PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Marcel Spanier
AU  - Katja Kerkvliet
AU  - Anke Veeman
TI  - Principles and practice of deploying a flexible physician workforce for COVID-19 care wards from a Dutch hospital
AID  - 10.7861/fhj.2020-0254
DP  - 2021 Jul 01
TA  - Future Healthcare Journal
PG  - e311--e313
VI  - 8
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/8/2/e311.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/8/2/e311.full
SO  - Future Healthc J2021 Jul 01; 8
AB  - During the COVID-19 pandemic, the attainment of the required hospital workforce is extremely challenging; with a requirement to create surge capacity for COVID-19 care and to ensure and sustain regular hospital care. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic demands the deployment of a flexible physician workforce for the cohort wards in hospitals. This can be successfully be organised and managed if some key principles are followed. Physicians have the ability to practice their general, not specialised, medical skills. COVID-19 specific medical education, re- and upskilling can be necessary. This approach for the future physician workforce may be applicable in several national healthcare systems. Solidarity, flexibility and transparency within the medical staff are the cornerstones for a successful deployment of a physician flex pool in a hospital dealing with a pandemic.