Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40657591›Full record

ReviewHealth affairs scholar2025

Interventions that strengthen the care workforce: a realist synthesis review.

Christine Kelly, Lisette Dansereau, Ellie Jack, Salina Pirzada, Yuns Oh, Pranav Bhushan, Lorine Pelly, Janice Linton, Carey McCarthy, Giorgio Cometto

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Health affairs scholar, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

10 authors.

Christine KellyDepartment of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W3, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3316-3258
Lisette DansereauDepartment of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W3, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7570-1870
Ellie JackDepartment of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W3, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6449-6829
Salina PirzadaDepartment of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W3, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8442-5596
Yuns OhDepartment of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0W3, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9203-1490
Pranav BhushanInstitute for Global Public Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0T6, Canada.
Lorine PellyInstitute for Global Public Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0T6, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6727-2164
Janice LintonNeil John Maclean Health Sciences Library, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3P5, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3210-9022
Carey McCarthyHealth Workforce Department, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0358-1310
Giorgio ComettoHealth Workforce Department, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Health systems depend on care workers to provide "hands-on" direct care with eating, dressing, and other needs, as well as indirect care with household tasks, meals, and transport. Care workers are in high demand to support growing populations who need help in daily life, yet they often fall outside of health human resource planning. Recruiting, supporting, and retaining the care workforce are urgent priorities for health workforce planners. Methods: This realist synthesis review asks: Which interventions strengthen the care workforce? We systematically identified 7396 peer-reviewed sources and 481 gray literature sources, with 151 included in the review. Results: The sources document a variety of interventions that strengthen the care workforce, with an emphasis on pre-service and ongoing training for care workers. There were ambitious interventions that aimed to support the care workforce on multiple fronts. Conclusion: Policy makers and researchers are encouraged to implement complex interventions that cover multiple factors simultaneously. We recommend focusing on legislative structures, educational oversight, and material working conditions, such as scheduling and pay, as highly promising avenues for strengthening the care workforce across multiple contexts.

Indexed as

care workershealth human resourcesworkforce planning

Identifiers

PMID40657591
PMCPMC12247801

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.