The health care system in the United States will undergo dramatic change throughout the 1990's. Although the cost of health care will act as an impetus to change, other factors will also drive this change. Among these variables are the changing demographics of the population, an increased focus on primary and secondary prevention, the need to maintain a vital work force, and the need to enhance access to health care. These factor's portend that the health professions and care systems related to them must prepare for significant changes. Associated with these factors is the importance of the interaction between health care needs, and the human resources available to meet these needs. Defining needs and projecting resources have been problematic. The American Physical Therapy Association, in consultation with other members of the health services research community will conduct a conference to assess current knowledge and to develop comprehensive and integrated research and implementation strategies to address the human resource needs in physical therapy. It is envisioned that this conference will provide a model for addressing human resource needs in other health professions. The conference will: identify and evaluate existing information on the supply and distribution of physical therapy personnel; examine the changing demographic and health factors in the United States and their potential effect on the demand/heed for physical therapy services; evaluate the adequacy of various models or approaches available for projecting the supply of and demand for physical therapy services; and, define research questions and strategies related to human resource needs in physical therapy that will allow development of health care policies. Staff from the American Physical Therapy Association will serve the primary role in implementation of the conference. Other consultants will serve as members of the Conference Advisory Committee. Generically, the conference will consist of presentations of invited papers, small group sessions, and development of specific recommendations. Participants will represent the areas of health services research and health policy, physical therapy, higher education research and policy development, national and state policy development, and health professions other than physical therapy.
