Picking low hanging fruit–A scoping review of work environment related interventions in the home care sector

Abstract

Home care for elderly people is an important part of the social welfare system. The sector employs many people, especially women, and work environment issues are common. This review explores the scientific literature on organizational interventions that target the home care work environment. Altogether, 16 studies of varying quality met the inclusion criteria. The interventions identified involved organizational change, education and training, digitalization and scheduling. Many interventions were concerned with changing specific behaviors or with introducing new technology rather than tackling complex issues such as sick leave, stress or gender inequality. Employee participation increased the likelihood of success.