Can AI solve Europe’s healthcare workforce shortage?

Aging population and healthcare workers

The shortage of healthcare personnel is a long‑escalating problem affecting the whole of Europe. It hits primary care and nursing most severely, where demand for qualified and adaptable staff is at historic highs.

Demographic changes and the rise in chronic diseases will further increase demands on healthcare in the coming decades. The European Commission estimates that by 2050, people aged 55+ will make up over 40% of the EU population (compared to 25% in 2019). The prevalence of conditions requiring long‑term and specialized care will also grow, for example in geriatrics and internal medicine.

At the same time, the healthcare workforce itself is aging. In 2022, physicians aged 55+ constituted nearly half of the professional population in several EU countries. The average age of nurses is rising especially in Eastern Europe —⁠ in Lithuania it exceeded 55 years in more than half of nurses. The crisis is deepest in rural areas, where shortages of healthcare workers are already critical.

Regional differences and migration

A WHO report warns that by 2030 there will be a global shortfall of 11 million healthcare workers, predominantly in lower‑income countries. Even within Europe, the challenges are unevenly distributed.

While Nordic and Western countries lead in digitalization and redefining competencies, Southern Europe lags due to budget constraints. Eastern Europe faces an exodus of qualified staff to Western countries, often due to differences in working conditions and digital infrastructure.

Technological benefits and risks

Technology can become a tool to help address this pressure on healthcare staff. AI, robotics, and virtual reality are already being applied in diagnostics, decision‑making, and care management.

For example, the UK platform Cera achieved a 70% reduction in hospitalizations among older adults and a 20% reduction in falls. Pilot projects in the United States using technologies in elder care reported up to an 80% decrease in falls.

However, expert reviews caution that the effectiveness of AI depends on context, data quality, and careful integration into clinical practice. If technologies are implemented without evidence of effectiveness or without involving clinicians, they can jeopardize patient safety and hinder care delivery. AI should not be overestimated.

New models of care and digitalization

At the HIMSS 25 Europe conference in Paris this June, the “Future of Workforce” track discussed the need to reorganize healthcare in response to staffing shortages. The traditional approach of simply increasing human resources is proving unsustainable. New care models are therefore gaining ground, emphasizing decentralization of services, the use of telemedicine, and home‑based patient monitoring. 

Systematic support for education is essential to ensure a successful transformation of healthcare. This includes digital literacy and data skills, as well as ethical aspects, resilience to stress, and adaptability. The introduction of technologies should take place in collaboration with healthcare professionals and be underpinned by pilot projects.

Recommendations for practice include:

• strategic digitalization (e.g., cloud tools, real‑time dashboards)
• support for education (e.g., EU programs, certifications in AI ethics and regulation)
• active involvement of healthcare workers in tool development
• gradual implementation with a focus on monitoring real‑world impact

An interesting example of an innovative approach is the French company SNCF, which has set up the first telemedicine station directly at a railway station near Paris. By 2028, it plans to establish up to 300 of them, primarily to support care in remote areas.

Editorial Team, Medscope.pro

Sources:

1. Boniol M., Kunjumen T., Nair T. S. et al. The global health workforce stock and distribution in 2020 and 2030: a threat to equity and 'universal' health coverage? BMJ Glob Health 2022 Jun; 7(6):e009316, doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009316.

2. Noizet A. Tech is the Answer to Europe’s Growing Healthcare Workforce Crisis. Healthcare IT News 2024 Apr 24 [online]. Available at: www.healthcareitnews.com/news/emea/tech-answer-europes-growing-healthcare-workforce-crisis

3. Health workforce. WHO. Available at: www.who.int/health-topics/health-workforce#tab=tab_1

4. Healthcare Personnel Statistics –⁠ Nursing and Caring Professionals. Eurostat. Available at: www.ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Healthcare_personnel_statistics_-nursing_and_caring_professionals#Healthcare_personnel.E2.80.93_practising_nurses_by_age_and_gender