Global Critical Shortage of Nurses: Pathway to Solution

*Almas Bandeali and Zeeba Maita*

### **Abstract**

In 2020, the first State of the World's Nursing (SOWN) report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed global nursing workforce to be at 27.9 million. SOWN estimated a current global nursing shortfall of 5.9 million. Furthermore, 17% of nurses are expected to retire in next 10 years. An estimated 5.3 million (89%) of that shortage is concentrated in low and lower-middle income countries, where the growth in the number of nurses is barely keeping pace with population growth. WHO global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery (SDNM) 2022 report has identified policy focus interventions for four major areas: education, jobs, leadership, and service delivery. Nurse advocacy groups like International Council of Nurses (ICN) are calling on governments to partner with various healthcare stakeholders to find tangible solutions in addressing global nursing shortage (NS).

**Keywords:** nursing shortage, global nursing crisis, global nursing disparities, nursing shortage an ethical concern, nursing supply strategies, nursing policies and practices

### **1. Introduction**

Our world is one society at large, woven in one fabric of causation. What happens in one end of our world impacts us all. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has certainly affirmed, we as global community are only as stronger as our weakest link [1–5]. Having to manage exhausted health care workers (HCWs), supply chain limitations, and budgeting constrains from an economic meltdown, healthcare organizations are battling a 'perfect storm' in staying afloat. If the foundation of a structure is weak, that structure is bound to collapse in due time. Inability to protect our HCWs is analogous to failed health care systems. COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst in understanding the gaps in our healthcare ecosystem, hence an opportunity to fix them [6]. This chapter will attempt to discuss current dialogs, development of trends, and limitations among various actors in managing global critical shortage of nurses. Lastly, the authors will share their constructive implications for NS from a holistic lens.

### **2. Body: nurses - the building blocks of our healthcare ecosystem**

For Healthcare industry, it is fundamental to ensure that patients receive a superior experience when journeying through their facilities. Face-to-face between HCWs and patients is the path forward for safe and efficient patient-centred care. In a world that is already facing dramatic shortage of HCWs, WHO estimates an additional 18 million HCWs will be needed in the next decade [2, 7, 8]. Although, every HCW is essential in maintaining a functional healthcare system, in that, nurses are the 'building blocks' of any healthcare organization. There is a shift in power dynamics within the healthcare space from doctor being the pinnacle of primary care to patients and their nurse advocates gaining autonomy in practicing patient centred care. Nurses are the gatekeepers to patient engagement, spending more time with patients than any other HCW and patient experience satisfaction is highly dependent on these interactions [9].
