Nursing policy and practice in Mongolia: Issues and the way forward.

Global inequality exists in the availability of a nursing workforce, supported evidentially by the ratio, in low‐income countries, of only 9.1 nurses per 10 000 people versus 107.7 nurses per 10 000 people in high‐income countries. Mongolia is no exception with 42.14 nurses per 10 000 people and a nursing shortage severe enough to endanger patient safety and well‐being. This paper details both a policy analysis and contextually well‐designed recommendations to strengthen Mongolia's nursing science and practice systems. Obstacles that significantly affect the successful development of nursing and midwifery professions in Mongolia include (1) a lack of strategic planning and regulation; (2) low status of nurses and midwives; (3) absence of professional representation for nurses and midwives; and (4) a dearth of strategic programs for postgraduate training of nurses and midwives. The suggested recommendations include the appointment of a chief nursing office within the government and a cohort of nurse leaders to work to establish a nursing and midwifery board as an independent, professional regulatory body in Mongolia to develop and implement standards to ensure best practice, higher standards of nurse education, and regulate the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]