A review of the effect of nurse shortages on existing nurse workforces in South Africa and Ukraine

Abstract

The object of this research is the nurse shortages on existing nurse workforces in South Africa and Ukraine. The healthcare system has taken strain since the inception of the war in Ukraine. The war caused damages to hospital, clinic and warehouse infrastructure, leading to limited medical resources and impacting the shortage of healthcare personnel, especially among the nursing professionals. A skilled, motivated and supported health workforce is essential to providing consistent and quality healthcare to patients. However, nurse shortages make it difficult for the existing nurses in a war-stricken country to provide the best possible care to their patients, which can be emotionally distressing for the nurses. Whereas in South Africa, economic turmoil and the recent COVID-19 pandemic placed an even more significant strain on South Africa’s overburdened and under-resourced healthcare system, eventually leading to a decline of healthcare workers on the frontline, thereby affecting the delivery of quality healthcare to patients. This paper will explore the expected effects of nurse shortages on the existing nurse workforce in these countries. It will provide recommendations for nurses to cope and regain their motivation to deliver quality healthcare to patients without compromising their own health and well-being. The researchers, therefore, conducted a qualitative study with Registered Nurses (RNs) and Operational Nurse Managers (ONMs) working in selected critical care units at a public hospital under investigation. The findings of the study revealed that the nurse shortage significantly impacted the well-being of existing nursing staff, both personally and professionally. Simple strategies to improve their well-being via the use of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) were recommended by the researchers to address their mental health and well-being issues by providing support and advice in critical times of need, encouraging meditation & physical fitness activities and encouraging nurses to make a conscious decision to achieve a balance between work and family life. Such strategies will benefit the Ukrainian health workforce in providing quality healthcare to their patients during the unpleasant circumstances caused by the ongoing war.