MABEL

The medical workforce remains central to solving a number of key challenges in the healthcare sector. The Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) longitudinal survey of doctors is a trusted national resource producing key evidence to help ensure the sustainability of the sector, as well as delivery of better health outcomes and improved access to medical care.

Healthcare is the largest sector of the economy, at over 10 per cent of GDP and employing 14 per cent of the Australian workforce, making it the largest employer in Australia. Policy makers need to ensure medical practitioners are highly motivated, productive and optimally distributed across locations and specialties. Yet this is not the case. Poor health and wellbeing, oversupply in cities but continuing doctor shortages in areas of high need, increasing specialisation, and the slow uptake of new evidence and innovations are key issues. Without a productive, motivated and appropriately skilled medical workforce, distributed equitably across Australia, innovations to save lives and prevent and reduce the burden of disease will not have the desired impact.

The research undertaken will improve understanding of the determinants of decisions made by doctors on how many hours to work, where to work in terms of sector, geographic location and specialty, when to stop work temporarily or permanently, and productivity. These decisions have, in turn, a key influence on access to health care by the population, health care costs, and ultimately population health.

MABEL has been endorsed by a range of national professional medical organisations, colleges, societies and training providers. MABEL is also supported by an active National Advisory Group to ensure that the evidence provided by MABEL is used.