Mapping the global landscape of task shifting and sharing: trends, geographic disparities, and terminology from 1970 to 2022

Introduction: Task shifting and sharing (TS/S) are strategies for redistributing healthcare services among providers, popular in settings facing workforce crunches. A comprehensive mapping of global TS/S research remains lacking despite widespread implementation. Theory: We apply bibliographic techniques to map where TS/S has been prioritised, revealing patterns that inform implementation science and future strategies. Methods: We searched five databases, Medline, CINAHL Plus, Elsevier, Global Health, and Google Scholar, in October 2022 to analyse 2,072 articles (found between 1970 and 2022), based on relevance to TS/S and geographical representation. We extracted data on countries where studies were conducted, the terminology describing TS/S, and the study’s focus. Results: TS/S research concentrates on African and South Asian countries, led by South Africa (n = 201), India (n = 130), Uganda (n = 109), Kenya (n = 106), and Malawi (n = 86). Publications increased dramatically after 2006–2008, coinciding with key WHO reports. ‘Task shifting’ was the predominant descriptor (66.0%), followed by ‘task sharing’ (24.0%), ‘task delegation’ (6.0%), and ‘task shifting and sharing’. HIV (n = 450) and depression (n = 375) were the most studied conditions, while 42.5% of articles focused on broader systems and policy issues rather than specific diseases. Discussion: Geographic disparities, language inconsistencies, and disease-specific applications suggest the need for targeted implementation in underrepresented regions, terminology standardisation, and expanded applications. Addressing these can optimise implementation strategies, enhancing outcomes.