SSN 277: General Nursing II (2,0,2)

SSM 155: Introduction to Nursing and Midwifery

Global Issues in Nursing and Midwifery

By
William Wilberforce Amoah
(PhD Candidate, MPhil, EN, BSc. RN)
williamwamoah@knust.edu.gh
0242177627
02/22/2024 Mr. William W. Amoah
Outline

• Global health

• Global nursing

• Global issues in Nursing and Midwifery

02/22/2024 Mr. William W. Amoah

 Global Issues in Nursing
and Midwifery

WILLIAM WILBERFORCE AMOAH

02/22/2024 Mr. William W. Amoah

Introduction
• Global refers to any health issue that concerns many
countries or is affected by transnational determinants, such as
climate change or urbanization, or solutions, such as polio
eradications.

• Global health is defined as “an area for study, research, and

practice that places a priority on improving health equity in
health for all people worldwide.” (Koplan et al., 2009
p.1995).
Discussion
• What is equity? Health equity?

• What is equality?

• What is liberation?
Introduction…
• Equality is based on the belief that all people should have the
same opportunities for a happy life.

• Equity is linked to the ideal that success is based on personal

efforts and not social status.

• Liberation- to set free

• The goal of equity is to change systemic and structural barriers
that get in the way of people’s ability to thrive.
Introduction …
• Equity is the absence of unfair, avoidable or remediable
differences among groups of people, whether those groups are
defined socially, economically, demographically, or
geographically or by other dimensions of inequality (e.g. sex,
gender, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation).

• Health is a fundamental human right.

• Health equity is achieved when everyone can attain their full

potential for health and well-being.
Introduction…
• The concept of global nursing practice was proposed in 2000
when nursing experts began to participate in global health.

• Global nursing education was initiated as undergraduate and

graduate programmes, mainly in Europe and North America
(Wong et al., 2015).

Wong, Y. K. F. , Liu, H. , Wang, H. , Anderson, D. , Seib, C. , & Molasiotis, A. (2015). Global nursing issues and development: Analysis or World
Health Organization documents. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 47(6), 574–583. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
What is Global Nursing?
• Edmonson et al. (2017), defined global nursing as nursing in
which the nursing profession participates in the extraction,
planning and intervention of global health problems.

• Globally, nurses and midwives provide 80% of healthcare

services (WHO, 2016), and their work is critical to achieving
universal health and the SDGs (Gresh et al., 2017).
Global Nursing…
• Global nursing was defined as an evidence‐based nursing process that
promotes sustainable and global‐scale health and equality.
• It includes a dedication to ethical practice that requires examining the
social determinants of health, such as
Individual/group care
Research,
Education,
Leadership,
Advocacy and policy initiatives, concerning human dignity, human
rights and cultural diversity
Individual and group care
• Individual care is a form of treatment and care for individuals
who cannot adequately manage on their own in the hospital
or in their own homes.

• With a group care arrangement, that individual is cared for

along with others who all live in the same community or
building.
Research
• Research enhances evidence-based practice, care
effectiveness and generating knowledge.

• Research evidence help improve and evaluate nursing and

midwifery services

• Demonstrate the important contributions of nurses in patient

care
Nursing Education
• Nurse education consists of the theoretical and practical
training provided to nurses with the purpose to prepare them
for their duties as nursing care professionals.
Initial education

Post registration-

Continuous education-continuous professional development

Nursing management and leadership
• Wong et al. (2015) analyzed reports published in six WHO areas
between 2007–2012. The results indicated that the global level's
key nursing issues on nursing management and leadership were;

The workforce,
The impact of nursing in health care,
Professional status and
Nurses' education.
The workforce
• Human resource planning strategy that could guide education plans and
ensure the adequate supply of nurses to meet future needs

• Migration – movement of nurses from developing to developed

countries

• Recruitment -

• Retention – providing competitive remuneration and fostering a

favorable professional and workplace environment
The impact of nursing in health care
• Nurses impact on the delivery of health care such as;
Provision of quality health care for all
Accessibility of nursing services to the people
Effective care based on evidence
Professional accountability
Influencing health policy
• These are made through the formulation of evidence-based
service delivery models, the establishment of standards,
indicators and clinical guidelines.
Professional status and advancement
• This is an attempt to improve the subordinate role of nurses
in some countries with the development of independent
practice
Perceived and societal status
National organization support
Government and systems support-professional regulation
and career development
• What are the Global Midwifery Workforce
Challenges?

• What are the primary challenges experienced by the global

midwifery workforce?

• What do research findings conclude?

Introduction
• Midwives are responsible health professionals who work with women during
pregnancy, labor, childbirth, and postpartum. A midwife also provides care for the
newborn and infant. A qualified, experienced, and skilled midwife:

Employs prevention measures

Detects mother and infant complications
Make efforts to promote normal birth
Access appropriate medical care
Provides care in emergencies
Counsel women, families, and communities
Prepares new parents for childcare or parenting
Offers reproductive and sexual health education
Global Midwifery Workforce Challenges
• Although midwives are critical in improving the mother and child's
health, these professionals experience numerous challenges worldwide
such as;
Lack of investment in professional training,
An inadequate number of midwives, and
A weak or absent regulation
Lack of facility management
Poor working conditions
Global Staff Shortage of Midwives
• According to UNFPA and World Health Organization (WHO),
there is a shortage of 900,000 midwives worldwide.
• The Covid-19 pandemic has further escalated the shortage rates
around the world because unvaccinated midwives can't provide
care to the mother and child.
• The shortage of midwives negatively impacts the provision of
quality care.
• The primary reasons behind this are increased workload, low
morale, poor working conditions, and burnout due to staff
shortages.
Global Staff Shortage of Midwives…
• Research shows a severe shortage of experienced, qualified,
and skilled midwives in 58 countries, including countries in
Sub-Saharan Africa.
• There is a shortage of 111,880 midwives in 58 countries, and
the governments make substantial efforts to bridge the gap
between staff shortage and quality care for mothers and
infants.
• The same study reports that these countries require midwifery
personnel to cover 95% of births.
Poor Work-Life Balance

• A research study (Fereday, 2010) published on Science Direct

highlights that midwives are more prone to experience stress,
depression, mood disorders, and burnout.

• Midwives work irregular hours, which prevents them from

achieving an optimal work-life balance.