Managing an ageing healthcare workforce: a systematic literature review

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to review research conducted on managing the ageing healthcare workforce and identify gaps for further research.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature search of studies in the English language was carried out in Scopus and Web of Science databases.FindingsThe study consists of an analysis of 75 published articles. The majority of the papers were published in recent years, indicating a growing interest in the field. The authors specified the following inclusion criteria: all years, articles/reviews, English language and full text in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The authors of the paper illustrated seven major categories with different topics that were suggested for future research. It included: challenges of labor market in the healthcare field, age-related changes and their influence on work ability, training opportunities and lifelong learning among ageing health workforce, motives of early retirement, ageing and its relationship to Occupational Health and Safety. Longitudinal studies and case study strategy with mixed-methods approaches were suggested for future research by the authors.Originality/valueThe paper summarizes knowledge related to the management of ageing health workforce, describes topics researched and as a result, presents findings on and conclusions about the most important future implications of the ageing workforce for management in the healthcare field providing lines for further research. To the authors' knowledge, no holistic systematic literature reviews have been published in academic journals targeted specifically to ageing healthcare workers.

“Knowing how to play the game”: Clinician experiences of treating patients with a compensable injury in Australia

“…Healthcare workforce data paints a picture of an ageing workforce and worker shortages, particularly in rural regions. [9][10][11] Furthermore, recent research suggests that many Australian clinicians intend to leave the profession, with 22% of physiotherapists indicating that they intend to leave the profession [12] up to 58% of nurses indicating that they intend to leave the profession within ve years. [13] This data suggests that the di culties described by people with a compensation claim in nding clinicians to care for them are likely to worsen in the coming years.…”

Engaging the missing actor: lessons learned from an age-management intervention targeting line managers and their HR partners

“…Current research suggests many ideas about what employers can do to strengthen older workers’ willingness and abilities to continue working; however, it offers little empirical evidence or guidance on how such age-management strategies should be implemented and materialized in complex organizational settings. Most of what we know about, for example, older workers’ motivation, working conditions and retirement behavior, has been deduced from cross-sectional population-based studies, while contemporary knowledge of effective workplace interventions to promote older workers’ employability, work ability and health remains relatively sparse (Cloostermans et al , 2015; Truxillo et al , 2015; Hilsen and Midtsundstad, 2015; Söderbacka et al , 2020; Von Bonsdorff et al , 2018; Picco et al , 2022; Kurashvili et al , 2022). To illustrate, an intervention program aiming to retain older employees at several dental care units in northern Sweden helped primarily by improving staff awareness, revealing problems and strengthening the internal dialogue in the workplace (Domschke et al , 2014).…”