[Who needs health services researchers? The occupational profile according to job advertisements in Germany].

Health services research is an interdisciplinary field mainly defined by its topic rather than a distinct set of theories and methods. However, a specific demand for health services researchers can be observed. Yet, only few findings on the occupational profile are available, mainly indirectly drawn from educational programs within the field. Our aim was to assess the occupational profile "health services researcher" from the perspective of the labor market in Germany. A 6-month systematic search for job offers containing the term "health services research" was performed. Afterwards, job offers were excluded that focused on assistance (e. g. no academic degree required) and/or did not contain health services research content. Then all job offers, excepting professorships, were excluded that primarily required another professional degree (e. g. a medical degree). Combining induction and deduction, a coding table was developed containing the following main codes: a) employer type, b) job focus, c) labor relations, d) job profile, e) qualifications required, and f) relation to health services research. Of the 137 job offers identified, 113 remained after applying the exclusion criteria. More than 50 % (n=62) of the employers are universities (n=49) or universities of applied sciences (n=13), followed by corporations (n=37), public services and related sectors (n=12), and hospitals (n=2). The main activities listed were: a) science and research (60.2 %), b) representation of interest (30.6 %), c) data management (3.7 %) and d) healthcare management (1.9 %). Interest or experience in health services research was mandatory in 62.6 % of the job offers, competencies in quantitative and qualitative research methods in 45.8 % and 18.8 %, respectively. None of the job offers examined was exclusively directed towards health services researchers. However, specific qualifications related to health services research were sought by employers, mostly in research projects. The main qualifications demanded were research methods skills and knowledge of the German healthcare system. Health services research is a term which is used in job offers on the German labor market and is associated with multiple academic disciplines. At the same time, an institutionalization process can be observed, most prominently within the advertised professorships. This may lead to a consolidation of career paths in the future. The results of this study might inform educational programs in the field of health services research and may be of interest to graduates looking for employment.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier GmbH.