[Voluntary work in social and health care: a critical review of assessment instruments]. / Freiwilligenengagement im Gesundheits- und Pflegebereich: Ein Critical Review über Assessmentinstrumente.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Due to an increasing need for voluntary workers in the provision of care for care-dependent people, sustainable recruiting, retention, and quality management strategies are required. In this regard, assessment instruments (AI) are helpful as a basis for obtaining information and planning. The aims of this critical review are to identify AIs in voluntary work and to analyze and critically appraise their domains, target groups, and psychometric properties. METHODS: A systematic search with an interdisciplinary emphasis was conducted in Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and other socioscientific databases. After the selection of identified articles, 12 research papers remained for analysis and were summarized in a critical review. RESULTS: In total, 15 AIs, 13 domains (e.g., motivation, satisfaction), and 4 target groups could be identified. The domain "motivation" and the target group "voluntary workers in hospice/palliative care" were most frequently represented. Currently, there are no instruments available which cover a broad range of domains and target groups. CONCLUSION: To support sustainability and quality of care in volunteerism, the development of new AIs is necessary.