On June 3, 2021, the "Journal of American Bio-Medical Science and Research" published a joint scientific article by Georgian University professors Manana Machitidze, Elsa Nikoleishvili, and Maya Gogashvili under the title "Factors on the Lack of Nurses - Literary Review". Professor Manana Machitidze of the University of Georgia will answer our questions regarding the publication.

1.   What effect can the result of this research have on human existence?

      Representatives of the health care system, with different functions and duties, serve a common goal - to preserve and improve the patient's health. Compared to other staff, the nurse is constantly close to the patient. They have regular communication with patients as well as doctors, pharmacists, patient family members, and various representatives of the health care system. In the process of patient recovery, not only timely interdisciplinary communication is important, but also the qualification of nurses and the ratio of the patient to the nurse. The monitoring of the disease, focused and competent assessment, analysis of the results, and timely elimination of potential complications and their influence require the mobilization of the nurse. Unfortunately, this is the problem. Not only the lack of human resources but also the qualifications of nurses should be taken into account. A number of studies have proven that a sufficient number of highly qualified nurses in the clinic are directly related to the safety of patients, the reduction of their delay in the hospital, the low death rate, the reliability of patients to the clinic, and its rating. Each person is a potential patient who needs to receive health services, therefore the involvement of a nurse. Therefore, a fundamental study of the issue, understanding, and studying the current factors and their influences, a correct approach to the problem, which will be scientifically substantiated, will help us to strengthen and promote the development and popularization of the field, which in itself will have a positive impact on the development of the profession and the quality of medical services, the treatment and care of patients. on the results. This will be the result that will affect the existence of people.

2.   How exactly is the subject of research related to these issues?

    The shortage of nurses in the world is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) multi-disciplinary global advisory group. As I mentioned, qualified nurses are needed to provide proper care for patients and the population in general. Unlike the medical care indicator, the number of nurses in Georgia is one of the lowest in the European region and is decreasing every year. We have a shortage of nurses, and with this indicator, the country is in one of the last places in the world. The lack of well-trained and educated nurses is noteworthy, especially since it takes on an international scale not only in one country. The deficit is caused by an increased need for nurses in the health sector, while fewer and fewer people choose to be nurses as a profession. This causes working nurses to age and age. The movement and migration of nurses from developing countries to developed countries, in many cases, aggravates the problem within the country and increases the deficit. The lack of nurses has become such a global problem that there is not only one clear reason but surprisingly, there are many common factors that exist everywhere despite the development of countries.

     The shortage of nurses is a critical issue not only in Georgia but in different parts of the world. For example, in the United States, the lack of nurses in hospitals causes serious problems because it affects the overall quality of patient care. It is also interesting that not only do the factors differ according to the countries, but also the results of the influence of these factors. It seems that the problem is clear, the issue has been studied, but getting involved raises more questions and raises the idea, task, and questions of new research. Therefore, the study of each factor, the detection and analysis of the factors affecting this deficit according to regions and countries, puts the researcher in front of certain challenges. Especially when the number of nurses in Georgia is one-on-one low in the European region. However, there is a shortage in the world and the profession is in demand, but there are very few people who want to master it.

3.   How can students get involved in this field of research and why would you advise them to do so?

      The involvement of students in this field of research is important. The shortage of nurses and, in general, the problems and challenges facing the profession of a nurse, is not and should not remain within the framework of only one discipline. This means that it should not be the subject of research only by people interested in the field of health care, specialists, and students. In my opinion, the topic has the potential to continue the research of the issue in the internal analysis and to become a topic of research for students of psychology, sociology, education, health administration, and education policy directions. Each student of this specialty, a young researcher, will find the issue of research in a way of interest to him. For example, apart from the shortage of nurses and the study of its results, no less important issue is the mental health of nurses taking into account the working conditions, and the sociology of labor, which can be an interesting and important issue for students of psychology and sociology. My paper covers something like the qualification of nurses, which I think should be no less interesting for students in the direction of education administration. Moreover, it is interesting to see the nurses ' premods in this direction as well. The involvement of students of different levels, analyzing problems in an interdisciplinary way, will help to see individual problems within the field in a narrow direction, as well as in unity, to identify the problem, interdisciplinary cooperation, and gain experience. The more issues are studied, the easier it will be to analyze the problem, and the complexity of the intensity. This will allow us to find ways to eliminate them.

4.   What were the main challenges and skills associated with this research?

      Although the shortage of nurses is a global problem, as if the issue has been studied and the problem is there, I think the main challenge is its globality. When you analyze the problem of one country, there is a question, there is no such problem in another country as if this specific issue has been resolved, but there is still a deficit. Then where is the solution? The variety of factors and seeing an important node in this diversity is the main challenge when working on the topic.

     As I have repeatedly mentioned, the Deftitz of the nursing staff has long existed not only in Georgia but also in the world, which is indicated by studies conducted in different countries and statistical data on the ratio of nurse to patient and doctor to nurse. By analyzing a number of studies conducted in different countries, despite the fact that the profession of a nurse is named among the list of publications of the 21st century as one requirement and high-minded, its deficit is still relevant. It's like spinning in a circle. On the one hand, there are not enough human resources, at the same time, according to research, it is a highly paid profession. There is a shortage since young people show a low interest in nursing. Where is the logic? If the unpopularity of the profession is due to low financial compensation (which has been confirmed by studies so far), then the comparison of the number of people willing to master the profession of a nurse in the professional and higher education sector is absolutely not consistent.  The topic of research on such issues, as well as the process of working on the article, is always interesting. It requires both fundamental knowledge of the issue and the ability to analyze it. However, there is an opinion that "if you don't know how to create an intriguing first sentence, the remaining 980 words in your article will be completely wasted." Therefore, knowledge of the skills of preparing/ creating an article, holding it structurally, finding literature, and academic writing is no less important factor when working on a work. All this contributes to constant mobilization, professional growth, keeping news, communicating with colleagues, and sharing knowledge.

5.   Why are you interested in researching this issue?

      Discussions about the problems in the profession of nursing have taken place over the years, and the result of the research of a different period makes the severity of the problem more obvious. Many years of work in the field of nursing education gave me enough knowledge and experience to study and analyze the shortage of nurses and their results. Although I have not received a nursing education and this is not my basic profession, I have been working for almost 10 years on the analysis of the problems of nursing work, and the factors hindering its development. Years ago, taking a course in the nursing faculty of Emory University, studying theoretical and practical skills and putting them into practice helped me become the basis for the profession of a nurse and the problems associated with it, finding ways to solve them and getting involved in development work. The importance of the nurse's level of education seen from the doctor's point of view while working in the clinic helped me to work in this regard as well. Over the years, working on nursing sites, adapting and implementing them, and conducting training for nurses through almost all of Georgia, helped me communicate with nurses, and see and understand their problems and needs according to regions. A lot has been done in this direction, but there is still a lot to be done. My doctoral thesis is also about the influence of the level of education of nurses and the shortage of nurses on the patient's recovery process.

      I have mentioned several times that the shortage of nurses is a global problem and it has different effects on countries according to their development. Georgia belongs to a number of countries where, in addition to the lack of human resources, there is also a problem of legal and education levels in this field. I know the severity of the problem, and I want it with scientifically based research ( my sister's lit. analysis ), I emphasized the importance of nursing education and the reality facing the country. I think that the right approach to the problem, which will be scientifically substantiated, will direct the way of solving the problem in the right direction, which will increase the awareness of the nursing profession among the population; Effective measures and activities to increase the number of those wishing to receive higher nursing education. In itself, this will strengthen and promote the development and popularization of the industry and positively affect the development of the profession and the quality of medical services.

6.   Tell us about your co-authors.

   I will be happy to introduce you to my co-authors and colleagues with whom I worked on the work. I am glad that our cooperation is not limited to working on a specific article. Each of us is not only interested in the issue of research, but for years we have been actively participating in the process of promoting the development of nursing affairs in Georgia. Of course, within our competencies. Professor Maya Gogashvili, head of the nursing department of the University of Georgia and one of the authors of the strategy for reforming nursing affairs in Georgia. has many years of experience in teaching, developing, and implementing professional and higher nursing educational programs; She actively cooperates with the World Health Organization. Professor Elsa Nikoleishvili is the head of the television program at our university's School of Health. In addition to being the head of the bachelor's and master's programs, she is also the co-author of the continuous education program and training that are actively carried out in the school of health sciences. We cooperate in both educational programs and scientific directions. We are currently working on a new paper, almost ready for publication, and will be a kind of continuation of the work of "Factors of the Affection Nurses" Limitage - Literary Review ". The new article includes a review analysis on the topic: "Immt of The Nures Education and Shakespeare on the Faith". The reasons for the shortage of nurses and the factors acting on it differ according to the development of countries. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem globally. It is likely that in countries where the effects of various waves of the pandemic were significant and severe, it also affected nursing staff. It is a pity that due to the lack of nurses, the aging of staff, and the result of the pandemic, according to the International Council of Nurses, up to 13 million nurses will be needed in the future to fill the global shortage of nurses. Deftive influence not only on the clinical sector but also on the field of education. . . . The purpose of this article is to analyze both the problem and its causes and consequences.

7. What was the response to this particular work?

    It is so relevant, problematic, interesting issue, there will always be a great response to the new work, both at the local and international level. Since there was an article in a foreign magazine, the main response was from international colleagues who are interested in the research issue, and luckily all the feedback was positive.  

8. What additional funding and support did this research have?

    We always have scientific support from our university, and not only in this direction, to promote work. This time too, with the financial support of the School of Health Sciences of the University of Georgia, we will present ourselves at the international congress, which I mentioned above. Due to the fact that the work includes a review of the literature, no research was conducted, therefore we did not need additional funding at this stage. We authors have contributed to finding relevant publications, summarizing and interpreting/ analyzing them, and writing the paper. Here I would like to once again express my gratitude and thank international organizations and the authors of those articles for their work, the results of the research of which were used in our work.