Human Resources Estimation of Medical Physics Sector in Iran's Largest Radiotherapy-Oncology Center Based on Workload Indicator of Staffing Need(WISN) in 2017

Human resources, as the most important resources in health systems, account for nearly three-quarters of current expenditures. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the optimal level of human resources in healthcare facilities. This study aimed to use workload indicators of staffing need to estimate the required human resources in medical physics department at Reza Radiotherapy-Oncology Center.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019. Data were collected through different means. Experts’ opinions on the components of workload and activity standard were collected during several meetings. Moreover, interviews with the managers of radiotherapy center manager and human resources, and exploration of rules and regulations and personnel systems were conducted to extract factors related to available working time. Finally, the annual workload was determined by searching the hospital management system and the activity logs. Data were analyzed by using Excel and SPSS version 19 software.

The results demonstrated seven factors related to staff annual available working time, that is, 1069 hours for medical physics. In this study, treatment planning, treatment recheck, mosaic and manual data entry were determined as the main activities of the medical physics department. Furthermore, the workload indicators of staffing need calculation showed that the medical physics department needs four more staff.

The results of the study showed a shortage of workforce in medical physics department at Reza Medical Center. The workload indicators of staffing need clearly identify the components of the workload and are recommended to be used for estimating human resources and professionals in specialized occupations associated with cancer treatment.