Is the health information workforce an aging workforce

Is the health information workforce an aging workforce: insights from Australia’s first national workforce census Kristina Donovan

• Why study the age of the Health Information Workforce (HIW)? • What is a HIW? Outline • Methods • Findings • Further Investigations • Conclusion • HIWC 2020 Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 2

Why study the age of the HIW? • Risk that the growth of the industry in combination with an aging workforce could lead to both a labour and skills shortage • There is limited data on the Australian HIW • All previous studies on the Australian HIW are greater than 5 years • The studies themselves largely focused on single occupation groups Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 3

Who is a HIW? “a role where the primary function is related to developing, maintaining, or governing the systems for the management of health data, health information, or health knowledge” (Butler-Henderson & Gray, 2018). Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 4

What is considered an aging workforce? An aging workforce as one where over half of the workforce is aged 45 years or older (Brooke 2003). This is definition was chosen because it has been shown that in economic terms productivity is decreased due to things like attrition and reduced work hours. Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 5

Methods • Secondary de-identified data applied for from the Census Management team of the HIWC 2018. • Descriptive & inferential analysis used • Normality testing o f age • Investigation of average with respect to gender, occupation, employment status, paid weekly hours and highest qualification • All 1596 responses were included, additional analysis on HIMs and Clinical Coders after identification via occupational group • Estimated 20% response rate from the industry Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 6

The age of the HIW • Average is The average is 46. 27 years (range 21 -73, Standard Distribution [SD] 34. 76 -57. 79). • The majority of the workforce is an older workforce, with 56. 14% (SD 49. 6961. 12) aged 45 years or older. 76 71 66 61 56 51 Age 46 41 36 31 26 21 Contoso 16 11 6 1 Pharmaceuticals Female Male page 7

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Miley Cyrus “I always thought I would sink so I never swam” Miley Cyrus. Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 9

Miley Cyrus “I always thought I would sink so I never swam” Miley Cyrus. Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 10

Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 11

Concerns • Likelihood of reduced participation and decreased productivity resulting in reduced hours worked and slower economic growth • Average of those working 15 hours or less as 51. 82 years (range 21 -73, SD 39. 86 -63. 78). Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 12

Age & Qualifications • Older cohorts with highest health information qualification of: • Vocational course (average 50. 94 years, SD 39. 72 -62. 15) • Honours or graduate certificate / postgraduate diploma (average 48. 95 years, SD 37. 97 -59. 92) • doctorate (average 51. 60, SD 40. 47 -62. 73). • Younger cohorts with highest health information qualification of: • Bachelor degree (average 44. 63 years, SD 33. 88 -55. 38 • Masters degree (average 43. 10 years, SD 31. 32 -54. 88). • National trend of increased younger people completing postgraduate education (Norton & Cherastidtham 2018). Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 13

HIMs & Clinical Coders • Average of HIMs 48. 72 (SD 36. 56 -60. 88) • Average of clinical coders 46. 61 (SD 36. 29 -56. 94) • Vocational qualification • Coder average 50. 50 (SD 38. 34 -62. 66) • HIM average 51. 42, SD 40. 42 -62. 42 • Bachelor Degree • Coder average 43. 08 (SD 32. 07 -54. 10) • HIM average 44. 05 (SD 34. 08 -54. 02) • Postgraduate degree • Coder average 37. 48 (SD 27. 20 -54. 75) • HIM average 43. 75 (SD 32. 19 -55. 32) Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 14

Conclusions The HIW is an aging workforce • Trend towards younger workers pursuing higher qualifications at a younger age, which needs further exploration • The HIW aging which may impact productivity. • Older workers working less hours could result in a skill and labour shortage within the industry • This will have an intergenerational impact on the workforce. Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 15

HIWC 2020 • May 2020 • https: //www. utas. edu. au/health/projects/hiwcensus Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 16

References Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, Australians pursuing higher education in record numbers, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, viewed 28 May 2019 < https: //www. abs. gov. au/AUSSTATS/abs@. nsf/mediareleasesby. Release. Date/1533 FE 5 A 8541 D 66 CCA 2581 BF 00362 D 1 D? Open. Document >. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, The coding workforce shortfall, AIHW, Canberra, viewed 28 May 2019, <https: //www. aihw. gov. au/getmedia/68650421 -97 aa-46 cd-811 d-20 c 22 ecd 061 b/11875. pdf. aspx? inline=true>. Brooke, L 2003, ‘Human resource costs and benefits of maintaining a mature age workforce’, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 260 -283. Butler-Henderson, K 2017, Health information management 2025. What is required to create a sustainable profession in the face of digital transformation? , University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tas. Butler-Henderson, K and Gray, K 2018, Australia’s health information workforce: census summary report 2018, University of Tasmania. Commonwealth of Australia, Federal Treasurer, 2015 Intergenerational report, Can. Print Communications Pty Ltd. , Canberra, ACT, viewed 28 May 2019, < https: //static. treasury. gov. au/uploads/sites/1/2017/06/2015_IGR. pdf >. Health Information Management Association Australia 2016, Health Information Workforce Summit Report 2015, Health Information Management Association Australia, Sydney, NSW. Health Workforce Australia 2013, Health Information Workforce Report October 2013, Health Workforce Australia, Adelaide, SA. Legg, M, Lovelock, B 2009, A review of the Australian health informatics workforce, Health Informatics Society of Australia, Melbourne, VIC. Norton A, Cherastidtham I 2018, Mapping Australian higher education 2018, Grattan Institute, Melbourne, VIC. Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 17

Thank You Kristina Donovan Kristina. Donovan@wh. org. au Contoso Pharmaceuticals page 18