Good health is necessary for individuals to flourish as citizens, family members, workers and consumers. Improving health is a key concern of OECD societies, as it can contribute to higher economic growth and improved welfare.

This page contains information on work on health undertaken by different bodies of the OECD. Friendly URL for this web page: www.oecd.org/health

What's new

The Remuneration of General Practitioners and Specialists in 14 OECD Countries: What are the Factors Influencing Variations across Countries?

22-Dec-2008

This paper (Health Working Paper No. 41) provides a descriptive analysis of the remuneration of doctors in 14 OECD countries for which reasonably comparable data were available in OECD Health Data 2007  (Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States).

Internet update for OECD Health Data 2008 available now

18-Dec-2008

The Internet update for OECD Health Data 2008 has just been released. Go to the OECD Health Data Update page  to download the file and access data updates, along with a fully revised hypertext for Definitions, Sources and Methods.

Sixth issue of Health Update

16-Dec-2008

This issue highlights the new report Pharmaceutical Pricing Policies in a Global Market, as well as the WHO-OECD Dialogue on Migration and the Health Workforce, addressing pressures on long-term care systems, health and the environment, mental health and the workplace, and other key health-related projects throughout the OECD.

Economic Survey of the United States 2008

09-Dec-2008

The US economy is facing a serious financial crisis and is in recession. Measures are being taken to combat the financial crisis and support the economy. Reforms are needed to strengthen financial market regulation and extend health insurance coverage.

Are all jobs good for your health? The impact of work status and working conditions on mental health.

10-Dec-2008

Does the steep rise in disability benefit receipt for mental illness in many OECD countries reflect on overall increase in mental health problems in the working-age population? How does working and job stress affect mental health? Chapter 4 of the OECD Employment Outlook 2008  analyses issues related to work and health.

The Looming Crisis in the Health Workforce

22-Oct-2008

OECD countries face a challenge in responding to the growing demand for doctors and nurses over the next 20 years and should adopt a comprehensive approach to health human resources, reinforce international cooperation and better monitor health workforce policies and migration.

OECD Health Policy Studies: Pharmaceutical Pricing Policies in a Global Market

18-Sep-2008

Pharmaceutical pricing policies are designed with national objectives in mind, but are the transnational implications always taken into account? This report assesses how pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies have contributed to the achievement of certain health policy objectives.

International Mobility of Health Professionals and Health Workforce Management in Canada: Myths and Realities

29-Oct-2008

This report (Health Working Paper No. 40) examines the role played by immigrant health workers in the Canadian health workforce as well as the interactions between migration policies and education and health workforce management policies.

Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Policies in Germany

29-Oct-2008

This paper (Health Working Paper No. 39) describes pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies in Germany, considering them in the broader environment in which they operate, and assesses their impact on the achievement of a number of policy goals.

Migration of Health Workers: The UK Perspective to 2006

29-Oct-2008

This paper (Health Working Paper No. 38) describes the migration of health workers to the U.K. until 2006 and potential future health expenditure.

The US Physician Workforce: Where Do We Stand?

29-Oct-2008

This review (Health Working Paper No. 37) surveys trends in physician supply in the United States from 1980 to the present with particular attention to the participation of International Medical Graduates.

Migration policies of health professionals in France

03-Oct-2008

This report (Health Working Paper No. 36) examines health workforce demographics in France, together with recent trends in migration policies regarding health professionals. It also analyses workforce planning and the possible role of the recruitment of foreign health workers in coming years.

Nurse Workforce Challenges in the United States

02-Oct-2008

The United States has the largest professional nurse workforce in the world numbering close to 3 million but does not produce enough nurses to meet its growing demand. This paper (Health Working Paper No. 35) focuses on the balance between supply and demand for nurses in the United States with a particular focus on nurse migration.

Immigration of Health Professionals to Italy

02-Oct-2008

The Italian population is aging rapidly, raising and changing the demand for care. At the same time, and due to the same trend, the number of Italians entering the labour force is declining. The health care system therefore finds itself in difficulty. The main difficulty lies in finding the human resources. This paper (Health Working Paper No. 34) examines these issues.

Information Availability for Measuring and Comparing Quality of Mental Health Care Across OECD Countries: a new OECD Health Technical Paper

04-Sep-2008

This paper (Health Technical Paper #20) was prepared to support the overall work of the Health Care Quality Indicators Project in developing a set of indicators that can be used to raise questions for investigation concerning the quality of care across countries. It provides an overview of the present mental health care information systems in 18 OECD countries.

Growth in health spending slows in many OECD countries, according to OECD Health Data 2008

26-Jun-2008

A combination of slower growth in spending on healthcare and expanding economies has led to a stabilisation of health spending as a proportion of GDP in many OECD countries, according to OECD Health Data 2008.

Health Workforce and International Migration: Can New Zealand Compete?: a new OECD Health Working Paper

23-May-2008

The health workforce in New Zealand, as in all OECD countries, plays a central role in the health system. This paper (Health Working Paper No. 33) examines health workforce and migration policies in New Zealand, with a special focus on the international recruitment of doctors and nurses.

See more news and events… Top of page

The looming crisis in the health workforce

Health Workforce and Migration Project

Policy Brief - Health


Online Services

My OECD: tailor the web site to list only the topics that interest you. OECDdirect: choose to receive personalised e-mails announcing new publications, statistics updates and free newsletters related to your topics of interest.

OECDdirect / MyOECD
Focus on Health