ICN – Guidelines on Advanced Practice Nursing 2020
2020 has been named The International Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Organization. It celebrates both the professionals who provide a broad range of essential health services to people everywhere as well as the bicentenary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. However, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) recognises that this year needs to be
more than just a celebration. It needs to be a time of action and commitment by governments, health systems and the public to support the capacity, capability and empowerment of the nursing profession to meet the growing demands and health needs of individuals and communities.
Without the nursing profession, millions of people around the world will not be able to access quality, safe and affordable healthcare services. As the
largest group of healthcare workers providing the vast majority of care, particularly in the primary care setting, it is not surprising that the nursing workforce investment can yield significant improvement in patient outcomes.