Policy statement: Health workforce planning

The World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) advocates for appropriate planning, management and development of the

Health workforce: Health workers are people whose job it is to protect and improve the health of their communities. Together these health workers, in all their diversity, make up the global health workforce. Health workers are people engaged in actions whose primary intent is to enhance health. These workers include those who promote and preserve health as well as those who diagnose and treat disease (for example, doctors, laboratory technicians, midwives, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists) as well as management and support workers, those who help make the health system function but who do not provide health services directly (for example, cleaners, cooks, drivers, financial officers and hospital managers).

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. These are fundamental to the provision of

Patient: An individual who is the recipient of physical therapy and direct interventions. A person for whom a health service accepts responsibility for treatment and/or care. Individuals who are recipients of physical therapy may also be referred to as clients or service users.

See also Client, Service user

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/

Client: a person, group or organisation eligible to receive services either directly or indirectly from a physiotherapist. The client is: 

• an individual who is not necessarily sick or injured but who can benefit from a physiotherapist’s consultation, professional advice, or services; or 
• a business, school system, and others to whom physiotherapists offer services.

See also Patient

See also Service user

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-centred, equitable and responsive

Health: 'Health' is defined in the WHO constitution of 1948 as a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

See also Health promotion

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services. An adequately resourced, competent and motivated

See Health workforce

is essential to strengthening the health of each nation.