Nurses In Lebanon Research Articles

Assessment of Prevalence, Knowledge of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Health-related Practices among Female Nurses in Lebanon

Introduction In women of reproductive age, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine illness that has detrimental effects on metabolism, reproduction, the endocrine system, and psychological health. The quality of life for women with PCOS is significantly impacted by its symptoms related to excess androgen and atypical menstruation. Objective There is a scarcity of data on female nurses' knowledge concerning PCOS and health-related practices. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, knowledge, and practices of PCOS among female nurses in Lebanon. In addition, we assessed whether these nurses have menstrual irregularities, obesity, hirsutism, extreme acne problems, and whether they are aware of the syndrome or not. Methods Using a self-administered questionnaire in Arabic and English languages, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among Lebanese female nurses. Demographic characteristics were reported using descriptive statistics. The differentiating, associating, and correlating characteristics of the variables were reported using inferential statistics. Results The vast majority of respondents (91.5%) had good knowledge, and (39.6%) had good health-related practices. Nearly half (47.2%) were suspected to develop PCOS, and 8.5% were diagnosed based on signs and symptoms. According to the study's findings, nurses were unaware of the condition even though many exhibit its symptoms. The study also reported that 31.1% of participants were overweight, and eight (7.5%) were obese. Conclusion Despite having knowledge of the PCOS risk factors, females had considerably less practice in related fields of health. Female nurses with suspected or confirmed PCOS should seek immediate medical help since early diagnosis or treatment for PCOS is useful in enhancing their quality of life.

Psychological Reactions of Lebanese Nurses to Workplace Violence in Critical Care Units.

Workplace violence (WPV) is a growing concern that constitutes a major threat to occupational health and safety, thereby comprising a priority issue for policymakers. Given the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and comorbidities among the Lebanese population, nurses working in critical care settings encounter intense workloads and high-risk interactions, potentially increasing the risk of WPV. This study aimed to investigate the traumatic and psychological reactions of Lebanese critical nurses who have been exposed to WPV, and the risk factors for depression and anxiety. The study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design; 112 critical care nurses from diverse departments took part in this study during the period of June to July 2021. A positive, significant correlation between WPV exposure and self-reported anxiety was observed, p = .03 with high levels of WPV, especially among patients and their families. Although verbal abuse was found to be more prevalent among critical care nurses in Lebanon compared to physical and sexual violence, the severity of the situation and its impact on the nurses' mental health and well-being cannot be ignored. WPV for critical care nurses is a serious issue that needs to be considered. Policy-makers should develop the politics of regulating the nursing profession, especially for critical care nurses in Lebanon.

Development and Validation of the Soft Skills Questionnaire for Nurses.

Skills challenge has been given great attention for its impact on employees' performance. Various approaches have been put forward to design professional development programs that help in preparing nurses to work in the field and ongoing training programs to keep them up to each new method and technique at the interpersonal improvement level. To develop and validate a questionnaire that tests the communication and management skills, emotional intelligence, and confidentiality of nurses in Lebanon. The questionnaire, consisting of 25 statements, was generated and developed by experts in the field of nursing, soft skills, and questionnaire development. The items of the questionnaire were assessed using face, content, and construct validity and data validation was examined through psychometric properties at the final stage of the validation. Internal consistency and reliability were assessed through Cronbach alpha ( ). Further analyses were carried out to decide on the number of factors to be extracted using Oblimin Rotation method. All statistical tests were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0). Nineteen items of the 25-item scale had an I-CVI of 1.00 and the remaining six items had an I-CVI of 0.87. The S-CVI/UA was 0.76 and the S-CVI/Ave was 0.97, which meant that the items were good for the underlying construct. For the psychometric measures, the results were quite accepted and satisfactory. The Kaiser-Meyer-Oklin measure of sampling adequacy and the significance for the Bartlett's test for the whole questionnaire were quite acceptable with 0.680 and 0.000, respectively. Furthermore, the Cronbach alpha (α) value was 0.824 indicating a high internal consistency between the items of the questionnaire. While obtaining exploratory factor analysis for each section, results showed that Oblimin Rotation method should be applied to the last section in which three items were eliminated to maintain a simple factor structure. This study shows that the 25-item Soft Skills Questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating the level of communication of nurses, their emotional intelligence, confidentiality, and management.

Nurses\u2019 eating habits in Lebanon during the economic and health crises: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundNurses face multiple stressors that can influence their lifestyle, thus affecting their health status. Scarce are the scientific data on the nutritional status of nurses, especially during health crises. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the eating habits of hospital nurses in the context of an exceptional economic situation in Lebanon.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using a web-based questionnaire, targeting a non-random sampling of frontline nurses using the snowball technique. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were carried out. The population of the study included all registered nurses working in the Lebanese hospitals. A total of 533 nurses completed the questionnaire; 500 surveys were selected after excluding the ones presenting conditions that may affect their eating behavior.ResultsThe majority of the respondents were women (78.6%) with a mean age of 33 years [18-60] [SD,7.44 years]. Most of them (57.6%) had a crowding index ≥1. The consumption of different food groups decreased during these crises. There was a significant correlation between stress and deterioration of healthy food consumption, which provides beneficial nutrients and minimizes potentially harmful elements, especially for meat (OR 2.388, CI 1.463 to 3.898, P < 0.001). The decrease in monthly income showed a real impact on the consumption of healthy food such as meat (OR 2.181, CI 1.504 to 3.161, P < 001), fruits (OR 1.930, CI 1.289 to 2.888, P = 0.001), and milk and dairy products (OR 1.544, CI 1.039 to 2.295, P = 0.031).ConclusionsThe pandemic and in particular the economic crisis has changed the consumption of healthy food among hospital nurses in Lebanon. Similar research and support may be extended to include other frontline health care workers.

Perceptions of Frontline Ground Zero Nurses in Lebanon regarding Psychological Needs and Coping Mechanisms during the Most Recent COVID-19 Outbreak.

Perceptions of Frontline Ground Zero Nurses in Lebanon regarding Psychological Needs and Coping Mechanisms during the Most Recent COVID-19 Outbreak.

Factors Associated With the Resilience of Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BackgroundThe delivery of health care during the COVID‐19 outbreak imposed significant challenges on the global nursing workforce and placed them at a higher risk of occupational burnout and turnover. In Lebanon, the pandemic hit when nurses were already struggling with an economic collapse caused by government failures. Resilience may play a protective factor against adversity and enable effective adaption to the burden of the pandemic.AimsTo determine the level of resilience in the nursing workforce and its relationship to burnout, intention to quit, and perceived COVID‐19 risk.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was employed among all registered nurses affiliated with the Order of Nurses in Lebanon and working in patient care positions in hospitals. The online survey questionnaire incorporated the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Quartile scores were used to differentiate levels of resilience and burnout. Multiple logistic regression identified variables significantly associated with resilience.ResultsFive‐hundred and eleven nurses responded to the questionnaire. Nurses had a moderate level of resilience (M = 72 ± 13.5). In multivariate analyses, being male (OR = 3.67; 95% CI [1.46, 9.22]; p = .006) and having a master’s degree (OR = 4.082; 95% CI [1.49, 11.20]; p = .006) were independently associated with higher resilience. Resilience levels decreased with higher personal burnout (OR = 0.12; 95% CI [0.03, 0.435]; p = .001), work‐related burnout (OR = 0.14; 95% CI [0.04, 0.46]; p = .001), and client‐related burnout rates (OR = 0.09; 95% CI [0.03, 0.34]; p < .001). Nurses reporting the intention to quit their job had lower resilience scores (OR = 0.20; 95% CI [0.04, 0.88]; p = .033).Linking Evidence to ActionNursing stakeholders must introduce programs to regularly assess and enhance the resilience of nurses especially at time of crisis. Such programs would protect nurses from the perils of burnout and enhance their retention during times when they are most needed. Protecting nurses from burnout is an ethical imperative as well as an operational requirement.

Moral and Professional Values of Nurses in Lebanon.

Moral and professional values vary among cultures. The purpose of this study was to explore the moral and professional values of registered nurses at a university medical center in a Middle Eastern country and determine the relationship among formal ethics education, background variables (age, gender, nursing degree, regular daily prayer), and nurses' professional and moral values. A cross-sectional survey method with 123 nurses was used. Data on background variables, moral and professional values, and confidence in ethical decision-making were assessed. Professional values were significantly higher among older nurses and nurses with master's degrees compared with younger nurses and nurses with bachelor's degrees. Daily prayer was related to higher mean scores for moral values. Nurses were confident in their ethical decision-making; however, formal education in ethics did not influence professional or moral values. Although formal education in ethics did not influence the professional or moral values of nurses in Lebanon, this finding does not negate the need for future studies to investigate the content and duration of ethics education that is likely to affect professional or moral values. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(9):429-437.].

Towards better out‐of‐hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A survey of nurses

To examine the knowledge, attitude and practice of nurses in Lebanon regarding out-of-hospital resuscitation, compare hospital nurses to those who work in community settings on the variables of interest, determine the nurses' willingness to attempt resuscitation in the community and identify predictors of their willingness. Only 5.5% of victims survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Lebanon. There is no national guideline for cardiopulmonary resuscitation nor a policy for nurses' training in resuscitation in Lebanon for neither in-hospital nor out-of-hospital settings. However, some hospitals have their own policies. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used with a cluster sample of 692 working nurses. A 28-item questionnaire developed for this study was mailed to the nurses. Data were analysed with correlational and multivariable regression analyses. The STROBE checklist for observational studies was used in reporting this study. Most nurses received cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, but 19.8% did not renew their certification in the past two years, because of limited training centres and lack of time. Only one third of the sample knew the first step to be taken in an arrest, yet 61% knew the compression-to-breath ratio. Nurses who work in community settings had significantly less frequent training in resuscitation than hospital nurses. Most nurses were willing to resuscitate in the community. In deciding to perform out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the nurses were mostly influenced by their training, courage, recent practice, policy, fear of infection and hesitation to do mouth-to-mouth breathing. Receiving training, fear of being sued, religious beliefs, geographic location and believing in the importance of training laypeople in resuscitation predicted the nurses' willingness to perform resuscitation in the community. Lebanon needs a national policy on cardiopulmonary resuscitation, regular training of all nurses and a Good Samaritan law. This study informs policy related to nurses' training in out-of-hospital resuscitation.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towardthe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among nurses in Lebanon.

To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towardthe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among nurses in Lebanon. An online questionnaire was completed by 311 Lebanese nurses between March and April 2020. Only 2% of nurses worked in a specialized COVID-19 ward and 20% have cared for a COVID-19 patient. The majority had sufficient knowledge of COVID-19; 62% declared being afraid of getting infected whereas 90% were afraid for their family members to get infected due to their occupational exposure. The majority of nurses (84.6%) declared following infection prevention and control precautions. Protective equipments were available in limited amounts in hospitals. Nurses in Lebanon seemto have a satisfactory level of knowledge about COVID-19. Their safety and well-being remain a priority in this critical period.

Nursing practice in palliative care with terminally ill cancer patients in an interdisciplinary team: A case study in Lebanon

Nurses in Lebanon are poorly prepared to provide palliative care (PC), and practice in this area is poorly documented. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to understand the reality of nursing practice in PC, with terminally ill cancer patients, within an interdisciplinary team. A simple case study was conducted with eleven nurses, three families, an interdisciplinary team, and national experts in PC. Data analysis, carried out with triangulation of both methods and sources, highlighted a humanist relationship characterized by caring, transcending the five central emerging themes: the perception of PC as a means of offering a better quality of life, comprehensive patient care, interdisciplinarity, spirituality, and family support during PC. The results could provide empirical foundations to guide the development of PC nursing practice in the country.

Relationship between night shift work, eating habits and BMI among nurses in Lebanon

BackgroundThe objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the relationships between night shift work, eating habits and body mass index (BMI) among Lebanese nurses.MethodsA total of 307 nurses were randomly selected from five hospitals located in Beirut. Data about demographic and professional characteristics, anthropometric measures, dietary habits and intakes were collected through a validated questionnaire. To study the relationship between night shift work, eating habits and BMI, chi-square test, t-test and logistic regressions were used.ResultsThe majority of nurses (78. 2%) had irregular meals timing with a significant decrease in the number of complete meals consumed during the day and an increase in the number of snacks consumed during night (p < 0. 05). The most consumed snacks during night shifts were sweets and potato chips. The findings highlighted that BMI and waist circumference significantly increased with the number of years of work (r = 0.175; p < 0.05) and the cumulative number of night shifts hours over the entire work history (r = 0.135/p < 0. 05).ConclusionNight shift work is positively associated with abnormal eating patterns and BMI among Lebanese nurses. However the increase in BMI is not related to eating habits.

What made Lebanese emigrant nurses leave and what would bring them back? A cross-sectional survey

BackgroundThe nursing workforce is critical for the provision of quality health-care and positive patient outcomes. There is a global trend of migration of nurses from under-developed to developed countries due to attractive job offers in the host countries. Lebanon presents such a case where nurses are migrating abroad, leading to shortages in the nursing workforce in their home country. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate reasons for the migration of Lebanese nurses, and incentives that would attract them back to their home country in order to enhance the nursing workforce in Lebanon. DesignThis study is a cross-sectional survey of emigrant Lebanese nurses. SettingsRecipient countries where Lebanese nurses emigrated. Participants440 Emigrant Lebanese nurses were identified through the registration database of the Order of Nurses in Lebanon. The survey was sent to all of them via email; 153 responses were received. MethodsData were collected from November 2017 to March 2018. Analysis included univariate and bivariate tests to present descriptive statistics of the respondents, and to examine region of residence and gender in relation to their current job satisfaction, reasons for leaving Lebanon, intention to return to Lebanon, and aspects that would attract them back to their home country. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the socio-demographic and work-related characteristics associated with the odds of returning to practice nursing in Lebanon. ResultsA total 136 completed responses were considered. Emigrant Lebanese nurses were highly educated, with more years of work experience, and older than nurses remaining in their home country. Top reasons for nurses to leave Lebanon included unsatisfactory salary or benefits, better work opportunities in other countries, and lack of professional development or career advancement. The majority of surveyed nurses (59%) expressed willingness to return to practice nursing in Lebanon. Aspects that would attract emigrant Lebanese nurses back to their home country include attractive salary or better benefits and opportunities for professional development, career advancement, or continuing education. Emigrant Lebanese nurses residing in the Gulf, staff nurses, and nurses with more years of work experience were more likely to return to practice nursing in Lebanon. ConclusionHighly educated and experienced nurses are departing from Lebanon. This presents a challenge for the less experienced nurses remaining in the country, who could benefit from the mentorship and experience of their migrating peers. Creating an environment that could enhance the professional development of nurses in Lebanon, with financial incentives could retain the nursing workforce in the country.

Basic and Continuing Education Needs of Nurses Instrument: Development and Validation.

To develop and psychometrically test the Basic and Continuing Education Needs of Nurses Instrument. Nurses need to keep updating their knowledge through engaging in continuing education and professional development activities. Continuing education should be based on needs assessment. Items generated were devised from a comprehensive literature review guided by Morrel-Samuels' guidelines. Psychometric analysis was then performed on data from 3632 registered nurses across 74 Lebanese hospitals. Two-factor structures were evaluated: the one-dimensional structure including all items and a six-dimensional structure proposed by the authors. Reliability, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used. Associations between the total knowledge score and nurses' characteristics were assessed using linear regression. The total scale had Cronbach's alpha of 0.93 and the six subscales between 0.74 and 0.82. Exploratory factor analysis on the first randomly drawn sample of the data supported the one-factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis on the second randomly drawn sample revealed that both structures were acceptable with better fit for the six-dimensional structure. Linear regression showed significant associations between total score and nurses' age, income, education and gender. The tool has satisfactory psychometric properties for registered nurses in Lebanon and demonstrated relevance to the Lebanese context of nursing practice. We developed a locally adaptable and psychometrically sound instrument to assess the perceived learning needs of Lebanese nurses. Evidence of the validity and reliability of the instrument was provided. At a practice level, the Instrument allows nurse leaders to assess knowledge gaps and respond accordingly to nurses perceived learning needs at the national level thus improving practice and protecting people's health. At a policy level, this study has implications for developing policies, regulations and guidelines in support of nurses' continuing education needs and their professional development.

Multidimensional Rasch Analysis of the Arabic Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Subscales.

Investigation of the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery (A-OFER) subscales. Partial credit model (PCM) analyses of 2037 Lebanese nurses' responses to the chronic fatigue (CF), acute fatigue (AF), and intershift recovery (IR) subscales. The data were a better fit to the three-dimensional Rasch PCM; difference, χ2 = 2199.3, df = 5, p = .01; unidimensional Akaike information criterion (AIC) = 107355; multidimensional AIC = 105166. Rating categories were disordered and there was item dependence among negatively-keyed items. All items were free of subgroup bias. Inter-subscale correlations were contrary to expectations. The CF subscale has sufficient reliability for screening nurses in Lebanon and the Eastern Mediterranean region for low to moderate levels of occupational fatigue. The construct validity of the A-OFER requires further investigation.

The Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis on Nurses and the Healthcare System in Lebanon: A Qualitative Exploratory Study.

To explore Lebanese nurses' perspectives on the impact of the protracted Syrian refugee (SR) crisis on nurses working in hospitals and primary healthcare centers in Lebanon. A qualitative research design drawing on a semistructured in-depth interview approach. We recruited participants through the Order of Nurses in Lebanon. We interviewed six primary healthcare nurses and six nursing directors working in regions with high concentration of SRs. We used the thematic inductive approach to analyze the data. Two themes emerged. In Theme I, nurses and nursing directors described the SR health profile as poor at baseline, and as the crisis was protracting the type of diseases shifted from acute to chronic with convoluted complications. As for determinants of health, SRs had poor health literacy and poor living conditions. In Theme II, nurses and nursing directors voiced the impact of the SR crisis on nurses, nursing practice, healthcare system, and host community. They cited fatigue, burnout, and depleted compassionate care at the individual level; rationing and stressed interpersonal relationships at the practice level; shortage in resources and poor performance at the healthcare system level; and a shift in the patient population that led the host community to seek health care elsewhere. Alternatively, more money was injected, and new services and clinical programs were introduced. Lebanese nurses bore a profound burden as a result of the SR crisis. Should this crisis be replicated in other contexts, the important lessons learned encompass (a) increasing access to care to refugees, coupled with an emergency plan to increase human health resources; (b) improving preparedness of nurses in handling priority health conditions; (c) documenting and reporting the challenges and resilience of health workers, especially nurses facing the crisis; and (d) engaging more nurses to be at the policy table. There is a need to prepare nurses for efficient response to crisis related to refugee health by increasing human resources and training them to be competent in delivering safe and high-quality care necessary to respond to the special healthcare needs of the refugees.

Multidimensional Analysis of the Arabic Version of the Actual Scope of Nursing Practice Scale.

Data were analyzed from a national convenience sample of 3,000 bedside nurses in Lebanon to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the first Arabic version of the Actual Scope of Nursing Practice (A-ASCOP) questionnaire. The method used in this study was application of the partial credit model using the multidimensional random coefficients multinomial logit model. A-ASCOP subscales (r = .81-.94) and levels of item complexity (r = .95-.98) were highly correlated. As a 26-item scale, the A-ASCOP has high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.93). The A-ASCOP subscales have acceptable multidimensional reliability Expected A-Posteriori/Plausible Value ratio (EAP/PV > .80) and are suitable for descriptive surveys. The three A-ASCOP levels of item complexity were not valid for this sample. We report norms for unidimensional Rasch and 0-100 transformed measures by category of participant.

The first Arabic version of the Actual Scope of Nursing Practice Scale: Psychometric evaluation.

We examined the validity and reliability of nursing activity levels of complexity in the first Arabic version of the Actual Scope of Nursing Practice Questionnaire. Nurse executives need valid and reliable data on the scope and complexity of nursing practice to make decisions about cost-effective and safe deployment of the nursing workforce. We translated the English version of the Actual Scope of Nursing Practice Questionnaire into Arabic for use in Lebanon and the eastern Mediterranean region. Data were collected from a national sample of bedside nurses in Lebanon in which 3,157 questionnaires were returned for analysis. We used multidimensional scaling, hierarchical cluster analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis to examine the Arabic Actual Scope of Nursing Practice Questionnaire levels of nursing complexity. Multidimensional scaling analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis confirmed the unidimensionality of the Arabic Actual Scope of Nursing Practice Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis produced essentially the same fit statistics for the unidimensional model and three-dimensional models of item complexity. The Arabic Actual Scope of Nursing Practice Questionnaire is a valid and reliable unidimensional measure of nursing complexity. Nurse executives and hospital managers in Lebanon and the eastern Mediterranean region can use total and mean Arabic Actual Scope of Nursing Practice Questionnaire scores as aids when making decisions about nursing workforce deployment.

Determinants of nurse absenteeism and intent to leave: An international study.

To determine factors associated with nurses' intent to leave their positions and absenteeism. There is a recognized global shortage of nurses but limited data describing and determining factors associated with nurse absenteeism and intent to leave. This study involved a secondary analysis of the results from direct-care registered nurses' responses to the MISSCARE Survey, with data from seven countries included. Multi-level modelling was used to determine nurse characteristics and working environment factors associated with nurse absenteeism and intent to leave. The level of absenteeism and intent to leave varied significantly across countries, with registered nurses in Lebanon reporting the highest intention to leave within 12 months (43%) and registered nurses in Iceland and Australia the highest level of absenteeism (74% and 73%, respectively). Factors associated with outcomes included perceived staffing adequacy of unit, job satisfaction, and age of the nurse. A significant difference between countries was identified in nurse absenteeism and intent to leave. Increased perception of unit staffing inadequacy, lower job satisfaction, less nurse experience, and younger age were significant contributors to nurse absenteeism and intent to leave. These findings suggest that regardless of country and hospital, by ensuring that units are adequately staffed and increasing job satisfaction, younger, less experienced nurses can be retained and absenteeism reduced.

Transitioning to nursing practice in Lebanon: Challenges in professional, occupational and cultural identity formation

The aim of this study was to identify the challenges graduates from three of Lebanon’s leading universities face as they transition from the role of student to first year registered nurse. Focus group discussions and one joint interview were conducted with 16 first year registered nurses transitioning to practice in university medical centers in Greater Beirut. Thematic analysis was used to summarize the challenges faced by the graduates. Initially, three descriptive themes were used to summarize the data: classroom learning, workplace realities, and “wanting a life”. Together the three themes indicted that classroom instruction of baccalaureate nursing students in Lebanon raises expectations for ideal practice that cannot be realized in clinical units with high workloads and nursing shortages. As a result, first year registered nurses are made to feel unwelcome unless they compromise their values and adapt quickly to the pace of work. The three initial themes were revised deductively from the perspective of ego-identity theory to explain the relationship between transitioning to nursing practice and identity formation in late adolescence and early adulthood. If the pressures of identity formation are not addressed, first year registered nurses in Lebanon will be at risk for acquiescing to task-centered practice, abandoning bedside care for administrative roles, or leaving nursing. The evidence for this conclusion will interest nursing faculty, hospital administrators, nurse leaders, registered nurses, physicians, and nursing students.

The workforce trends of nurses in Lebanon (2009-2014): A registration database analysis.

BackgroundAnalysis of the nursing registration databases is a highly informative approach that provides accurate and reliable information supporting evidence based decisions relevant to the nursing workforce planning, management and development. This study presents the first systematic analysis of the nursing registration database in Lebanon. It Reports on the workforce distribution and trends using an updated version of the Order of Nurses in Lebanon (ONL) databases.MethodsThis study presents a secondary data analysis of a de-identified subset of the updated ONL registration database. The workforce participation status of ONL registered nurses was categorized as active and eligible. For active nurses sectors and sub-sectors of employment were defined. Eligible nurses were categorized as unemployed, working outside nursing and working abroad. SPSS was used to conduct descriptive analysis to present workforce trends of Lebanese nurses for year 2009–2014 as frequencies, percentages and percentage changes.ResultsIncreases in the size of the Active (35%) and Eligible (86%) nurses were observed over the past six years. The majority of nurses fell in the below 35 years age group (60% in 2014). The hospital sector remained the principle employer, with 87% of Lebanese nurses working in hospitals in 2014. A 173% increases was reported for nurses working abroad.DiscussionDespite the growth of the Active nursing workforce, the skewed distribution of nurses in the below 35 age group and the growth in the Eligible category, especially for nurses living abroad, raise concerns on the longevity of nurses in the profession and the reasons for their attrition from the workforce.ConclusionThere is a need to investigate the push and pull factors that are affecting nurses and the design of policies and interventions that would encourage nurses to remain active in Lebanon. Furthermore, policies and interventions that would create employment opportunities outside hospitals, especially in the Community sector, are recommended.