tasksharing

Task sharing is a collaborative approach to distributing activities, responsibilities, and workflows among individuals, teams, or organizations to improve efficiency, coverage, or resilience. It typically involves delineating which tasks can be performed by non-specialists or by different partners, providing training, establishing clear protocols, and maintaining supervision and accountability for outcomes. Task sharing differs from simple delegation by emphasizing shared responsibility and coordinated governance across participants rather than transferring authority to a single actor.

The concept is used across sectors, including health care, disaster relief, and project management, where demand outpaces specialized capacity. In health care, task sharing often enables nurses, community health workers, or mid-level practitioners to perform defined clinical tasks under supervision, expanding access in primary care and in humanitarian settings. In project and operations management, task sharing distributes workload to balance skills and availability, reduce bottlenecks, and improve continuity during absences.

Benefits of task sharing include increased capacity and access, more flexible staffing, better risk management, and potential cost savings. Challenges include maintaining quality and safety, ensuring adequate training and supervision, aligning regulatory and professional scopes of practice, and managing coordination and data integrity. Successful implementation relies on clear task definitions, standardized protocols, continuous training, monitoring and evaluation, and inclusive stakeholder engagement.

Related concepts include task shifting and role delineation, but task sharing tends to emphasize joint responsibility and collaborative governance rather than unilateral transfer of duties. When designed and overseen effectively, task sharing can enhance service delivery, organizational resilience, and community involvement.