African nurses on the move: decisions, destinations and recruitment practices - a scoping review.

Abstract

Background: The transnational migration of African nurses negatively impacts nurse-to-population ratios and life expectancy indices in many African countries. Understanding migration decisions, destination preferences, and recruitment practices of African nurses is crucial for identifying appropriate and effective retention interventions.

Objective: The objectives of this scoping review are to examine the state of evidence in relation to the decisions surrounding international African nurse migration, as well as destinations preferences and recruitment practices employed to attract African nurses.

Methods: Guided by the updated Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews, we conducted a comprehensive search on empirical studies and grey literature on African nurse migration published in English from 2000 onwards and indexed in health and interdisciplinary databases. Studies on African nurse or student nurse migration intention were excluded.

Results: We included 28 studies, twenty-one of which were peer-reviewed and seven from the grey literature. Synthesis of included studies found that international African nurse migration is influenced by economic challenges and income disparities, and career dynamics and job sustainability in home countries. The choice of destination by African nurses is impacted by African countries' past colonial relationships with destination countries, linguistic and cultural similarities. African nurses are recruited through international inter-agency collaboration and via direct recruitment by destination country health systems.

Conclusion: Low income, poor economic growth and inadequate investment in African health systems significantly drive African nurse emigration, complicating efforts to attain universal health coverage. Recruitment strategies for nurse from African are often unregulated and can lead to exploitation and human trafficking. Again, as African nurse migration continues to rise, further studies are needed to examine their migration and transition experiences, as well as the support systems available in their destinations. Finally, improving workforce policies to meet the evolving needs of nurses is vital for retaining nurses in Africa.