Enhancing the Role of Community Health Nursing for Universal Health Coverage: A Survey of the Practice of Community Health Nursing in 13 Countries - Abstract
This study examined the existing education and scope of practice for community health nursing (CHN) and identified factors enhancing the practice. A cross-sectional study among government nursing leaders, regulatory bodies, nursing training institutions, nursing associations and community health nurses (CHNs) was conducted in 13 countries facing human resources for health crisis. Only 12 countries are reported in this paper due to insufficient data in one participating country. Surveyed countries had functional frameworks for nursing workforce education, management regulation and service delivery. Seventy percent of CHNs had formal post-basic training. Majority performed diverse roles at health facilities of which 40% performed tasks they were not trained for. Only 15% had received inter-professional education. Surveyed countries had incentives including retention packages. Although CHNs can contribute to universal health coverage, the enhancement of their skills in order to effectively make this contribution requires commitment from policy-makers and leaders in the form of investing in the development of the profession.