Abu Dhabi // The UAE has joined 30 countries in an international nursing research initiative aimed at improving the quality of nursing care in the nation's hospitals, WAM, the state news agency reported yesterday.
The study, conducted by the UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Ministry of Health, will seek to identify and understand work environment factors that contribute to nursing recruitment and retention and the quality of nursing care in hospitals. The study is the first major nursing research study in the UAE.
Dr Fatma al Rifae, director of federal department of nursing at the Ministry of Health, said: "With the extreme shortage of nurses globally, there is focused attention on finding ways to attract individuals to nursing and retain nurses in the profession. There is also intense interest in finding ways to make hospitals more efficient, so that nurses can consistently provide high quality and compassionate care."
She said information provided by the study, which was jointly funded by the Ministry of Health and the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy, would help policy-makers, hospital executives, educators and nurse leaders make decisions about the structure of nursing and the hospital work environment. The study has been reviewed and approved by the UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The research will include input from nurses and patients from approximately 30 medium and large-sized government and private hospitals from across the UAE. Findings are scheduled for release in 2011.
* The National
