ArticleBMJ open2026
Workforce shortages and supported access to medical care for hospital employees: a scoping review.
Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis scoping review synthesises peer-reviewed and grey literature on supported access to medical care for hospital employees with existing physical health complaints to understand how it may reduce sickness absenteeism by promoting sustainable employability and to identify gaps and opportunities to inform the design and implementation of organisational supported care frameworks.
designWe conducted this scoping review following the Arksey and O'Malley framework and Levac DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL (EBSCO) and Web of Science were searched from database inception to 8 November 2024. The search was updated on 18 May 2026. This was supplemented by forward and backward citation tracking of included peer-reviewed articles and targeted hand searching of Dutch grey literature in ELIGIBILITY: English-language or Dutch-language peer-reviewed publications and well-argued opinion pieces on healthcare workers' access to care (COVID-19 and beyond) in hospital or transferable settings were included. Sources focused on mental health or health promotion, financial aspects, personal protective equipment, patient access or healthcare worker utilisation, as well as non-English/Dutch sources, webpages and papers without full text, were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: ASReview was used for title and abstract screening following the SAFE procedure and full-text screening was conducted with team consensus.
results27 publications were included from 36 685 identified records. The literature was predominantly qualitative in nature and COVID-19-focused, yielding four themes (ethical considerations, multilevel challenges, target groups and strategies and outcomes). It also highlighted limited evidence on evaluated supported-access interventions and workforce outcomes beyond crises.
conclusionsAlthough supported access to medical care for hospital employees appears a promising multilevel, system-embedded strategy to reduce sickness absenteeism and promote sustainable employability in general, the evidence to substantiate and justify such strategies beyond acute crises is limited. Moreover, current literature lacks clear conceptualisation, operationalisation as well as robust implementation and evaluation frameworks. Addressing these gaps is a priority for future research to scientifically scaffold policies and frameworks to sustain a healthy and stable future hospital workforce.
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Registered trials
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