The Psychiatric Workforce Shortage
This Editor’s Choice collection was published online in May 2021. To review all collections, please visit the Editor’s Choice section of ps.psychiatryonline.org.
The current psychiatric workforce shortage is estimated to peak in 2024. Factors contributing to the shortage include an increasing demand for services, the inability of psychiatry residencies to train enough psychiatrists to meet population growth, and the expected rate of retirements among psychiatrists. Further, disparities exist because of the unequal distribution of behavioral health providers in rural areas and because many psychiatrists do not accept health insurance as reimbursement.
The selected articles characterize the psychiatric workforce crisis and explore various solutions to the workforce shortage. Proposed interventions include increasing the number of mental health providers (psychiatrists, advanced practice registered nurses, and other professionals), incorporating innovative models such as collaborative care and Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) to best utilize the existing workforce, and using technology to reach currently underserved populations. Given that workforce shortages differentially affect already underserved populations, these strategies should be broadly implemented in communities facing unequal access to mental health care.
The workforce crisis
Projected Workforce of Psychiatrists in the United States: A Population Analysis
Satiani A, Niedermier J, Satiani B, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2018; 69:710–713
Psychiatric Workforce Now and in the Future
Levin S
Psychiatr Serv 2018; 69:714–715
Taking Action on the Workforce Crisis
Hoge MA, Paris M
Psychiatr Serv 2018; 69:617
Increasing the number of behavioral health care providers
Expanding the Mental Health Workforce in China: Narrowing the Mental Health Service Gap
Hu X, Rohrbaugh R, Deng Q, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2017; 68:987–989
Progress in Workforce Development Since 2000: Advanced Training Opportunities in Public and Community Psychiatry
Sowers W, Pollack D, Everett A, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2011; 62:782–788
Psychiatric Workforce Needs and Recommendations for the Community Mental Health System: A State Needs Assessment
Walker ER, Berry FW III, Citron T, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2015; 66:115–117
The Role of Board-Certified Psychiatric Pharmacists in Expanding Access to Care and Improving Patient Outcomes
Goldstone LW, DiPaula BA, Werremeyer A, et al.
Psychiatric Services in Advance 2021, May 4
A Community Psychiatry Nurse Practitioner Fellowship: Preparing Nurse Practitioners for Mental Health Workforce Expansion
Frissora KM, Ranz JM
Psychiatr Serv 2020; 72:91–93
Innovative models of care
Large-Scale Dissemination of Collaborative Care and Implications for Psychiatry
Katzelnick DJ, Williams MD
Psychiatr Serv 2015; 66:904–906
Consultative Approaches to Leveraging the Psychiatric Workforce for Larger Populations in Need of Psychiatric Expertise
Raney L, Williams MD, Gibson P, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2020; 71:1084–1087
Use of technology
Leveraging Behavioral Health Expertise: Practices and Potential of the Project ECHO Approach to Virtually Integrating Care in Underserved Areas
Hager B, Hasselberg M, Arzubi E, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2018; 69:366–369
Using Continuous Quality Improvement to Design and Implement a Telepsychiatry Program in Rural Illinois
Mahmoud H, Vogt EL, Dahdouh R, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2020; 71:860–863
The Michigan Child Collaborative Care Program: Building a Telepsychiatry Consultation Service
Marcus S, Malas N, Dopp R, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2019; 70:849–852
Designing an Academic-Community Telepsychiatry Partnership to Provide Inpatient and Outpatient Services in a Critical Access Hospital
Kimmel RJ, Iles-Shih MD, Ratzliff A, et al.
Psychiatr Serv 2019; 70:744–746
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Published online: 1 July 2021
Published in print: July 01, 2021
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