FINAL REPORT FROM THE FORUM ON NURSING PRACTICE REGULATION IN THE REGION OF THE AMERICAS MARCH 15-16, 2023

Abstract

There are nearly 7 million nursing professionals in the Region of the Americas, representing more than 56% of human health resources. The regulation of professional practices promotes and protects professional integrity, ensuring professionals are competent and well qualified. The Forum on Nursing Practice Regulation in the Region of the Americas aimed to present the regulatory frameworks for the professional practice of nursing; discuss strategic actions to support professional regulatory bodies; analyze requirements for licensing and renovating licenses; and share successful experiences in nursing regulation. The Forum counted on the participation of 83 guests in-person, with representatives from 17 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean. The COFENplay platform registered the participation of 6,906 spectators. The debates in the event led to the proposal of the following recommendations: promote a national discussion with key-actors, including the Ministries of Health, Education, and Work and Employment, to advance regulation in the countries; recommend an intersectoral articulation with the topic of Human Health Resource regulation; generate a common base for the identification of information on regulation; and broaden the research about these topics, as well as the ability to generate and analyze data.