Healthcare Workforce Well-Being Within the Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services Framework: A Narrative Review and Organizational Case Example

Background/Objectives: Healthcare workforce health and well-being are explicitly included within the Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services (HPH&HS) framework, but the literature has not been synthesized through a dedicated workforce-centered lens. This narrative review examined how workforce health is conceptualized within HPH&HS, operationalized through standards and organizational processes, addressed through workforce-oriented interventions and outcomes, and shaped by organizational conditions influencing implementation. Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and CINAHL Complete were searched for publications from 1986 to 2026. Of 323 records identified, 148 were screened after deduplication, 60 full texts were assessed, and 51 reports were included. Evidence was synthesized across four domains: conceptual foundations, standards and governance, workforce interventions and outcomes, and implementation conditions. Results: Workforce health emerged as an intrinsic HPH&HS dimension, with healthcare professionals positioned as both targets and agents of health promotion. Workforce health was increasingly formalized through HPH&HS standards, governance structures, and organizational processes. Leadership, resources, workforce participation, competencies, integration into routine practice, and supportive policy environments emerged as recurrent implementation conditions. Evidence addressed health behaviors, occupational health and safety, psychological well-being, and job satisfaction, as well as organizational culture and staff participation. However, the empirical evidence was predominantly cross-sectional and heterogeneous, with limited controlled or longitudinal research linking HPH&HS implementation to improved workforce health. Conclusions: HPH&HS provides a conceptual and organizational framework for workforce health promotion, but implementation evidence is stronger than evidence for direct and sustained health improvements. Future research should distinguish implementation outcomes, organizational or work-environment indicators, and workforce health outcomes using longitudinal and controlled designs.