What are the effects of the global nursing shortage on health policy and how do nursing principles impact policy agendas?

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Last updated: April 20, 2025 • View editorial policy

From the Guidelines

The global nursing shortage has a profound impact on health policy, necessitating urgent reforms in workforce planning, resource allocation, and healthcare delivery to mitigate the effects on patient care and outcomes. This shortage leads to policy shifts prioritizing nurse recruitment, retention strategies, and educational pipeline expansion, as evidenced by studies such as 1 and 2, which highlight the importance of nursing education in rural areas to address staffing gaps. Policymakers are increasingly implementing measures like loan forgiveness programs, improved working conditions, and international recruitment initiatives to address staffing gaps, as seen in 3, which discusses the challenges faced by nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The nursing shortage also drives policies promoting task-shifting, expanded scope of practice for nurses, and technology integration to maximize the existing workforce's efficiency. For instance, 4 suggests that implementation strategies, including educational strategies and facilitation, can improve nurses' adherence to clinical practice guidelines, resulting in positive patient outcomes. Moreover, 5 highlights the importance of tailoring international clinical practice guidelines to local needs to ensure cultural relevance and effective implementation.

Nursing ideas, values, and beliefs profoundly shape policy agendas through nurses' advocacy for patient-centered care, health equity, and preventive approaches. Nurses' commitment to holistic care influences policies that address social determinants of health and promote community-based services, as seen in 1 and 2. Their frontline experiences provide crucial insights that inform evidence-based policymaking, while their ethical frameworks emphasizing dignity and autonomy guide policies on patient rights and informed consent. Nursing organizations leverage their collective voice to advocate for healthcare access, quality improvement, and workforce development, ultimately improving healthcare systems and patient outcomes, as discussed in 3 and 5.

Key factors influencing policy agendas include:

  • Nurse recruitment and retention strategies
  • Educational pipeline expansion
  • Task-shifting and expanded scope of practice for nurses
  • Technology integration to maximize workforce efficiency
  • Patient-centered care and health equity
  • Preventive approaches and community-based services
  • Social determinants of health and cultural relevance of care

By prioritizing these factors and addressing the nursing shortage, policymakers can create a more sustainable and effective healthcare system that meets the needs of patients and communities, as supported by the evidence from 3, 1, 2, 4, and 5.

From the Research

Effects of the Planetary Nursing Shortage on Health Policy

  • The planetary nursing shortage has a significant impact on health policy, with a predicted decrease of two million in the shortage by 2030, but still affecting regions like Africa disproportionately 6.
  • The shortage requires a data-informed, country-specific model of supply and demand, as well as evidence-informed policy and resource allocation at national, subnational, and organizational levels 6.
  • Better workforce planning in nursing is crucial to reduce health inequalities and ensure sustainable health systems, with research needed on the nursing workforce in low-income countries and rural areas 6.

Impact of Nursing Ideas, Values, and Beliefs on Policy Agendas

  • Nursing ideas, values, and beliefs play a significant role in shaping policy agendas, with a need for a transdisciplinary equity-centered approach to address planetary health and support equity-informed solutions for human vitality 7.
  • The planetary health concept is a recent and important topic in nursing, with a clear and urgent call to action for nurses to address planetary health through education, research, practice, and advocacy 8.
  • Nurses have a responsibility to advocate for a planetary health approach in the profession and take action to contribute to planetary health, with a need to publish essential work in planetary health in various nursing domains 8.

Policy Solutions to Address the Nursing Shortage

  • Policy solutions to address the nursing shortage include increasing wages, improving working conditions, and providing opportunities for lifelong learning and professional development 9, 10.
  • Targeted migration policies can temporarily mitigate workforce shortages, but rarely change the underlying systemic issues, with a need for long-term structural policy options such as increasing the number of places available in nursing schools 9.
  • National social security agendas should be prepared and implemented to address the nursing shortage, including improving working and employment conditions, regulating salaries, and providing opportunities for lifelong learning and technological innovations 10.

References

Guideline

Guideline Directed Topic Overview

Dr.Oracle Medical Advisory Board & Editors, 2025

Guideline

Guideline Directed Topic Overview

Dr.Oracle Medical Advisory Board & Editors, 2025

Guideline

Guideline Directed Topic Overview

Dr.Oracle Medical Advisory Board & Editors, 2025

Guideline

Guideline Directed Topic Overview

Dr.Oracle Medical Advisory Board & Editors, 2025

Guideline

Guideline Directed Topic Overview

Dr.Oracle Medical Advisory Board & Editors, 2025

Research

Planetary Health in Nursing: A Scoping Review.

Journal of advanced nursing, 2024

Research

A nursing shortage - a prospect of global and local policies.

International nursing review, 2019

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