The Lancet
Nurses have demonstrated their essential role in health systems during the pandemic, but this has not been sufficiently recognized in terms of pay or support. The exacerbation of a pre-existing nursing workforce crisis is leaving health care systems more vulnerable and less resilient. Without an immediate commitment to nursing by all those involved in health and the health sciences, there can be no effective recovery or strengthening of health systems for the future (1).
In early 2020, as part of a worldwide campaign to raise the profile of nursingWHO, the International Council of Nurses (International Council of Nurses – ICN) e Nursing Now they posted the first one Report on the state of nursing in the world (State of the world’s nursing 2020: investing in education, jobs and leadership) in order to define a strategy. At the time, we highlighted how the Report could foster policy dialogues and promote recognition of the potential of nursing to enable universal health coverage, and underlined how crucial the following years would be to demonstrate nursing’s impact. The COVID-19 pandemic confirmed how important these messages were. May 12 was International Nurses Day It has been just over 3 years since the onset of COVID-19, a time when there was a huge demand for nurses. Global health and health systems have not yet recovered. What are the prospects for the future of global nursing?
The crucial and diverse ways in which nurses contribute to the functioning of health systems have become apparent during the pandemic. In Botswana, nurses have developed strategic responses to mitigate the epidemic, operating mobile clinics to reach rural areas, demonstrating the ability to identify the needs of a community and to develop systems that take into account local factors. The United Kingdom has a network of over 5,000 research nurses, many of whom have played crucial roles in the development of vaccines and drug therapies for COVID-19. The nurses of Trinidad and Tobago they quickly acquired the skills to improve the quality of critical care and strengthen the health system.
Yet nurses have not been rewarded in terms of pay or support. The pandemic has exacerbated a pre-existing global crisis in the nursing workforce. Globally, nurse well-being and morale are low and intention to leave the profession is high. There global nursing shortage before the pandemic it was estimated at 6 million and ICN suggests it could reach 13 million in the coming years due to both increased demand and low turnover. A study on The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacificwhich involved almost 140,000 nurses in Chinesereported that 34% of nurses considered themselves in burn-out and 56% experienced symptoms of depression during the pandemic. A 2022 survey in Belgium found that 44% of nurses said they wanted to quit their jobs, with 27% considering pursuing a non-nursing career. Nurses around the world have been forced to take strike action against unfair wages and unsafe working conditions. Government responses to the strike action have been varied. In some countries like the Germania, industrial action has led to staff agreements on better and safer working conditions. in Zimbabwe instead, in January, a law was passed banning strikes by health workers, and the government of United Kingdom recently launched a court action against the Royal College of Nursing, declaring the planned strike action illegal. The prosecution fails to address the workforce crisis and only serves to exacerbate growing discontent in the profession.
Many changes are needed. Strategies to address workforce shortages and improve working conditions that take into account the collective trauma experienced by nurses during the pandemic are needed to effectively protect and support them. Ensuring more career opportunities in nursing will help promote long-term recruitment and turnover, thus safeguarding the sustainability of the profession. Nurses are key assets in caring for people. The pandemic has served to strengthen this role in the collective imagination. But nurses should also be recognized as scientists and leaders who need high-quality education, defined career paths and investments that reflect their levels of responsibility in the health care system. Therefore, funding nursing education at all levels should be a priority. Over United States There has been a decline in nursing enrollment for the first time in 20 years, a decline attributed to a shortage of nursing educators. Without adequate nursing educators, institutions cannot adequately increase training capacity. The postgraduate degrees and research opportunities needed for such positions are limited, often rely on self-financing, and academic positions are often low-paying. Universities and educational institutions need to strengthen their nursing departments.
Nurses have demonstrated their essential role in health systems during the pandemic, but this has not been reflected in their protection and support in the workplace. The exacerbation of a pre-existing nursing workforce crisis is leaving health care systems more vulnerable and less resilient. Without an immediate commitment to nursing by all those involved in health and the health sciences, there can be no effective recovery or strengthening of health systems for the future.
- Editorial, The future of nursing: lessons from a pandemic, Lancet, 2023; 401:1545 (May 13, 2023 ). The translation is ours like the subtitle and the bolds.