ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Rheumatology
Rheumatology Specialist Care in Europe: Workforce Trends and Regional Variations from a UEMS Survey (Euro-pean Union of Medical Specialists)
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria
- 2Danube Private University, Krems an der Donau, Austria
- 3Lower Austrian Centre for Rheumatology, State Hospital Korneuburg-Stockerau, Stockerau, Austria., Stockerau, Austria
- 4Department of Rheumatology, Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsius Medical University, Hospital of Bruneck, Bruneck, Italy
- 5Rheumatologie im Struenseehaus, Mörkenstr. 47, 22767 Hamburg, Germany., Hamburg, Germany
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Background: The demand for rheumatologic specialist care is rising across Europe, driven by aging populations, earlier diagnoses, and increasingly complex treatment regimens as well as increased complexity of patients, e.g. multi-morbidity. At the same time, the speciality faces growing workforce shortages. This study aims to provide a first cross-national snapshot of rheumatology workforce supply and care structures in Europe. Methods: A structured questionnaire was distributed to the members of the Section of Rheumatology of the UEMS (Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes). The survey, conducted in 2021 and updated in 2023, assessed specialist numbers, work allocation, care settings, and consultation patterns across 17 European countries. Results: Data from 24 respondents representing 17 countries revealed substantial differences in rheumatology care organization. While some countries rely predominantly on hospital outpatient clinics, oth-ers favour private practice models. The number of rheumatologists ranged from 0.7 to 5.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, with marked variation in full-time equivalents (FTEs), part-time work, and gender distribution. Non-clinical duties such as administration, teaching, and research consume up to 40% of working time in some settings. Non-inflammatory musculoskeletal conditions account for approximately 23% of rheumatology consultations, though their management varies widely between countries. Conclusions: This survey underscores the heterogeneity of rheumatologic care across Europe, both in workforce availability and in healthcare delivery models. The data highlight the need for context-specific work-force planning and serve as a preliminary contribution to the broader EULAR initiative "RheumaFacts", which aims to establish a standardized, comparative database on rheumatology work-force, demand, and need.
Keywords: Care structure, FTE, RheumaFacts, Rheumatology workforce, Supply
Received: 12 Jan 2026; Accepted: 10 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Rath, Puchner, Dejaco and Wollenhaupt. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Eva Rath
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