Task shifting healthcare services in the post-COVID world: A scoping review

Das, Shukanto; Grant, Liz

doi:10.1101/2023.02.26.23286301

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 76 publications

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“…We are developing a new strategic implementation framework for TS/S as per the registered protocol cited here [34]. One of the early phases of this process was to review literature and map out evidences of TS/S from across all contexts and areas of healthcare.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the Global Landscape of Task Shifting and Sharing: A Bibliographic Analysis from 1970 to 2022

Das,

Grant

2024

Preprint

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Task shifting and sharing (TS/S) are strategies for redistributing healthcare services from more specialised to less-qualified providers. It aims to optimise service delivery, particularly in resource-constrained settings with workforce shortages. Our paper provides an overview of the global landscape of TS/S research, examining the geographic distribution, publication trends, variation in descriptors for TS/S and the disease focus of articles on TS/S. We searched five databases in October 2022, namely Medline, CINAHL Plus, Elsevier, Global Health and Google Scholar. Our bibliographic analysis included 2,072 articles related to TS/S. We extracted data on the countries where the studies were based, the terminology used to describe task redistribution, and the specific disease focus of the publications. The findings were then visualised and analysed to uncover trends and insights. The results revealed that TS/S research has been most extensively conducted in certain African and South Asian countries, particularly South Africa, India, Uganda, Kenya and Malawi. The terminology used to describe task redistribution varied, with "task shifting" being the most common term (66.0%), followed by "task sharing" (24.0%), "task delegation" (6.0%), and "task shifting and sharing" (3.9%). The disease focus of the publications was diverse, with HIV (n=450) and depression (n=375) being the most studied conditions, A major proportion of articles (42.5%) did not carry a disease focus, instead concentrated on broader health systems strengthening and policy issues. In conclusion, our study offers insights into the global landscape of TS/S research, highlighting the geographic disparities, terminology nuances and disease-specific applications. We believe our findings can inform future research and practice, including the need for standardisation of terminology, targeted implementation efforts, expansion of disease-specific applications and a focus on comprehensive systems strengthening. By addressing these considerations, stakeholders can optimise the impact of TS/S strategies and improve healthcare delivery and outcomes globally.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the Global Landscape of Task Shifting and Sharing: A Bibliographic Analysis from 1970 to 2022

Das,

Grant

2024

Preprint

Self Cite

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Implications of task shifting on power relations in healthcare: the case of clinical officers at public hospitals in Malawi

Chinguwo

2024

Med Humanities

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In Malawi, there exists a group of medical professionals known as clinical officers (COs) who assume responsibilities typically carried out by doctors due to the current scarcity of the latter. This paper seeks to explain how the introduction of COs as part of implementing task shifting in healthcare, unintentionally became a terrain for the contestation of power between COs and physicians. The research from which this paper originates used a qualitative research approach. It was carried out in state-owned facilities, encompassing four district hospitals and one central hospital in Malawi. This paper develops a conceptual framework on power and then uses it to demonstrate that task shifting through the introduction of COs as substitutes for physicians, became a source of interprofessional conflicts. The paper argues that unequal power relations between COs and physicians in healthcare contribute to interprofessional conflicts. The paper further demonstrates that unequal power relations between COs and physicians are manifested through differences in educational backgrounds and work experiences as well as unequal responsibility and authority. The paper concludes that the interprofessional conflicts between COs and physicians arising from unequal power relations ultimately aggravate poor psychosocial well-being among COs.

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Task shifting healthcare services in the post-COVID world: A scoping review

Cited by 2 publications

References 76 publications

Mapping the Global Landscape of Task Shifting and Sharing: A Bibliographic Analysis from 1970 to 2022

Mapping the Global Landscape of Task Shifting and Sharing: A Bibliographic Analysis from 1970 to 2022

Implications of task shifting on power relations in healthcare: the case of clinical officers at public hospitals in Malawi

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