Editorial(s)
Vol. 43 No. 2 (2026)
Italy is not (yet) a country for nurses
The nursing crisis as an indicator of the transformation of the National Health Service
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Published: 21 July 2026
16
Views
10
Downloads
Authors
The crisis that reveals the system
What does the crisis in the Italian nursing sector really tell us? The answer goes beyond a simple shortage of professionals. It is a symptom of a transformation affecting the entire National Health Service (SSN) and calling into question its ability to adapt to epidemiological, demographic and social changes. In recent years, public debate has focused primarily on the figures: vacancies, retirements, voluntary resignations, recruitment difficulties and pay levels. These are essential indicators, but they describe only the most visible part of the phenomenon. The real question is another: why is a profession that is increasingly strategic for the sustainability of the healthcare system struggling to attract, value and retain its professionals? [...]
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Citations
1. Federazione Nazionale degli Ordini delle Professioni Infermieristiche (FNOPI), Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa. Rapporto sulle Professioni Infermieristiche 2025. Roma: FNOPI; 2025.
2. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Commission. Health at a Glance: Europe 2024. State of Health in the EU Cycle. Paris: OECD Publishing; 2024.
3. World Health Organization. State of the World's Nursing 2025: Investing in Education, Jobs, Leadership and Service Delivery. Geneva: WHO; 2025.
4. World Health Organization. Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2021–2025. Geneva: WHO; 2021.
5. International Council of Nurses. The Global Nursing Shortage and Nurse Retention. Geneva: ICN; 2024.
6. Ministero della Salute. Decreto 23 maggio 2022, n. 77. Regolamento recante la definizione di modelli e standard per lo sviluppo dell'assistenza territoriale nel Servizio sanitario nazionale. Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana. 22 giugno 2022;144.
7. Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri. Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR). Missione 6 – Salute. Roma: Governo Italiano; 2021.
8. Aiken LH, Sloane DM, Bruyneel L, Van den Heede K, Griffiths P, Busse R, et al. Nurse staffing and education and hospital mortality in nine European countries: a retrospective observational study. Lancet 2014;383:1824-30.
9. Griffiths P, Ball J, Drennan J, et al. Nurse staffing and patient outcomes: strengths and limitations of the evidence to inform policy and practice. Int J Nurs Stud 2016;63:213-25.
10. Needleman J, Buerhaus P, Pankratz VS, et al. Nurse staffing and inpatient hospital mortality. N Engl J Med 2011;364:1037-45.
11. Institute of Medicine. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press; 2011.
12. Melnyk BM, Fineout-Overholt E. Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: a guide to best practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2023.
13. Nilsen P. Making sense of implementation theories, models and frameworks. Implement Sci 2015;10:53.
14. Braithwaite J. Changing how we think about healthcare improvement. BMJ 2018;361:k2014.
15. Parlamento Italiano. Legge 8 marzo 2017, n. 24. Disposizioni in materia di sicurezza delle cure e della persona assistita, nonché di responsabilità professionale degli esercenti le professioni sanitarie. Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana. 17 marzo 2017;64.
16. Saiani L, Guarnier A, Barelli P, et al. Raccomandazioni e standard italiani per dotazioni infermieristiche ospedaliere sicure: esiti di una Consensus Conference. Ig Sanità Pubbl 2011;67:777-92.
17. Palese A, Bassi E, Tommasini C, et al. Developing policies and actions in response to missed nursing care: A consensus process. J Nurs Manag 2019;27:1492-504.
18. Bressan V, Cadorin L, Bianchi M, et al. La ricerca nella pratica infermieristica italiana: una revisione estensiva della letteratura. Professioni Infermieristiche 2019;72:77-88.
How to Cite
Italy is not (yet) a country for nurses: The nursing crisis as an indicator of the transformation of the National Health Service. (2026). Scenario® - Il Nursing Nella Sopravvivenza, 43(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/scenario.2026.712
Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.