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. 2021 Mar;68(1):9-11.
doi: 10.1111/inr.12673.

COVID-19: The future of nursing will determine the fate of our health services

Howard Catton  1
Affiliations

COVID-19: The future of nursing will determine the fate of our health services

Howard Catton. Int Nurs Rev. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Preparing the world to manage future pandemics must take priority. It is clear that we were not prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic which continues to cause great suffering around the world. Nurses and other health professionals everywhere must be involved in health policy planning and implementation of public health measures to combat this and future pandemics. Such preparation needs community policy involvement at grassroots levels and needs to be collaboratively instigated at international levels. The death so far of over 2000 nurses is unacceptable in this pandemic, and we need to better protect and sustain the workforce. The International Council of Nurses has been instrumental in data gathering of nurses' experiences during COVID-19. Key points from analysis of this data have been included in Second Progress Report of the World Health Organization's Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. This paper summarises the key messages from this report, as well as the nursing shortage. The International Council of Nurses resounds the call for massive investment in nursing education, leadership and jobs, as well as protection for our nurses on the frontlines of the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Health Policy; Nursing Education; Nursing Leadership; Nursing Shortage; Pandemic Preparedness; Pandemic Response; Pandemics.

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References

    1. Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response for the WHO Executive Board . (2021) Second Progress Report. 15 January. Available from: https://theindependentpanel.org/wp‐content/uploads/2021/01/Independent‐P... Accessed 6 February 2021.
    1. World Health Organization . (2020) State of the World’s Nursing Report. (A joint WHO/ICN, Nursing Now publication). WHO, Geneva. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003279. Accessed 6 February 2021.