Abstract
The relationship between nursing and maternal health presents a legitimate policy discussion. In this qualitative descriptive study, the views of nurse experts on the current status of nursing and midwifery education, and workforce development issues as they relate to maternal health in Nigeria was explored. Focus was on experts as they constitute important players in policy decisions related to nursing workforce and maternal health services delivery. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze interview data. The findings of this study indicated that nursing and midwifery schools utilize a rigorous curriculum mandated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN). It was also found that nursing workforce development is plagued by pedagogical issues, gender issues, and multi-faceted health systems challenges. These findings suggest that Nigerian nursing workforce is highly unstable and broader policies on workforce training, recruitment and retention are needed to improve maternal health outcomes. Key words: Nursing education, midwifery education, nursing workforce development, health policies, maternal health, Nigeria.
Highlights
Nurses in Nigeria play significant roles in maternal health services provision
Nigeria has a relatively high number of nursing personnel (WHO, 2006), there is still a significant shortage of nurses that are required to meet the health needs of a country of over 154.7 million people (WHO, 2012) that lags in positive maternal health outcomes
The purpose of this study is to describe the system of nursing and midwifery education, the challenges to nursing workforce development and their impact on maternal health in Anambra State, Nigeria
Summary
Nurses in Nigeria play significant roles in maternal health services provision. The high levels of maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Nigeria, estimated at 630 per 100,000 live births (World Health Organization (WHO), 2011), is an indicator of serious maternal health needs. Recruitment and retention of appropriate number of health personnel, trained nurses and midwives (the core of health services delivery in Nigeria) are crucial for maternal death reduction. Nigeria has a relatively high number of nursing personnel (a pool of 210,306 nurses compared to other African countries) (WHO, 2006), there is still a significant shortage of nurses that are required to meet the health needs of a country of over 154.7 million people (WHO, 2012) that lags in positive maternal health outcomes. Women make up 53% of this population (National Bureau of Statistics, 2010)
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