMDS to serve as a resource to the federal and state governments, organizations, and researchers seeking to collect health workforce data. Broad adoption of the CPMDS will streamline current and support future initiatives by ensuring comparability across health professions data.