The federal, provincial and regional health policy and management communities have identified health human resources as a key and enduring priority for planning and investment. Canadians support this priority, and view improved human resource planning as an essential component in ensuring the long-term sustainability and accessibility of the entire health care system.

CHSPR has a long history of producing stakeholder responsive, data-driven research and reports for the provincial health human resource planning community. Recent British Columbia Ministry of Health-funded work by researchers at the Centre developed capacity in province-wide, system-level primary health care evaluation—including the sector’s health human resources. This project compiled what might be the most accurate picture of the supply, distribution and characteristics of physicians and nurses providing primary care in British Columbia.

New research, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, is designed to provide policy-makers and planners with a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the service provision dynamics underlying recent shifts in perceptions regarding physician supply in British Columbia.