Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39883921›Full record

ArticleJMIR research protocols2025

Migration of Health Workers and Its Impacts on the Nigerian Health Care Sector: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

David Omiyi, Ebenezer Arubuola, Marcus Chilaka, Md Shafiqur Rahman Jabin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

David OmiyiFaculty of Health Studies, School of Allied Health Professions and Midwifery, University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-8851-3369
Ebenezer ArubuolaFaculty of Health Studies, School of Allied Health Professions and Midwifery, University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom.ORCID 0009-0002-1434-9193
Marcus ChilakaFaculty of Health Studies, School of Allied Health Professions and Midwifery, University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-9659-7440
Md Shafiqur Rahman JabinDepartment of Medicine and Optometry, eHealth Institue, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-0197-8716

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHealth worker migration from Nigeria poses significant challenges to the Nigerian health care sector and has far-reaching implications for health care systems globally. Understanding the factors driving migration, its effects on health care delivery, and potential policy interventions is critical for addressing this complex issue.

objectiveThis study aims to comprehensively examine the factors encouraging the emigration of Nigerian health workers, map out the effects of health worker migration on the Nigerian health system, document the loss of investment in health training and education resulting from migration, identify relevant policy initiatives addressing migration, determine the effects of Nigerian health worker migration on destination countries, and identify the benefits and demerits to Nigeria of health worker migration.

methodsThis study will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. A search strategy will retrieve published studies from MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Global Health, Academic Search Premiere, and Web of Science. Unpublished studies will be sourced from dissertations and theses. A comprehensive search will involve keyword scans and citation searches. Exclusion criteria will filter out irrelevant studies, such as studies unrelated to the international migration of health workers and non-English language studies. A total of 2 independent reviewers will screen the titles and abstracts and then review the full text. Data will be extracted from the included studies using a data extraction tool developed for this study. The study selection process will be shown using a PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) flowchart. While the traditional risk of bias assessments is not applied to scoping reviews, the quality of included studies will be evaluated based on methodological transparency.

resultsThe process of selecting studies will be shown using a PRISMA ScR flowchart, and information gathering will be done through a charting table that has been prepared in advance. We plan to collect data from January 2025 to March 2025 and present the results to examine publication patterns and study details. The final summary is expected to be released by the summer of 2025. It will provide an in-depth look at how health worker migration impacts the health care sector in Nigeria.

conclusionsThis study holds immense potential to contribute to understanding health worker migration from Nigeria and inform policy and practice interventions to address its challenges. By synthesizing existing evidence, the scoping review will guide future research and policy efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of migration on health care systems and workforce sustainability. Furthermore, the results will aid in recognizing deficiencies in the existing literature; this will offer a defined path for specific policy measures and methods to retain health care workers effectively and thus support the sustainability of health care systems. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/62726.

Indexed as

Emigration and ImmigrationHealth Care SectorHealth PersonnelDelivery of Health CareHumansNigeriaResearch DesignScoping Reviews as Topichealthcare workforcehealth policypolicy interventionspolitical instabilitysocio-political factorstraining and educationworkforce capacity

Identifiers

PMID39883921
PMCPMC11826942

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.