The interrelationship among health workforce, quality of care, and health outcomes in Turkey

• Published date: 01 March 2023
• Author: Songul Cinaroglu
• Date: 01 March 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.525

Received: 14 November 2021

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Revised: 25 January 2022

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Accepted: 2 March 2022

DOI: 10.1002/wmh3.525

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

The interrelationship among health workforce,

quality of care, and health outcomes in Turkey

Songul Cinaroglu

Department of Health Care Management,

Faculty of Economics and Administrative

Sciences (FEAS), Hacettepe University,

Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey

Correspondence

Songul Cinaroglu, Department of Health Care

Management, Faculty of Economics and

Administrative Sciences (FEAS), Hacettepe

University, Beytepe, Ankara 06800, Turkey.

Email: songulcinaroglu@gmail.com and

cinaroglus@hacettepe.edu.tr

Abstract

Better health outcomes can be achieved in the pursuit of

strong human resources and high‐quality healthcare

services. Turkey is a specific case with a scarcity of

healthcare workers under its healthcare reform move-

ments. This study seeks to understand the inter-

relationship among human resources, quality of care

services, and health outcomes in Turkey. Data for

testing the model were gathered from the Turkish

Statistical Institute for the 81 provinces of Turkey. Path

analysis was used to model the associations among

human resources, quality of care services, and health

outcomes. To test the goodness of the model, multiple

criteria of model fit indices were utilized. The fit of the

redefined path analytic model data was good (normed fit

index was 0.96, comparative fit index was 0.96, and

goodness of fit index was 0.93). The study findings

highlight the strong interrelationship among human

resources, quality of care services, and health out-

comes. These results clarify a strong interlinkage among

the number of nurses/midwives, the number of hospital

admissions, and mortality rates. Optimal staffing policies

by considering the quality of care services will provide

benefits for policymakers in achieving high‐quality health

outcomes and better preparation for health crises, and

will ensure a stronger healthcare system.

KEYWORDS

health outcomes, health workforce, path analysis, quality of care

services, Turkey

Key Points

•This study emphasizes the importance of effective

healthcare human resource planning in achieving a

high quality of health outcomes.

World Medical & Health Policy. 2023;15:73–87. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/wmh3 © 2022 Policy Studies Organization.

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