Topic: An intersectionality analysis of the task allocation to nurses (at a ward level) in healthcare settings: A systematic review protocol

Background: Assessing the nurses task allocation and workloads remains an area under researched. Clearly, there exist a limited amount of evidence in researching the division of labour in the nursing occupations. Several reports in the United Kingdom (UK), such as one from the Nursing Narratives: Racism and the Pandemic, has suspected the existence of inequality in the way task is allocated to nurses in healthcare settings. Using intersectionality lens this study aim to explore the role of different social identities (including ethnicity, race, gender, ability, class, etc.) in shaping nursing tasks allocation, responsibilities, and power dynamics in the UK healthcare settings. Methods and analysis: The following electronic databases will be searched from their inception to March 2025: CINHAL Complete, EMBASE, ASSIA, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. Grey sources include Google Scholar, and Open-Grey. Reference Lists and other relevant government and non-government websites will be searched using search combinations. All published primary research published in English and meets the inclusion criteria and are relevant to the topic will be selected. The primary investigator (PI) with at least two members of the supervisory team will involve in the article retrieval, removal of duplicates, screening, quality appraisal, and data analysis by the PI. Quality of the included literature using the Joanna Briggs institute (JBI) standardised tool for critical appraisal checklist. Final selected full-text articles will be qualitatively synthesised using both narrative pattern and thematic analysis and reported with the aid of inductive and deductive coding frameworks. We will present the findings with the aid of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses checklist. Discussion: This systematic review will present a detailed synthesis of the evidence for inequality in nursing task allocation and power dynamics in the healthcare settings. We intended to leverage on identified gaps in the literatures for further investigation. Therefore, this systematic review is expected to provide requisite information required in designing the methodological phase of the study. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD420251038899