Health human resource planning for the new millennium: inputs in the production of health, illness, and recovery in populations.

HHRP needs to be sensitive to demographic changes in both population and provider groups. Analyses aimed at refining and improving the way in which demographic change is incorporated into HHRP will continue to enhance health human resource policies. However, the demographic basis of much HHRP fails to consider the effects of other changes in society that impact on the need for care in the population and the provision of care. In this paper the importance of introducing a production-function approach to HHRP has been presented. In some cases, existing data may be available to complement the demographic analyses with consideration of these broader issues. However, in other cases the ability to improve existing approaches will require the collection of new data. Although collecting additional data will involve costs, this is the price of improving HHRP exercises.