Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Nurses workforce study launched
Worldwide shortages of nurses and the ageing population are putting increasing pressure on health services, but there is
no reliable information about the nursing workforce.
Claims of 2000 nursing vacancies have never been confirmed, says Dr Annette Huntington from the School of Health
Sciences.
All this is about to change. Researchers from Massey University School of Health Sciences are tracking nurses’ health,
wellbeing and patterns of workforce participation using on-line questionnaires.
This week 12,000 New Zealand nurses are being invited to participate in an innovative on-line study which will collect
comprehensive data on nurses’ health, wellbeing and workforce participation.
Nurses will receive an invitation to take part in the study when they renew their annual practising certificates. The
first 12,000 invitations are being mailed this week.
This coincides with the launch on April 7 of the WHO Health Workforce Decade, which highlights the importance of health
workers as the most important resource for producing good health.
“In New Zealand most health workers are nurses,” says Dr Huntington. “However there is no reliable information about the
nursing workforce to assist the recruitment and retention of staff.“
The Nurses’ E-Cohort Study will provide an up-to-date database to improve workforce policy and planning, with the aim of
encouraging the recruitment and retention of New Zealand nurses.
Accurate data is essential for the planning and management of the nursing workforce if this pressure is not to overwhelm
our health services. For the best possible data we want all nurses to participate. The more nurses the stronger the
study, she says.
The Nurses’ E-Cohort Study is a collaborative venture between the University of Queensland and Massey University’s
School of Health Sciences.
ENDS