Nursing Care 2024 – Setting the Course for Healthcare
01.10.2024 13:30
Vera Lux, the newly elected president of the German Professional Association for Nursing Professions (DBfK), presented herself with determination and clear goals for the future of nursing at the digital event "Nursing 2024: Are the Course Set Right?" on Wednesday evening. She discussed her roadmap for ensuring healthcare provision with prominent representatives of the healthcare system. She emphasized that professional nursing is the key factor for a sustainable healthcare system and called for the right decisions to be made in order to unlock the profession's potential.
Nursing and healthcare are already under pressure, but the massive influx of elderly people from the baby boomer generation is yet to come. The key role of the nursing profession was at the heart of the debate on effective solutions. "The contribution of the nursing profession to meeting these challenges is crucial," emphasized Vera Lux in her opening speech. "We have very little time left to set the right course, to unlock the full potential of the nursing professions and make it available for care. From an ethical perspective, this is both a mandate and an obligation for policymakers if we want to make our healthcare system fit for the future."„
The importance of university-level qualifications and a foundation in nursing science was also emphasized by Prof. Dr. med. Wolfgang Wick, Chairman of the German Council of Science and Humanities and Medical Director of Neurology at Heidelberg University Hospital, in his keynote address, "Perspectives for the Further Development of the Nursing Profession – Recognizing and Utilizing Scientific Potential." To meet the increased demands of healthcare, nursing professionals must receive better training, with 20 percent of their education comprising academic qualifications. This requires expanding university capacities, specialized teaching staff, and scientific networks. This is a major undertaking that universities, policymakers, hospitals, and health insurance companies must tackle together. Furthermore, given the complex challenges in healthcare practice, the development of nursing science as a distinct discipline must be advanced, overcoming resistance and demarcation issues.
In the subsequent panel discussion, Prof. Dr. Annette Grüters-Kieslich, Chairwoman of the Board of the Eva Luise and Horst Köhler Foundation, Prof. Dr. Lutz Hager, Chairman of the Board of the Federal Association of Managed Care, Franz Knieps, Board Member of the BKK Umbrella Association, Hans-Joachim Lenke, Spokesman of the Board of the Diakonie in Lower Saxony, Dr. Ellen Lundershausen, Vice President of the German Medical Association, Prof. Dr. Henriette Neumeyer, Deputy Chairwoman of the Board of the German Hospital Federation and DBfK President Vera Lux discussed how the nursing profession can assume its key role in a future-proof healthcare system.
In closing, DBfK President Lux made an urgent appeal: „Only by acting proactively now, actively involving the nursing profession in the strategic realignment of our healthcare system and care provision, can nursing and healthcare be secured and further developed in a sustainable way. Nursing possesses enormous potential; failing to utilize it would be irresponsible. This requires the courage to move forward in leaps and bounds – in shaping competencies, granting authority, delegating more responsibility, and introducing new role profiles such as the Advanced Practice Nurse. A progressive healthcare system also requires academic qualification in nursing, as well as the development and expansion of nursing science.“
The German Professional Association for Nursing Professions (DBfK) published a position paper for the event, which explains in detail the necessary policy decisions. Position paper „Nursing 2024 – Setting the course for a sustainable healthcare system“ is available for download.