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8 Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com April 27–June 15, 2020 ON THE QUICK Nursing & Healthcare News State of the World's Nursing 2020 WHO sets ambitious agenda O n April 7, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Council of Nursing (ICN) and Nursing Now released their much-anticipated State of the World's Nursing Report 2020, which also describes WHO's ambitious nursing objectives for the next decade. Global Shortages As Working Nurse previously reported, WHO is calling for a huge increase in the global nursing workforce, from 27.9 mil- lion as of 2018 to 36 million by 2030. The State of the World's Nursing Report reveals that many regions already suffer severe nursing shortages. At least 50 of the 191 nations that contributed data to the report current- ly have fewer than 20 nurses per 10,000 population (the U.S. has 874). Those shortages are likely to worsen due to popu- lation growth and nursing attrition. The "Silver Wave" isn't only an American problem; more than 15 percent of all cur- rent nurses are projected to retire within the decade. The good news is that the nursing workforce grew by 4.7 million between 2013 and 2018, so rapid expansion is possible. However, the 8 percent annual growth rate required to hit the 2030 target will require enormous investments. Moreover, the report doesn't consider what impact the COVID-19 crisis may have on nurse retention and recruitment. A Wakeup Call Simply training more nurses is only part of the challenge. Policymakers will also need to take additional steps to ensure that nurses can practice to the full extent of their skills, receive adequate compensation and be protected from vio- lence and harassment. The report outlines an array of policy initiatives to achieve those ends. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, M.D., MSc., calls the report "a wakeup call to ensure [nurses] get the support they need to keep the world healthy." While following the report's recommendations will be costly, ICN President Annette Kennedy, RN, MSc., declares, "Every penny invested in nursing raises the wellbeing of people and families in tangible ways that are clear for everyone to see." You can download the report at www.who.int. WN Global Nurse-Led Projects ICN presents inspiring case studies, ranging from drone-delivered medication to burn care for refugees W ith the constant focus on COVID-19, it's easy to lose sight of the other aspects of nursing. A recent report from the International Council of Nurses (ICN) presents a wealth of inspiring case studies of nurse-led health projects from around the globe. From Australia to eSwatini To commemorate International Nurses Day each year, ICN releases a thoroughly researched annual report under the ban- ner Nurses: A Voice to Lead. This year's report, subtitled "Leading the World to Health," focuses on nurses' role in improv- ing health around the world. For beleaguered nurses taking a much- needed break in the midst of a pandemic, the report offers a welcome reminder of the diversity of nursing practice and the many different ways nurses contribute to health. Within the report are 15 case stud- ies of nursing projects from 13 different countries, from Australia to the tiny Kingdom of eSwatini in southern Africa. What Can We Learn? The projects these case studies describe have a range of different focuses. A pro- gram operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in Bar Elias, Lebanon, for example, focuses on burn care for Syrian refugees, while the Children Friendly Medical Service Project at the National Taiwan University Children's Hospital is using nurse-family partnerships to provide bereavement care for families who've recently lost children. Some of these projects are specific to local needs, such as eSwatini's current pro- gram to train the kingdom's first family nurse practitioners, or the innovative way the nurse-led Health Wagon clinic in Virginia is using drones to deliver medica- tion to rural patients. Other projects could be worth emulating here in Southern California, such as a Chilean program using nurse coordinators to streamline presurgical preparation, which is dramatically reducing wait times and waiting lists for surgery. You can download the ICN report, and find a dozen additional case studies not included in the final document, at 2020.icnvoicetolead.com. WN