Age-inclusive strategies to recruit and retain older healthcare professionals: a systematic review
M Kramer, T KramerAbstract
Background/Introduction
The global shortage of healthcare professionals is driven by demographic change, workforce attrition and rising care demands. Older healthcare professionals contribute experience and interpersonal skills, but may be underutilised due to stereotypes, health concerns and barriers to adopting new technologies. Evidence-based, age-inclusive workforce strategies are needed to support recruitment, retention and intergenerational collaboration.
Purpose
To synthesise evidence on strategies to recruit and retain older healthcare professionals and to promote intergenerational collaboration in healthcare settings.
Methods
This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 reporting guideline. PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar were searched for English-language studies published before March 2025 addressing recruitment and retention strategies for older healthcare professionals, workplace diversity and/or intergenerational collaboration. Records were screened and eligible studies were synthesised narratively.
Results
Of 224 records identified, 84 studies met inclusion criteria and were synthesised. Effective recruitment strategies included community-based outreach and flexible work arrangements. Retention measures such as phased retirement, mentoring programmes and workplace health initiatives supported knowledge transfer, job satisfaction and workforce stability. Digital knowledge management and structured mentoring further facilitated intergenerational collaboration. Overall, the evidence supports multi-component, employer-driven strategies that integrate flexibility, health promotion and structured knowledge exchange.
Conclusions
Age-inclusive workforce planning that combines flexible working conditions, retention-focused supports and structured intergenerational collaboration may help mitigate healthcare workforce shortages by leveraging the strengths of different generations. Future research should evaluate long-term effects on workforce stability and patient outcomes.