The Profile of Graduate Theses On Occupational Health and Safety in The Healthcare Sector (1990-2024)

Health is one of the most fundamental human needs. Ensuring the occupational health and safety of healthcare workers is essential for the safe and effective delivery of healthcare services. This issue has been extensively addressed in graduate theses from various perspectives. To reveal the current state of literature and guide future research, this study examines graduate theses focusing on occupational health and safety in the healthcare sector, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Accordingly, 555 graduate theses completed between 1990 and 2024 were included in this study were included. The theses included in the study were examined using content analyses. The theses were classified by considering various aspects, such as year of publication, thesis type, university, department, research topic, and research method used. The findings show that most theses were at the master’s level, their number increased steadily over time, and the highest output in the last five years was in 2022. While the theses were produced at 137 different universities, the highest number was produced at Beykent University within the Institute of Health Sciences and the Department of Health Management. Studies focusing on risk assessment and management were the most predominant. The findings of this study are expected to guide and motivate research on occupational health and safety in the healthcare sector.