Analysis and Forecast of Indicators Related to Medical Workers and Medical Technology in Selected Countries of Eastern Europe and Balkan

Abstract

Health indicators measure certain health characteristics in a specific population or country and can help navigate the health systems. As the global population is rising, the demand for an increase in the number of health workers is simultaneously rising. The aim of this study was to compare and predict the indicators related to the number of medical workers and medical technologies in selected countries in Eastern Europe and Balkan in the studied period. The article analyzed the reported data of selected health indicators extracted from the European Health for All database. The indicators of interest were the number of physicians, pharmacists, general practitioners and dentists per 100,000 people. To observe the changes in these indicators through the available years, we used linear trends, regression analysis and forecasting to the year 2025. The regression analysis shows that the majority of the observed countries will experience an increase in the number of general practitioners, pharmacists, health workers/professionals and dentists, as well as in the number of computerized tomography scanners and the number of magnetic resonance units, predicted to occur by 2025. Following trends of medical indicators can help the government and health sector to focus and navigate the best investments for each country according to the level of their development.