Task shifting policy in Ontario, Canada: does it help personal support workers' intention to stay?
The objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of task shifting policy on personal support workers' (PSWs) intention to stay in home care. Data were collected through interviews with 46 home care staff of a large home care organization in Ontario, Canada. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and a thematic analysis was conducted using a qualitative software package. Half of the study participants mentioned that task shifting increases PSWs' intention to stay in home care, while less than a quarter commented that task shifting increases PSWs intention to leave. Results show that the implementation of task shifting policy in Ontario, Canada may contribute to personal support workers' intention to stay; however, inadequate compensation may negatively affect intention to stay and should be addressed. We recommend policy-makers consider appropriate compensation to assist PSWs in effectively executing shifted tasks.
Human Resources and Management Area, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada. Electronic address: zeytino@mcmaster.ca.
Isik U
IU
Zeytinoglu
Departments of Health, Aging & Society, and Sociology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada. Electronic address: mdenton@mcmaster.ca.
Margaret
M
Denton
Catherine Brookman Consulting, Richmond Hill, ON L4E 4L1, Canada. Electronic address: catherinebrookman@sympatico.ca.
Catherine
C
Brookman
School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada. Electronic address: jplend@mcmaster.ca.
Jennifer
J
Plenderleith
D002322:Career Mobility; D006291:Health Policy; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009864:Ontario; D032024:Personnel Delegation; D010558:Personnel Loyalty; D036301:Qualitative Research
Home care; Intention to stay; Task shifting