Clinical education and training for allied health assistants: a narrative review

Abstract

Recent healthcare redesign has been directed at providing more equitable, accessible, efficient and effective patient care. To support these aims, allied health assistants have increasingly been introduced into models of care. Concomitant with the increase of assistants in the workplace has been the introduction of national vocational training programs for allied health assistants in Australia. This review aimed to summarise the Australian and international evidence regarding effective and appropriate strategies for the clinical education and training of allied health assistants. A systematic search of relevant databases was undertaken during April–May 2011. No time limit was imposed, and only English-language papers were considered. Grey literature was searched, and a hand search of relevant journals was conducted. Full-text articles were screened by two reviewers for inclusion in the systematic review. Quantitative and qualitative studies were included. The literature addressing the review questions was scarce and generally of low methodological quality. The results suggest that to incorporate assistants in models of care, strategies such as collaborative education need to be implemented, and these should cover topics such as supervision, delegation and role delineation. In addition, there is a need to promote standardisation of vocational courses. These courses should be relevant for assistants, devote significant time to practical activities and include processes for recognition of prior learning and competencies. The findings of this review may inform policy and practice within Australia related to educating and building an effective allied health workforce that includes allied health assistants as an integral part of the healthcare team.