Workforce safety in the remote health sector of Australia: a scoping review

To scope the evidence surrounding workplace health and safety risks for the remote health workforce in Australia and to collate the recommendations to address those risks.

A five-stage scoping review framework refined by Cooper et al was used for this review. Informit Health Collection, Ovid Emcare, Medline, Web of Science Core Collection, ProQuest and the grey literature were searched in October 2020 using a combination of key words derived from the eligibility criteria. No date restriction was placed on the search. Title and abstract screening, full-text review and data extraction were performed by three reviewers. Data were analysed by the lead author using qualitative thematic analysis.

Articles were eligible for inclusion if they were published research or industry reports, focused on safety for the remote health workforce in Australia, identified hazards/safety risks or recommendations to reduce risk, and were written in English.

The search yielded 312 articles, of which 18 met the inclusion criteria. A wide range of hazards/safety risks and recommendations were identified within the literature, which related to safety culture, isolation, safe environment, and education and training. Some recommendations, such as the use of a risk management approach, good post-incident support, safer clinics and accommodation, and improved access to education and training, had been discussed in the literature for over a decade, with a high level of agreement regarding their importance. Two articles briefly evaluated the impact of some recommendations.

While many recommendations have been developed to improve the safety of the remote health workforce in Australia, there is little evidence of their implementation and evaluation. As many remote health professionals report ongoing or worsening workplace safety issues, there is an urgent need for the implementation and evaluation of the workforce safety strategies recommended in the literature and required by legislation.