Nursing Workforce Sustainability: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis

Objective: To clarify the concept of sustainability in the nursing workforce and identify its attributes, antecedents, and potential consequences. Background: 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. Methods: Rodger’s evolutionary approach was applied. Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.