CANBERRA, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Australia's medical workforce will reportedly not be prepared for the challenges of tomorrow's diseases unless drastic changes are made.
The director of Australian National University's Menzies Center for Public Health Policy and Practice, Robert Well, says medical leaders must introduce flexible work patterns and multidisciplinary teamwork.
Speaking Thursday in Melbourne to the International Workforce Conference, Well said tomorrow's doctors and nurses across Australia will be faced with patients who will be older, more likely to suffer from a chronic condition and who will be informed by the Internet.
"It's going to be a much more complex health picture in the future and the workforce shortage is unlikely to improve considering the lower birth rate numbers since the 1970s -- we're not likely to have enough doctors to replace the ones we have.
"There needs to be urgent change in models of training so our workforce is ready for the challenges," he added. "Training needs to enable better team working, multidisciplinary approaches to care and more emphasis on primary care training."
