SynthesisJournal of global health2026
Global trends and career development of human resources for paediatrics: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of global health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
Background: The paediatric workforce plays a central role in health systems worldwide. National reports and studies have described its size and structure, as well as the retention of staff within the paediatric workforce. However, there have been few syntheses of empirical evidence examining workforce trends across career stages, and none have focused specifically on paediatric staff. We aimed to systematically synthesise evidence on the global trends of the availability, distribution, career progression, and differences across career stages among the paediatric workforce. Methods: We searched CENTRAL, Embase, MEDLINE, and Scopus between 1 and 20 November 2025 for primary studies reporting on the above-mentioned trends within the paediatric workforce. We extracted and narratively synthesised the related data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies using Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Results: We included 35 studies from high-income and upper-middle-income countries, with no low- or lower-middle-income countries being eligible. Workforce supply increased steadily over time in high-income countries, driven largely by subspecialty growth. However, geographic imbalances persisted, with low representation of paediatric staff in rural areas. In terms of career stage, early-career paediatricians reported higher workload burden, dissatisfaction, and career uncertainty compared with their senior counterparts. Women progressively came to account for most of the workforce, although men continued to predominate in leadership positions. Evidence from upper-middle-income countries focused primarily on training preparedness and early-career experiences. Conclusions: Despite growth in the size of the paediatric workforce in high-income countries, challenges related to distribution, retention, and equity persist, particularly during early career stages. Importantly, the evidence base on this topic heavily underrepresents low- and lower-income countries. Future research should prioritise career-stage specific data to support equitable global workforce planning. Registration: PROSPERO: CRD420261283831.
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