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Density of Health Workforce Correlates to Disease Outcomes: Evidence From Global Data in Otolaryngology.
Article in OTO open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Otolaryngology Workforce Projections in the United States, 2021-2036.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2025Article
- Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Training and Service Delivery: An International Survey.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: To better understand the impact of the otolaryngology-specific workforce on the burden of related diseases. Study Design: Retrospective analysis of existing workforce density data as compared with the incidence, mortality, and morbidity data for 4 otolaryngologic diseases. Setting: An overall 138 countries with known otolaryngology-head and neck surgery workforce and epidemiologic data. Methods: We obtained raw data on workforce estimates of ear, nose, and throat surgical specialists from the World Health Organization. Disease burdens for 4 conditions were estimated via 2 ratios, the mortality:incidence ratio (MIR) and YLD:incidence ratio (years lost to disability), as specified in the Global Burden of Disease database. These were correlated to country-specific otolaryngologist density data in univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Increased density of the ear, nose, and throat workforce correlated with better outcomes for otolaryngologic-treated surgical diseases. A 10% increase in otolaryngology workforce density was associated with a 0.27% reduction in YLD:incidence ratio for chronic otitis media, a 0.94% reduction in MIR for lip and oral cavity cancer, a 1.46% reduction in MIR for laryngeal cancer, and a 1.34% reduction in MIR for pharyngeal cancer (all Conclusion: The density of the surgical workforce is assumed to affect disease outcomes, but ours is the first analysis to show that increased workforce density for a specific surgical specialty correlates with improved disease outcomes. While there is a consensus to increase access to health care providers, quantifying the effect on disease outcomes is an important metric for those performing health economics modeling, particularly where resources are limited.
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