Nursing and midwifery
Nurses and midwives comprise the largest portion of the health workforce in most countries. They deliver core services at all levels of the health system and across the continuum of care to promote health, improve patient care, service delivery and health outcomes. Many countries experience ongoing nursing and midwifery staff shortages, inequitable distribution of capabilities and skill-mix imbalances. Advanced practice nurses or nurse practitioners serve to meet the health needs of dispersed, remote and isolated populations in the small island communities of the Pacific where the shortage of physicians is chronic and acute.
WHO supports Member States in their efforts to provide high quality and universally accessible health services, to improve health outcomes, and to progress in achieving global health targets such as the Millennium Development Goals, by:
- providing uniform indicators, tools and information management systems to assemble data and evidence for monitoring nursing and midwifery resource levels; improve demand projections and loss forecasting; optimize workplace management, retention and participation; and ensure responsiveness to population and health needs;
- coordinating actions to improve faculty capacities and quality and standards of nursing and midwifery education through harmonized efforts to meet changing consumer and service environment needs;
- strengthening the evidence base of nursing and midwifery through programme planning and policy-making, implementation and evaluation at all levels;
- implementing contemporary regulatory frameworks, models of care and processes which ensure the safety of the public and support full functional utilization, effective and efficient use of nurses and midwives and
- enhancing and sustaining partnerships and alliances to generate resources, build capacities and support nursing and midwifery development for improved overall health system functioning and care delivery across the continuum of care and health outcomes.
Fact sheets
News and press releases
16 October 2008
Asia Pacific Nurses Meet to Enhance Disaster Management Skills
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28 March 2008
Global discussion focuses on health worker migration
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27 March 2008
New WHO Centre to lead regional development in nursing and midwifery
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24 November 2006
WHO Leadership Summit at UTS: Nurses are key in fighting pandemic disasters
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24 November 2006
WHO Leadership Summit to address global shortage of health workers
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[more news]
Relevant publications and documents
Upcoming meetings and events
No meeting/event planned at this time.