How can we ensure accessible and high-quality healthcare in Belgium in the medium and long term? This requires, in particular, detailed knowledge of the nursing profession (activities, working conditions, career prospects, etc.), which we know is under considerable pressure. This was the subject of a large-scale study recently conducted by IDEA Consult (in partnership with the ULB) for the FPS Public Health (DG Health Care, Health Care Professions Supply Planning Unit).

The challenge

The Healthcare Professions Supply Planning Unit (part of the Federal Public Service Health) commissioned IDEA Consult (in partnership with the ULB) to conduct a comprehensive study on the activities, careers and professional development of nurses in Belgium. The aim of this study was to obtain a comprehensive overview of the profession with a view to taking appropriate and informed policy measures in the future. With this in mind, IDEA Consult conducted an in-depth study using a mixed methodology combining many in-depth interviews with nurses and a large-scale survey across the country, which yielded more than 5,000 responses.

Approach & results

To conduct this study, IDEA Consult proceeded in three stages.

• We began by conducting a series of exploratory interviews with representatives of professional nursing associations (to have an initial overview of the state of the profession and the main issues it faces).
• We then deepened this qualitative aspect by conducting around 20 in-depth interviews with nurses with a variety of profiles (sectors of activity, length of service, gender, etc.).
• Finally, we conducted a large-scale survey of nurses, which enabled us to collect 5,535 complete responses and thus draw representative conclusions about the nursing population in Belgium based on various key variables (region, sector, status, age, gender, etc.).

Our study identified the following findings in particular:

• Nurses express great pride in their profession (nine out of ten nurses say they are proud of their job), but this pride is undermined by the working environment.
• The nursing profession has a profound impact on nurses’ physical and mental health (nearly 4 out of 10 nurses report being in moderate or poor health);
• The 5 working conditions that nurses are least satisfied with are: workload (52% of nurses are dissatisfied), salary (52% of nurses are dissatisfied), the emotional strain of the job (48% of nurses are dissatisfied), the physical strain of the job (45% of nurses are dissatisfied), and support from management (41% of nurses are dissatisfied);
• The five working conditions that nurses are most satisfied with are: relationships with colleagues (91% of nurses are satisfied), relationships with patients (88% of nurses are satisfied), autonomy at work (88% of nurses are satisfied), relationships with other professions (84% of nurses are satisfied) and the content of the tasks to be performed (80% of nurses are satisfied);
• A significant proportion of nurses want to change profession within the next year or five years (16%);
• Some recommendations for improving working conditions include: increasing salaries, reducing the workload, better combining working hours with family life, reducing the proportion of administrative tasks and recognising the profession as a though one.

The results of this study should help to develop policy measures that both enhance the attractiveness of the profession and retain nurses in the profession, with the ultimate aim of ensuring high-quality healthcare in the long term.

You can download the summary in French or in Dutch. You can read the full report below (only in French).