Introduction

The past decade has witnessed increasing concern about the health care workforce. These concerns extend from the recruitment and training of staff to their retention and regulation. The sustainability of health services in all countries, both developed and developing, is under threat as policymakers and managers struggle to maintain sufficient staff and to ensure the quality of their work. This section includes five papers that illustrate some of the ways in which research can contribute to resolving these problems. They focus on three key issues: the recruitment and retention of staff; the reassignment of tasks between professions; and the impact of workforce on quality of care.