Characterising support and care assistants in formal hospital settings: a scoping review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A 15 million health workforce shortage is still experienced globally leading to a sub-optimal healthcare worker-to-population ratio in most countries. The use of low-skilled care assistants has been suggested as a cost-saving human resource for health strategy that can significantly reduce the risks of rationed, delayed, or missed care. However, the characterisation, role assignment, regulation, and clinical governance mechanisms for unlicensed assistive workforce remain unclear or inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to map and collate evidence of how care assistants are labelled, utilised, regulated, and managed in formal hospital settings as well as their impact on patient care.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review of literature from PUBMED, CINAHL, Psy

SUBMITTER: Kagonya VA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10680191 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature