Nursing shortage in Italy reaches 175,000 professionals

A study published in BMC Nursing, based on 14,169 hospitalizations at a major acute care hospital in Rome, reveals that clinical diagnoses alone do not accurately reflect the actual workload of nursing staff. Researchers found that while patients may be grouped into similar Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs), the required nursing actions vary significantly, ranging from 1 to 770 documented actions per stay.

For hospitalizations exceeding expected durations, nursing diagnoses increased from an average of 4 to 7.5, while the median number of nursing actions rose from 17 to 50. Statistical models indicated that the DRG classification explained only 2% of the variability in nursing diagnoses and approximately 1% of the variability in nursing actions, suggesting that patient volume and pathology are insufficient metrics for estimating real labor requirements.

Antonio De Palma, national president of Nursing Up, highlighted that nurses manage varying levels of patient autonomy, fragility, and risk, requiring continuous surveillance and intervention. The report also notes a significant staffing crisis in Italy, with an estimated shortage of 175,000 nurses compared to European standards. Data from the Ministry of Health and the State General Accounting Office show a sharp rise in voluntary resignations from the public health service, with over 20,000 professionals leaving in the first nine months of 2024, compared to 8,500 during the same period in 2023.