Business as usual? Changes in health care's workforce and organization of work.

Abstract

Major changes are occurring in the health care workforce and organization of work. Such changes include, for example, a shift in workforce composition from specialists to generalists in medical care, as well as a shift from autonomous work performance to work performed in teams. This article provides a survey of such major changes. It identifies patterns of change and examines their causes. Further, we raise questions about the implications of these changes for practice and research in the health care field.