Task Shifting: Global Recommendations and Guidelines

The global recommendations and guidelines on task shifting propose the adoption or expansion of a task shifting approach as one method of strengthening and expanding the health workforce to rapidly increase access to HIV and other health services. Task shifting involves the rational redistribution of tasks among health workforce teams. Specific tasks are moved, where appropriate, from highly qualified health workers to health workers with shorter training and fewer qualifications in order to make more efficient use of the available human resources for health.

The recommendations and guidelines on task shifting have been developed in the context of efforts to rapidly increase access to HIV services in order to progress as far as possible towards the goal of universal access to HIV services by 2010. However, the impact of task shifting would not be restricted to HIV service delivery. The implications for other essential health services, and the potential for wider health systems strengthening, are recognized throughout.