Team nursing as a strategic response to the global nursing workforce shortage: challenges, opportunities and future directions

N. Muruganandan; Ivan Abhishek Prakash; Tanusri Mandal; Mayavati Baban Tupere; V. Manjula; Bhagirath Ram Bishnoi; Jyoti Katiyar; Golda Sahaya Rani R.; Deeksha Shukla; Niharika Mishra; Deepa N. R.; Mohammed Umar

doi:10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20263140

Authors

N. Muruganandan Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, Madurai Medical College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Ivan Abhishek Prakash Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Apex College of Nursing and Paramedical Sciences, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Tanusri Mandal Department of Community Health Nursing, Government College of Nursing, Serampore Walsh SD/SS Hospital, Serampore, West Bengal, India
Mayavati Baban Tupere Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Sindhutai Vikhe Patil College of Nursing, Chincholi, Sinnar, Maharashtra, India
V. Manjula Department of Community Health Nursing, Sri Rangapoopathi College of Nursing, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Bhagirath Ram Bishnoi Department of Nursing, ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India
Jyoti Katiyar Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Nursing, Vimla Nursing College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Golda Sahaya Rani R. Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing, Takshashila University, Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Deeksha Shukla Department of Mental Health Nursing, Era College of Nursing, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Niharika Mishra Department of Nursing and Mental Health Nursing, G.S.V.M. Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Deepa N. R. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Nursing, ESIC College of Nursing, Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India
Mohammed Umar Department of Nursing, Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20263140

Keywords:

Nursing workforce, Nursing shortage, Team nursing, Skill mix, Workforce planning, Patient care

Abstract

The global nursing workforce shortage threatens patient safety, healthcare quality, workforce sustainability, and progress toward universal health coverage. Although expansion of nursing education and recruitment remains essential, increasing workforce numbers alone cannot provide an immediate solution to persistent shortages, maldistribution, burnout, turnover, skill-mix imbalances, and increasing clinical complexity. Team nursing, a collaborative care-delivery model in which nursing personnel with complementary competencies provide coordinated care under registered nurse leadership, has re-emerged as a potentially valuable workforce strategy. This narrative review examines the contemporary relevance of team nursing, its potential contribution to workforce optimization, associated implementation challenges, and future directions. Current evidence suggests that appropriately designed team nursing may improve workload distribution, optimize skill utilization, support novice nurses, strengthen collaboration, and increase organizational flexibility. However, poorly implemented models may contribute to fragmented care, communication failures, role ambiguity, inappropriate delegation, and excessive supervisory burden. Team nursing should therefore not be interpreted as a substitute for adequate staffing or as a mechanism for replacing registered nurses with less-qualified personnel. Its effectiveness depends on acuity-informed staffing, competency-based delegation, clear accountability, stable team composition, supportive leadership, and structured communication. Future models should integrate real-time workload assessment, digital coordination, competency mapping, and continuous outcome monitoring while preserving registered nurse accountability. Team nursing may serve as a pragmatic component of broader workforce reform, but its success depends on context-sensitive implementation, protection of professional nursing expertise, and rigorous evaluation.

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