Management in primary health care: implications on managers workloads

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Primary Health Care Management
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Effective management is crucial for the success of Primary Health Care (PHC).
• Manager workloads in PHC are influenced by various operational and systemic factors.
• Understanding these influences is key to optimizing PHC delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors within primary health care management that impact manager workloads.
• To synthesize current literature on the determinants of manager workload in PHC settings.

Main Methods:

• An integrative literature review was conducted.
• Data were collected from five databases between 2006 and 2016.
• Articles were published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Main Results:

• Increased workloads are associated with managing new care models and inadequate working conditions.
• Workload reduction is linked to team and manager training, enhanced autonomy, and managerial support.
• Seventy-eight studies were analyzed, categorizing workload influencers.

Conclusions:

• Factors increasing and decreasing manager workloads in PHC have been identified.
• The study underscores the significance of management in the health sector and PHC effectiveness.
• Further research into PHC management and its impact on workloads is warranted.