U.S. endocrinologist shortage a threat to public health

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U.S. endocrinology workforce shortage represents significant threat to

public health, Science Centric 30 January 2008 | 16:17 GMT

A new analysis supports what many in the healthcare field already

suspect, that demand for endocrinologists in the United States far

exceeds supply, and this shortfall in medical care will only get worse

in the coming years. This gap between supply and demand may have

serious consequences for public health, according to commentary

accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and

Metabolism (JCEM).

According to , M.D., chief of the endocrinology division

at the University of Pittsburgh and author of the commentary, the

endocrinologist shortage has impaired access to care by patients with

diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, lipid disorders, thyroid

cancer, osteoporosis, pituitary disease, adrenal disease, menopausal

symptoms, and reproductive disorders. It is now typical to encounter

waits of 3 to 9 months, and many endocrinology practices are no longer

accepting new patients.

'Overall, there appear to be only one-half the endocrinologists

required to fill the needed positions in the United States,' said Dr

. 'Seen another way, there are some 4,000 M.D. endocrinologists

to care for approximately 25 to 100 million patients who might

reasonably wish to be seen by an endocrinologist.'

Demand for endocrinologists can clearly be seen when examining the

number of patients in the United States with diabetes, thyroid

nodules/cancer, and osteoporosis - collectively representing 44

million people. This does not even include the sizeable populations

with metabolic syndrome, reproductive disorders, postmenopausal

symptoms, and the 150 million Americans who are obese or overweight.

The supply of endocrinologists to meet this need is woefully low. In

2006, according to the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM),

there were 5,341 board-certified endocrinologists in the United

States. Their average age was 49 years in 2002 and is likely higher

now. Approximately 1,500 of these individuals are not clinical care

providers, instead performing primarily research, administrative, or

teaching activities. Thus, there are approximately 4,000 M.D.

endocrinologists available in the United States whose primary focus is

to provide clinical care.

Despite the need for endocrinologists, the number of training programs

in the United States to train M.D.s in endocrinology has declined over

the past decade. The ABIM and the Accreditation Council for Graduate

Medical Education report that there are 122 accredited M.D.

endocrinology fellowships in the United States. This number is down

from the 140 such training programs in 1996.

'Efforts are urgently needed to analyse these forces in greater

detail, to enhance the visibility of this problem to the public and

the government, and to identify solutions that could avoid a workforce

shortfall that will have enormous consequences for public health,'

said .

The commentary 'The U.S. Endocrinology Workforce: A Supply-Demand

Mismatch' will appear in the April issue of JCEM, a publication of The

Endocrine Society.

Source: Endocrine Society

http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/08013052.htm

See also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocrinology