Burnout among nurses not given its due, says professional association

Work-related stress and professional burnout have a profound impact on nurses, the Cyprus association of nurses and midwives said on Wednesday ahead of International Nurses Day, marked around the world on Friday.

The association cited a recent report titled Recover to Rebuild: Investing in the Nursing Workforce for Health System Effectiveness by Buchan & Catton (2023) to shed light on the devastating consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the toll it has taken on nurses globally.

“Coupled with the global shortage of nurses, the report emphasises that, unless the necessary resources are allocated to nursing staff for recovery, health systems around the world will struggle to rebuild their healthcare services and meet the needs of their populations,” the association said.

“Urgent action and more effective planning for the future are thus imperative.”

The statement added that the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and its 136 national nursing associations, representing 28 million nurses worldwide, are calling upon governments, international organisations and healthcare professionals to take action in creating safe, efficient and accessible healthcare systems.

“While progress has been made in many countries towards prioritising health, healthcare in general is still often regarded as an isolated economic equation rather than an investment directly linked to a strong society and a sustainable future,” the association continued.

“The value of healthcare must not be seen merely as an expenditure, but rather as an investment.”

Finally, the association urged all stakeholders to prioritise and support policy actions to safeguard the nursing profession and ultimately improve people’s quality of life.