ArticleHuman resources for health2021
From village health volunteers to paid care givers: the optimal mix for a multidisciplinary home health care workforce in rural Thailand.
Article in Human resources for health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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13 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Health workforce planning methods in rural and remote primary care: a scoping review.Human resources for health · 2026Article
- Is equitable access to health and social care possible for Vietnamese older adults? Care providers' perspectives.International health · 2026Article
- Transferring Occupational Therapy Knowledge to Village Health Volunteers to Enhance Activities of Daily Living Among Older Adults in Community-Based Elder Care: A Qualitative Study.Occupational therapy international · 2026Article
- "Young Care": A Community-Based Intervention to Transform Youth Mindsets on Elder Care in Thailand-Program Development and Outcome Evaluation.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Hope and Loneliness as Predictors of Quality of Life Among Rural Older Adults in Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Mechanism for meeting the care of older adults in rural China-relying on spouse, offspring or community?BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Stakeholders' Perspectives on Child Healthcare Services under Rural Health Reform in Thailand: A Qualitative Study.International journal of community based nursing and midwifery · 2025Article
- Article
- A Mobile Application for Enhancing Caregiver Support and Resource Management for Long-Term Dependent Individuals in Rural Areas.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Perspectives of family caregivers and nurses on hospital discharge transitional care for Muslim older adults living with COPD: a qualitative study.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- The regulation of healthcare professions and support workers in international context.Human resources for health · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThailand is a rapidly aging society, which places high demand on home health care services for the elderly. The shortage of health care workforce in rural areas is a crucial obstacle to the delivery of adequate home health care services. The appropriate skill-mix between multidisciplinary health team and care givers (CGs) is an attractive solution for improving home health care services in rural Thailand. This study assessed the potential of trained CGs to provide home health care services and projected what the optimal mix for a multidisciplinary home health care team in rural Thailand would be in 2030.
methodsEleven pilot districts in Thailand were recruited for the study. Secondary data were collected along with surveys of home health care providers. A total of 130 care managers (nurses) and 351 care givers (CG) were recruited for the survey. Workload, skill-mix potential, and acceptance of care givers were assessed in the surveys. The results from secondary data and the survey were used to project the health workforce requirements in 2030.
resultsIt is projected that in 2030 the number of elderly living in rural areas will be 7,156,700 (27% of the projected rural population). Of this, 20.3% will be home-bound, 1.1% will be bed-ridden and 1.6% will need rehabilitation. The main members of the multidisciplinary health workforce involved in home health care were nurses, doctors, and physiotherapists. The home health care services that were provided by the multidisciplinary health workforce included patient assessment, development of a care plan and case conference, home visits, and teaching and supervision of CGs. The CGs were village health volunteers trained to carry out regular home visits to patients. The CGs provided assistance with the activities of daily living, basic health services, moral support to patients and relatives, and surveillance of the home environment during home visits. CGs were well accepted by both the health professionals and the patients. Projections showed that 16,094 nurses, 1,542 doctors, 1,022 physiotherapists and 50,148 CGs will be required in 2030 to meet the needs of the dependent elderly for home health care in rural Thailand.
conclusionWith the increased need for home health care services in the future, appropriate team work between the members of the multidisciplinary health team and the CGs in the community is the appropriate solution for likely shortages of health professional workforce.
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