Comparison and analysis of nursing human resource allocation between China and selected OECD countries
LIU Xiacheng
Abstract：Objective:To analyze the current status and influencing factors of nursing human resource allocation in China and selected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD)countries,so as to provide references for the development of nursing human resources and healthcare services in China.Methods:Data were collected from the OECD database,World Health Statistics Report,World Bank official database,China Health Statistics Yearbook,and China Statistical Yearbook.Evaluation indicators included:registered nurses per 1,000 population,nurse-to-physician ratio,bed-to-nurse ratio,physicians per 1,000 population,hospital beds per 1,000 population,national health expenditure as a percentage of GDP,GDP per capita,and proportion of population aged 65 and above.Analytical methods included grey relational analysis,agglomeration degree analysis,rank-sum ratio(RSR),and Joinpoint regression models to evaluate and compare nursing human resource allocation and development trends between China and OECD countries.Results:China's registered nurses per 1,000 population were at a medium level among OECD countries.The annual percentage change(APC)before and after 2015 was 9.48 and 6.77,respectively,indicating rapid and relatively high growth.The RSR level increased from grade 3 to grade 4 during the same period.Among OECD countries,the highest grey relational degree with registered nurses per 1 000 population was observed for the proportion of population aged 65+(0.85±0.07),followed by physicians per 1 000 population(0.79±0.14)and health expenditure as a percentage of GDP(0.76±0.11).In China,registered nurses per 1 000 population showed the strongest correlation with hospital beds per 1 000 population and health expenditure as a percentage of GDP(both 0.85),followed by physicians per 1 000 population(0.75).During the study period,China's population agglomeration degree(PAD)averaged 2.52±0.01,while the health resource agglomeration degree(HRAD)/PAD ratio averaged 0.66±0.06,showing a increasing trend.Conclusions:China still faces a relative shortage of nursing human resources,and the nurse-to-physician ratio needs optimized.Although growth has slowed since 2015,it remains at a moderate level.Different countries may adopt varied strategies for healthcare resource allocation and nursing workforce planning.Compared to OECD countries,China's nursing human resources remain insufficient relative to population agglomeration,but allocation efficiency is gradually improved.
Keywords：nursing human resourceshealthcare resource allocationnurse-to-physician ratiohuman resource planningpopulation agglomeration degree
Publication Date：2025-09-10
Online Publishing Date：2025-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 2868-2873 )