Effects of work-related digital technology on occupational health in the public sector: A scoping review.
Carin Håkansta, Annica Asp, Kristina Palm
PMID 40101257WHAT IT FOUND
Digital tools in public sector work bring both gains and harms, depending on implementation.
Frontline care staff face ethical stress from curtailed discretion and poor integration, while office workers face job insecurity and isolation. User involvement and training are key to mitigating these risks.
Key findings
01Frontline healthcare workers experienced ethical stress and curtailed discretion due to digital systems that increased workload without providing enough time for patient care.
02Office-based public sector employees reported fear of job loss and reduced autonomy linked to automation and AI, alongside issues with work-life balance.
03Successful implementation of digital tools relied on user involvement in the design process and adequate training to prevent stress and improve satisfaction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The search was limited to English-language publications, potentially missing relevant studies from other regions. The search terms focused on 'public sector' and 'government', which may have excluded profession-specific studies (e.g., those on teachers) that did not use these terms. Most included studies were from Europe, particularly Scandinavia, limiting generalisability to other cultural and political contexts. The review included a mix of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies, which complicates direct comparison of effect sizes. Only 52 out of 692 identified studies focused on employee health, indicating a gap in the literature.
Declared interests
Funded by AFA Försäkring (a Swedish insurance company for occupational health). No other conflicts of interest declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that digitalisation inherently improves or worsens occupational health. The impact depends entirely on implementation. A tool that reduces administrative time for one group may increase ethical stress for another if it curtails discretion. Furthermore, this review highlights a lack of evidence on AI's specific impacts, as few included studies addressed it directly.