Advancing nursing enterprises: A cross-country comparison

Health system transformations in the United States are creating new opportunities for nursing innovation, although financial sustainability has limited the expansion of nurse managed clinics.

We explore case studies of nursing enterprises in the developing world and discuss their potential for informing related work in the United States.

Cases were selected from the Center for Health Market Innovations.

We describe a professional association network of clinics in Tanzania, a social franchise in Kenya, and a cooperative in the Philippines. All programs empowered nurses to own, lead, and advance their professional influence. They had a social mission of improving access to care for disadvantaged populations, while increasing employment and autonomy of women. They also provided a shared platform for branding, purchasing, and quality assurance.

Organization sponsors in these models may be relevant to different actors in the United States. Each demonstrates the importance of a collective approach to advancing nursing enterprises.