Nursing Workforce Sustainability: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis

To clarify the concept of sustainability in the nursing workforce and identify its attributes, antecedents, and potential consequences.

While the term "nursing workforce sustainability" has been used to emphasize the critical implications of ensuring the efficiency of healthcare systems worldwide, a delineated understanding of the concept remains ambiguous in extant literature, causing uncertainty about its conceptual underpinnings.

Rodger's evolutionary approach was applied.

The authors identified "nursing workforce sustainability" as an evolving concept with four interrelated attributes: recruitment, retention, regulation, and recognition. The antecedents included demographic, occupational, and structural issues. Consequences include policy and systemic advancements, a diverse and inclusive workforce, enhanced workforce well-being, and improved patient safety and organizational effectiveness.

A conceptual definition and framework of nursing workforce sustainability have been developed, offering groundwork for future research and policy development in workforce planning and management.