The average for 2020 based on 21 countries was 9.96 nurses per 1,000 people. The highest value was in Switzerland: 18.37 nurses per 1,000 people and the lowest value was in Latvia: 4.18 nurses per 1,000 people. The indicator is available from 1978 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2019 based on 2 countries was 1.6 nurse to bed ratio. The highest value was in Mexico: 2.29 nurse to bed ratio and the lowest value was in Turkey: 0.91 nurse to bed ratio. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2020. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Background: Mentoring programs that include simulation, bedside mentoring, and didactic components are becoming increasingly popular to improve quality. These programs are designed with little evidence to inform the ideal composition of mentoring activities that would yield the greatest impact on provider skills and patient outcomes. We examined the association of number of maternal and neonatal emergency simulations performed with the diagnosis of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and intrapartum asphyxia in real patients. Method: Prospective cohort. Between- and within-facility comparisons over time. Setting: 320 public facilities in the state of Bihar, India May 2015 – 2017. Participants: Deliveries and livebirths. Interventions: Mobile nurse-mentoring program with simulations, teamwork and communication activities, didactic teaching, demonstrations of clinical procedures and bedside mentoring including conducting deliveries. Nurse mentor pairs visited each facility for one week, covering ...

Nurse participant demographics (individual interviews).

Overview

New York, NY – June 12, 2025: The global healthcare staffing market is projected to grow from US$ 45.1 billion in 2024 to approximately US$ 82.3 billion by 2034, registering a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period. North America leads the market with a dominant share of 39.7%, amounting to US$ 17.9 billion in 2024. This growth is driven by several interconnected factors, including workforce shortages, ageing populations, rising chronic disease rates, and shifting care models. These dynamics are creating sustained demand for healthcare professionals across various settings, prompting healthcare providers to increasingly depend on staffing firms to maintain continuity of care.

A key growth driver is the rising global shortage of healthcare workers. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates a shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030. This shortage is particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries but also impacts high-income nations. In the United States, over 193,000 registered nurse positions open each year, largely due to retirements and turnover. Staffing agencies help bridge these gaps by offering travel nurses, locum tenens, and temporary staffing solutions, ensuring uninterrupted patient care across hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities.

The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is another major factor fueling demand. Conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity require continuous and specialized care. According to the WHO, cardiovascular disease remains the leading global cause of death. Managing chronic illnesses demands skilled nurses, allied health professionals, and support staff. Staffing firms are crucial in filling these roles, particularly as healthcare systems become overburdened. This long-term demand is prompting organizations to partner with workforce providers that can deliver trained personnel quickly and consistently.

Demographic changes, especially the ageing population, are further intensifying workforce needs. The global population aged 60 and above is expected to rise from 1 billion in 2020 to 2.1 billion by 2050. Older adults typically require more healthcare services, from hospital stays to home-care support. As the number of elderly patients grows, healthcare institutions are expanding their partnerships with staffing agencies to maintain adequate personnel levels, especially in geriatrics, palliative care, and rehabilitation services. These trends are particularly visible in countries such as the U.S., where the elderly population is expanding rapidly.

Emerging healthcare models and digital transformation are reshaping staffing requirements. The shift toward community-based and home-care services is increasing demand for flexible roles outside hospital settings. Additionally, rapid adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), telehealth, and AI tools has created a need for professionals trained in digital platforms. The World Health Organization has introduced guidelines to support digital upskilling in the health workforce. As a result, staffing firms are evolving to provide personnel with both clinical expertise and technological proficiency, meeting the dual need for healthcare and digital competence.

Nursing documentation is critical for ensuring quality patient care and effective communication among healthcare professionals. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), documentation practices often fall short due to resource limitations and cultural barriers. This mixed-methods study evaluated a culturally adapted roleplay-based intervention to improve nursing documentation quality among Indonesian nurses. Using a quasi-experimental design, 132 nurses from three public hospitals in Jakarta were assigned to either the treatment or control group. The intervention integrated conventional roleplay, digital simulation, and reflective practice. Quantitative data were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and at an 11-week follow-up, measuring documentation quality, self-efficacy, and cognitive load. Additionally, qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 15 experimental group participants. Results showed significant improvements in documentation quality (Cohen’s d = 1.28 at T1, 1.14 at T2), self-efficacy (d = 0.99 at T1, 0.85 at T2), and reductions in cognitive load (d = -0.84 at T1, -0.72 at T2). Qualitative findings highlighted increased confidence, realism of the scenarios, integration of digital skills, and cultural considerations in documentation practices. Participants' hierarchical structure orientation moderated the effectiveness of the intervention. This study provides evidence that hybrid roleplay interventions can enhance nursing documentation practices in low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on culturally tailored healthcare education. This study demonstrates that culturally tailored hybrid roleplay interventions can effectively enhance nursing documentation quality, self-efficacy, and cognitive load reduction, particularly in LMICs, offering a scalable model for healthcare education

The National Population Health Survey (NPHS) is designed to collect information related to the health of the Canadian population. The first cycle of data collection began in 1994, and will continue every second year thereafter. The survey will collect not only cross-sectional information, but also data from a panel of individuals at two-year intervals.The target population of the NPHS includes household residents in all provinces, with the principal exclusion of populations on Indian Reserves, Canadian Forces Bases and some remote areas in Quebec and Ontario. Separate surveys were conducted to cover the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and the Institutions (long term residents of hospitals and residential care facilities) and will be presented at a later stage. The NPHS data are stored in four different data sets. Some information was collected from all household members. This information is stored in the General file. From each household, one person, aged 12 years and over, was selected to answer a more in-depth questionnaire related to health. These data are stored on the Health file. Each record on the General file corresponds to a household member. The General file carries the socio-demographic variables as well as health utilization variables. There are 58,439 records and 129 variables in the General file. The Health file contains 17,626 records and 439 variables. The Supplemental file is a subset of the health sample. Certain individuals in the Health sample were asked to answer supplemental questions. This file contains 13,400 records and 1023 variables. A special component of the program is a survey designed for people living in health care institutions, including hospitals, nursing homes, and residential facilities for persons with disabilities. This Institutional file contains data collected in 1995 from 2287 long-term residents of health care institutions in the provinces. Data between the files can be linked using the variable recno. Note: This data is also linked to the National Longitudinal Survey of Children

Women classified as ‘high risk’ or ‘complicated’ in pregnancy and childbirth have increased difficulty in accessing humanised care/humanisation in childbirth due to perceptions that this approach rejects the use of intervention and/or technology. Humanised care recognises the psychological and physical needs of women in pregnancy and birth. A mixed methods systematic review using a convergent segregated approach was undertaken using the Joanne Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. The objective of the review was to identify the presence of humanisation for women with high risk pregnancy and/or childbirth in high income countries. Studies were included if they measured humanisation and/or explored the perspectives of midwives, obstetricians, or nurses on humanisation for women classified as having a high-risk or complicated pregnancy or childbirth in a high income country. Qualitative data were analysed using a meta-aggregative approach and a narrative synthesis was completed for the quantitative data. All studies were assessed for their methodological quality using the MMAT tool. Four databases were searched, and nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 1617 participants from nine countries were included. Three qualitative findings were synthesised, and a narrative synthesis of quantitative data was completed. The integration of qualitative and quantitative data identified complimentary findings on: (i) the importance of developing a harmonised relationship with women; (ii) increased time counselling women on their choices; and (iii) fear of professional reputational damage if caring outside of protocols. Negotiating with women outside of protocols may have a wider impact on the professional than first thought. Understanding how healthcare professionals individualise care for women at risk in labour requires further investigation.

The average monthly wage for female specialists in professional, technical, and humanitarian fields in Saudi Arabia in 2019 was about ** thousand Saudi riyals compared to **** thousand Saudi riyals for males employed in this field.

Saudi labour market trends 

The Saudi female labor participation rate reached a record at more than ** percent of the female population in the first half of 2020. In 2018, the majority of nurses in the country were female. The majority of the workforce is in the oil and gas industry as the economy is centered on oil and gas production. Following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many expatriate workers left the country after the tax raise.

Saudi Arabia education system development

Historically, Islamic facilities such as mosques and Kuttab supplied education to Saudi elites and wealthy families. Private institutions developed the educational system, and subsequently, high schools were established to educate pupils for university studies overseas. Literacy rates for males were as low as ** percent, and considerably lower for females because they only had access to religious instruction. Saudi Arabia's education system remains gender-segregated, with women still attending colleges and educational institutions that are just for women. On average, both genders' graduation rates are very close; the percentage of female graduates was around ** percent in 2019. Following the establishment of seven new institutions, notably Kind Saud University, in the mid-1990s, the country's tertiary education systems were diversified. By 2022, tertiary education enrolment was predicted to hit *** million. The most often mentioned educational problems by both genders were the difficulty of studying, followed by the difficulty of getting to their schools and institutions.

Women classified as ‘high risk’ or ‘complicated’ in pregnancy and childbirth have increased difficulty in accessing humanised care/humanisation in childbirth due to perceptions that this approach rejects the use of intervention and/or technology. Humanised care recognises the psychological and physical needs of women in pregnancy and birth. A mixed methods systematic review using a convergent segregated approach was undertaken using the Joanne Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. The objective of the review was to identify the presence of humanisation for women with high risk pregnancy and/or childbirth in high income countries. Studies were included if they measured humanisation and/or explored the perspectives of midwives, obstetricians, or nurses on humanisation for women classified as having a high-risk or complicated pregnancy or childbirth in a high income country. Qualitative data were analysed using a meta-aggregative approach and a narrative synthesis was completed for the quantitative data. All studies were assessed for their methodological quality using the MMAT tool. Four databases were searched, and nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 1617 participants from nine countries were included. Three qualitative findings were synthesised, and a narrative synthesis of quantitative data was completed. The integration of qualitative and quantitative data identified complimentary findings on: (i) the importance of developing a harmonised relationship with women; (ii) increased time counselling women on their choices; and (iii) fear of professional reputational damage if caring outside of protocols. Negotiating with women outside of protocols may have a wider impact on the professional than first thought. Understanding how healthcare professionals individualise care for women at risk in labour requires further investigation.

In the three months to May 2025, average weekly earnings in the United Kingdom grew by five percent, while pay including bonuses also grew by five percent, when compared with the same period leading to April 2024. In the same month, the inflation rate for the Consumer Price Index was 3.4 percent, indicating that wages were rising faster than prices that month. Average salaries in the UK In 2024, the average salary for full-time workers in the UK was 37,430 British pounds a year, up from 34,963 in the previous year. In London, the average annual salary was far higher than the rest of the country, at 47,455 pounds per year, compared with just 32,960 in North East England. There also still exists a noticeable gender pay gap in the UK, which was seven percent for full-time workers in 2024, down from 7.5 percent in 2023. Lastly, the monthly earnings of the top one percent in the UK was 15,887 pounds as of November 2024, far higher than even that of the average for the top five percent, who earned 7,641 pounds per month, while pay for the lowest 10 percent of earners was just 805 pounds per month. Waves of industrial action in the UK One of the main consequences of high inflation and low wage growth throughout 2022 and 2023 was an increase in industrial action in the UK. In December 2022, for example, there were approximately 830,000 working days lost due to labor disputes. Throughout this month, workers across various industry sectors were involved in industrial disputes, such as nurses, train drivers, and driving instructors. Many of the workers who took part in strikes were part of the UK's public sector, which saw far weaker wage growth than that of the private sector throughout 2022. Widespread industrial action continued into 2023, with approximately 303,000 workers involved in industrial disputes in March 2023. There was far less industrial action by 2024, however, due to settlements in many of the disputes, although some are ongoing as of 2025.

BackgroundThe World Health Organisation and palliative care stakeholders recommend that healthcare workers are educated in palliative care. Provision of high-quality palliative care is fundamental to nursing practice. However, caring for palliative care patients and meeting family needs is challenging without appropriate knowledge and experience. Palliative care education and clinical skill development for undergraduate student nurses is a priority to ensure graduate nurses are equipped with the knowledge and skill to deliver safe and competent care.MethodsA scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework was used to identify undergraduate student nurses’ palliative care education and preparation. A comprehensive literature search of five electronic databases and grey literature were conducted from January 2002 to December 2021. The aim was to review the empirical evidence and ascertain how undergraduate student nurses’ palliative care education is organised, facilitated, delivered and evaluated. Screening was performed independently by two reviewers against eligibility criteria with meetings to discuss included papers and form a consensus. Data was extracted and related to palliative care undergraduate student nurses’ education, educational model, methodology, key findings, and recommendations. Analysed and summarised data was mapped onto the four key review questions (educational models utilised, methods used to assess effectiveness, facilitators/barriers and gaps in the literature).Results34 papers met the criteria for this review. The review highlights that undergraduate nursing palliative care education is more evident in high income countries. Limited and diverse published research existing in low- and middle-income countries. Educational models utilised were theoretical and experiential learning and educational process, early integration and multiple learning methods which were highlighted as facilitating factors. However, crowded curricula, lack of palliative care clinical placement expertise, difficulty providing clinical placement, timing and delivery of palliative care and difficulty responding to simulated environments (manikins) were perceived barriers. Nevertheless, palliative care education can increase knowledge, positive attitude, self-confidence and adequate preparation of undergraduate student nurses.ConclusionThis review highlights that there is limited research regarding the timing and delivery of palliative care principles and practice in undergraduate student nurse education. Early integration of palliative care education impacts upon students perceived preparedness for practice and positively influences their attitudes to palliative care provision.

Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Among children hospitalized with suspected sepsis in low-income country settings, mortality rates following discharge are high, similar to mortality rates in hospital. The Smart Discharges Program uses a mobile health (mHealth) platform to identify children at high risk of post-discharge mortality to receive enhanced post-discharge care. This study sought to explore the perceptions and experiences of the caregivers and nurses of children enrolled into the Smart Discharges Program and the program’s effect on post-discharge care. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study, which included in-person focus group discussions (FGDs) with 30 caregivers of pediatric patients enrolled in the Smart Discharges Program and individual, semi-structured interviews with eight Smart Discharges Program nurses. The study was carried out at four hospitals in Uganda in 2019. Following thematic analysis, three key themes pertaining to the Smart Discharges program were identified: (1) Facilitators and barriers to follow-up care after discharge; (2) Changed caregiver behavior following discharge; and (3) Increased involvement of male caregivers. Facilitators included telephone/text message reminders, positive nurse-patient relationship, and the complementary aspects of the program. Barriers included resource constraints and negative experiences during post-discharge care seeking. With regards to behavior, when provided with relevant and well-timed information, caregivers reported increased knowledge about post-discharge care and improvements in their ability to care for their child. Enrolment in the Smart Discharges Program also increased male caregiver involvement, increased provision of resources and improved communication within the family and with the healthcare system. The Smart Discharges approach is an impactful strategy to improve pediatric post-discharge care, and similar approaches should be considered to improve the hospital to home transition in similar low-income country settings.

Women classified as ‘high risk’ or ‘complicated’ in pregnancy and childbirth have increased difficulty in accessing humanised care/humanisation in childbirth due to perceptions that this approach rejects the use of intervention and/or technology. Humanised care recognises the psychological and physical needs of women in pregnancy and birth. A mixed methods systematic review using a convergent segregated approach was undertaken using the Joanne Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. The objective of the review was to identify the presence of humanisation for women with high risk pregnancy and/or childbirth in high income countries. Studies were included if they measured humanisation and/or explored the perspectives of midwives, obstetricians, or nurses on humanisation for women classified as having a high-risk or complicated pregnancy or childbirth in a high income country. Qualitative data were analysed using a meta-aggregative approach and a narrative synthesis was completed for the quantitative data. All studies were assessed for their methodological quality using the MMAT tool. Four databases were searched, and nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 1617 participants from nine countries were included. Three qualitative findings were synthesised, and a narrative synthesis of quantitative data was completed. The integration of qualitative and quantitative data identified complimentary findings on: (i) the importance of developing a harmonised relationship with women; (ii) increased time counselling women on their choices; and (iii) fear of professional reputational damage if caring outside of protocols. Negotiating with women outside of protocols may have a wider impact on the professional than first thought. Understanding how healthcare professionals individualise care for women at risk in labour requires further investigation.

IntroductionTo determine the effect of parental participation in hospital care on neonatal and parental outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to identify the range of parental duties in the care of hospitalized neonates in LMICs.MethodsWe searched CINAHL, CENTRAL, LILACs, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science from inception to February 2022. Randomized and non-randomized studies from LMICs were eligible if parents performed one or more roles traditionally undertaken by healthcare staff. The primary outcome was hospital length-of-stay. Secondary outcomes included mortality, readmission, breastfeeding, growth, development and parental well-being. Data was extracted in duplicate by two independent reviewers using a piloted extraction form.ResultsEighteen studies (eight randomized and ten non-randomized) were included from seven middle-income countries. The types of parental participation included hygiene and infection prevention, feeding, monitoring and documentation, respiratory care, developmental care, medication administration and decision making. Meta-analyses showed that parental participation was not associated with hospital length-of-stay (MD −2.35, 95% CI −6.78–2.07). However, parental involvement was associated with decreased mortality (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.22–0.95), increased breastfeeding (OR 2.97 95% CI 1.65–5.35) and decreased hospital readmission (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.16–0.81). Narrative synthesis demonstrated additional benefits for growth, short-term neurodevelopment and parental well-being. Ten of the eighteen studies had a high risk of bias.ConclusionParental participation in neonatal hospital care is associated with improvement in several key neonatal outcomes in middle-income countries. The lack of data from low-income countries suggests that there remains barriers to parental participation in resource-poor settings.Systematic review registration[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=187562], identifier [CRD42020187562].

BackgroundThe World Health Organisation and palliative care stakeholders recommend that healthcare workers are educated in palliative care. Provision of high-quality palliative care is fundamental to nursing practice. However, caring for palliative care patients and meeting family needs is challenging without appropriate knowledge and experience. Palliative care education and clinical skill development for undergraduate student nurses is a priority to ensure graduate nurses are equipped with the knowledge and skill to deliver safe and competent care.MethodsA scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework was used to identify undergraduate student nurses’ palliative care education and preparation. A comprehensive literature search of five electronic databases and grey literature were conducted from January 2002 to December 2021. The aim was to review the empirical evidence and ascertain how undergraduate student nurses’ palliative care education is organised, facilitated, delivered and evaluated. Screening was performed independently by two reviewers against eligibility criteria with meetings to discuss included papers and form a consensus. Data was extracted and related to palliative care undergraduate student nurses’ education, educational model, methodology, key findings, and recommendations. Analysed and summarised data was mapped onto the four key review questions (educational models utilised, methods used to assess effectiveness, facilitators/barriers and gaps in the literature).Results34 papers met the criteria for this review. The review highlights that undergraduate nursing palliative care education is more evident in high income countries. Limited and diverse published research existing in low- and middle-income countries. Educational models utilised were theoretical and experiential learning and educational process, early integration and multiple learning methods which were highlighted as facilitating factors. However, crowded curricula, lack of palliative care clinical placement expertise, difficulty providing clinical placement, timing and delivery of palliative care and difficulty responding to simulated environments (manikins) were perceived barriers. Nevertheless, palliative care education can increase knowledge, positive attitude, self-confidence and adequate preparation of undergraduate student nurses.ConclusionThis review highlights that there is limited research regarding the timing and delivery of palliative care principles and practice in undergraduate student nurse education. Early integration of palliative care education impacts upon students perceived preparedness for practice and positively influences their attitudes to palliative care provision.

Definitions of the meta-aggregative levels of evidence.

BackgroundThe World Health Organisation and palliative care stakeholders recommend that healthcare workers are educated in palliative care. Provision of high-quality palliative care is fundamental to nursing practice. However, caring for palliative care patients and meeting family needs is challenging without appropriate knowledge and experience. Palliative care education and clinical skill development for undergraduate student nurses is a priority to ensure graduate nurses are equipped with the knowledge and skill to deliver safe and competent care.MethodsA scoping review guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework was used to identify undergraduate student nurses’ palliative care education and preparation. A comprehensive literature search of five electronic databases and grey literature were conducted from January 2002 to December 2021. The aim was to review the empirical evidence and ascertain how undergraduate student nurses’ palliative care education is organised, facilitated, delivered and evaluated. Screening was performed independently by two reviewers against eligibility criteria with meetings to discuss included papers and form a consensus. Data was extracted and related to palliative care undergraduate student nurses’ education, educational model, methodology, key findings, and recommendations. Analysed and summarised data was mapped onto the four key review questions (educational models utilised, methods used to assess effectiveness, facilitators/barriers and gaps in the literature).Results34 papers met the criteria for this review. The review highlights that undergraduate nursing palliative care education is more evident in high income countries. Limited and diverse published research existing in low- and middle-income countries. Educational models utilised were theoretical and experiential learning and educational process, early integration and multiple learning methods which were highlighted as facilitating factors. However, crowded curricula, lack of palliative care clinical placement expertise, difficulty providing clinical placement, timing and delivery of palliative care and difficulty responding to simulated environments (manikins) were perceived barriers. Nevertheless, palliative care education can increase knowledge, positive attitude, self-confidence and adequate preparation of undergraduate student nurses.ConclusionThis review highlights that there is limited research regarding the timing and delivery of palliative care principles and practice in undergraduate student nurse education. Early integration of palliative care education impacts upon students perceived preparedness for practice and positively influences their attitudes to palliative care provision.

IntroductionMyocardial Infarction (MI) is a leading cause of death worldwide. In high income countries, quality improvement strategies have played an important role in increasing uptake of evidence-based MI care and improving MI outcomes. The incidence of MI in sub-Saharan Africa is rising, but uptake of evidence-based care in northern Tanzania is low. There are currently no published quality improvement interventions from the region. The objective of this study was to determine provider attitudes towards a planned quality improvement intervention for MI care in northern Tanzania.MethodsThis study was conducted at a zonal referral hospital in northern Tanzania. A 41-question survey, informed by the Theoretical Framework for Acceptability, was developed by an interdisciplinary team from Tanzania and the United States. The survey, which explored provider attitudes towards MI care improvement, was administered to key provider stakeholders (physicians, nurses, and hospital administrators) using convenience sampling.ResultsA total of 140 providers were enrolled, including 82 (58.6%) nurses, 56 (40.0%) physicians, and 2 (1.4%) hospital administrators. Most participants worked in the Emergency Department or inpatient medical ward. Providers were interested in participating in a quality improvement project to improve MI care at their facility, with 139 (99.3%) strongly agreeing or agreeing with this statement. All participants agreed or strongly agreed that improvements were needed to MI care pathways at their facility. Though their facility has an MI care protocol, only 88 (62.9%) providers were aware of it. When asked which intervention would be the single-most effective strategy to improve MI care, the two most common responses were provider training (n = 66, 47.1%) and patient education (n = 41, 29.3%).ConclusionProviders in northern Tanzania reported strongly positive attitudes towards quality improvement interventions for MI care. Locally-tailored interventions to improve MI should include provider training and patient education strategies.

Results of univariate and multivariable analysis of predictors of burnout among medical and nursing students.