The health of the nursing workforce. A survey of National Nurse Associations

Abstract

Aim This investigation explored the extent to which nurses' own health is a priority for global National Nursing Associations. Background There is a growing body of evidence linking staff health and well-being and key dimensions of service quality, including patient safety, patient experience and the effectiveness of patient care. Introduction The International Council of Nurses is a federation of more than 130 National Nurses Associations, representing more than 20 million nurses worldwide. Representatives from these Associations attended a Congress in Singapore in 2019 at which a survey was conducted. Methods A convenience sample of 37 leaders of National Nurse Associations from 33 countries and 61 nurse representatives took part in a survey. Results The majority of nurse leaders and participants believed that nurses' own health should be a priority to be addressed, principally because a healthy nurse is better able to provide good patient care. All of the examples offered about how these Associations address nurses' own health were about actions to prompt individual health behaviour change. Discussion The National Nurses Associations did not have a common terminology to talk about nurses' own health. Taking care of one's own health was included as part of the professional role and most nurse leaders thought that working conditions contributed to ill health. Conclusions There is widespread agreement that nurses' own health matters but for most National Nurses Associations it is not a current priority. Implications for Nursing Policy Going forward nurse health and wellbeing should be a core principle for health services and professional associations, and additional research is needed that demonstrates if improving working environments contributes to nurse retention and recruitment.