Employment and working conditions of nurses: where and how health inequalities have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Abstract Background Nurses and midwives play a critical role in the provision of care and the optimization of health services resources worldwide, which is particularly relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, they can only provide quality services if their work environment provides a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Human Resources for Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00651-7 |
| _version_ | 1818650027186192384 |
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| author | Alba Llop-Gironés Ana Vračar Gisela Llop-Gironés Joan Benach Livia Angeli-Silva Lucero Jaimez Pramila Thapa Ramesh Bhatta Santosh Mahindrakar Sara Bontempo Scavo Sonia Nar Devi Susana Barria Susana Marcos Alonso Mireia Julià |
| author_facet | Alba Llop-Gironés Ana Vračar Gisela Llop-Gironés Joan Benach Livia Angeli-Silva Lucero Jaimez Pramila Thapa Ramesh Bhatta Santosh Mahindrakar Sara Bontempo Scavo Sonia Nar Devi Susana Barria Susana Marcos Alonso Mireia Julià |
| author_sort | Alba Llop-Gironés |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Nurses and midwives play a critical role in the provision of care and the optimization of health services resources worldwide, which is particularly relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, they can only provide quality services if their work environment provides adequate conditions to support them. Today the employment and working conditions of many nurses worldwide are precarious, and the current pandemic has prompted more visibility to the vulnerability to health-damaging factors of nurses’ globally. This desk review explores how employment relations, and employment and working conditions may be negatively affecting the health of nurses in countries such as Brazil, Croatia, India, Ireland, Italy, México, Nepal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Main body Nurses’ health is influenced by the broader social, economic, and political system and the redistribution of power relations that creates new policies regarding the labour market and the welfare state. The vulnerability faced by nurses is heightened by gender inequalities, in addition to social class, ethnicity/race (and caste), age and migrant status, that are inequality axes that explain why nurses’ workers, and often their families, are exposed to multiple risks and/or poorer health. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, informalization of nurses’ employment and working conditions were unfair and harmed their health. During COVID-19 pandemic, there is evidence that the employment and working conditions of nurses are associated to poor physical and mental health. Conclusion The protection of nurses’ health is paramount. International and national enforceable standards are needed, along with economic and health policies designed to substantially improve employment and working conditions for nurses and work–life balance. More knowledge is needed to understand the pathways and mechanisms on how precariousness might affect nurses’ health and monitor the progress towards nurses’ health equity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T01:43:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ccfe12a3aeac42c7a33b27d360c6a442 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1478-4491 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T01:43:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Human Resources for Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-ccfe12a3aeac42c7a33b27d360c6a4422022-12-21T22:08:16ZengBMCHuman Resources for Health1478-44912021-09-0119111110.1186/s12960-021-00651-7Employment and working conditions of nurses: where and how health inequalities have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic?Alba Llop-Gironés0Ana Vračar1Gisela Llop-Gironés2Joan Benach3Livia Angeli-Silva4Lucero Jaimez5Pramila Thapa6Ramesh Bhatta7Santosh Mahindrakar8Sara Bontempo Scavo9Sonia Nar Devi10Susana Barria11Susana Marcos Alonso12Mireia Julià13Research Group on Health Inequalities, Environment, and Employment Conditions (GREDS-EMCONET), Department of Political and Social Sciences, Universitat Pompeu FabraOrganization for Workers’ Initiative and DemocratizationNurse and Midwife ConsultantResearch Group on Health Inequalities, Environment, and Employment Conditions (GREDS-EMCONET), Department of Political and Social Sciences, Universitat Pompeu FabraUniversidade Federal da BahiaNurse ConsultantNurse ConsultantYeti Health Science AcademyInnovative Alliance for Public HealthNurse ConsultantNurse and Midwife ConsultantPeople’s Health MovementNurse ConsultantResearch Group on Health Inequalities, Environment, and Employment Conditions (GREDS-EMCONET), Department of Political and Social Sciences, Universitat Pompeu FabraAbstract Background Nurses and midwives play a critical role in the provision of care and the optimization of health services resources worldwide, which is particularly relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, they can only provide quality services if their work environment provides adequate conditions to support them. Today the employment and working conditions of many nurses worldwide are precarious, and the current pandemic has prompted more visibility to the vulnerability to health-damaging factors of nurses’ globally. This desk review explores how employment relations, and employment and working conditions may be negatively affecting the health of nurses in countries such as Brazil, Croatia, India, Ireland, Italy, México, Nepal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Main body Nurses’ health is influenced by the broader social, economic, and political system and the redistribution of power relations that creates new policies regarding the labour market and the welfare state. The vulnerability faced by nurses is heightened by gender inequalities, in addition to social class, ethnicity/race (and caste), age and migrant status, that are inequality axes that explain why nurses’ workers, and often their families, are exposed to multiple risks and/or poorer health. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, informalization of nurses’ employment and working conditions were unfair and harmed their health. During COVID-19 pandemic, there is evidence that the employment and working conditions of nurses are associated to poor physical and mental health. Conclusion The protection of nurses’ health is paramount. International and national enforceable standards are needed, along with economic and health policies designed to substantially improve employment and working conditions for nurses and work–life balance. More knowledge is needed to understand the pathways and mechanisms on how precariousness might affect nurses’ health and monitor the progress towards nurses’ health equity.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00651-7NursesEmployment conditionsWorking conditionsPolicyHealth |
| spellingShingle | Alba Llop-Gironés Ana Vračar Gisela Llop-Gironés Joan Benach Livia Angeli-Silva Lucero Jaimez Pramila Thapa Ramesh Bhatta Santosh Mahindrakar Sara Bontempo Scavo Sonia Nar Devi Susana Barria Susana Marcos Alonso Mireia Julià Employment and working conditions of nurses: where and how health inequalities have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic? Human Resources for Health Nurses Employment conditions Working conditions Policy Health |
| title | Employment and working conditions of nurses: where and how health inequalities have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic? |
| title_full | Employment and working conditions of nurses: where and how health inequalities have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic? |
| title_fullStr | Employment and working conditions of nurses: where and how health inequalities have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Employment and working conditions of nurses: where and how health inequalities have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic? |
| title_short | Employment and working conditions of nurses: where and how health inequalities have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic? |
| title_sort | employment and working conditions of nurses where and how health inequalities have increased during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | Nurses Employment conditions Working conditions Policy Health |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00651-7 |
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