Effectiveness of Team and Organisational Level Workplace Interventions Aimed at Improving Sustainable Employability of Aged Care Staff: A Systematic Review.
Ceciel H Heijkants, Astrid de Wind, Madelon L M van Hooff and 2 others
PMID 36149548WHAT IT FOUND
Workplace interventions in aged care improved staff knowledge and physical health but failed to boost energy or motivation.
Interventions only worked when they directly targeted that specific outcome, rather than hoping for a side effect.
Key findings
01Interventions directly targeting physical health (like exercise or ergonomic lifts) showed strong evidence for improving workability, but only when the intervention matched the outcome.
02Evidence for improving vitality (mental health, energy, motivation) was insufficient, as most interventions did not specifically target these outcomes.
03There is strong evidence that workplace interventions improve employability (knowledge and skills), with 14 out of 17 studies showing significant positive effects.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review included a high number of studies rated as weak or moderate quality (21 out of 33), primarily due to issues with blinding and reporting of dropouts. The outcome measures were heterogeneous, making it difficult to compare effects across studies or determine the clinical significance of the changes. The sensitivity analysis that yielded the 'strong' evidence for workability was added post-hoc, meaning it was not pre-registered. The review did not differentiate between short-term and long-term follow-up periods, so it is unclear if the benefits persist over time.
Declared interests
The paper states it was supported by non-US government funding. No specific commercial conflicts of interest are declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving staff knowledge or skills will automatically improve their well-being or reduce burnout. The review found that interventions targeting employability (knowledge/skills) had strong evidence for effectiveness, but those same interventions often failed to improve vitality (mental health/energy) unless they specifically targeted those outcomes.