The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) this summer released its report on the nursing shortage, and many of the recommendations the group suggests reaffirm those outlined in a report issued by the nursing community earlier this year.

"ANA applauds the efforts put forth by JCAHO in developing this report," said ANA President Barbara A. Blakeney, MS, APRN,BC, ANP. "JCAHO has correctly determined that the nursing shortage can threaten patient safety and diminish the quality of health care, and that the underlying causes of the nursing shortage must be addressed.

"We're pleased that this report reinforces the nursing community's own recommendations." Those recommendations were developed by more than 60 national nursing organizations during a September 2001 "Call to the Profession" summit convened by ANA. They are contained in the April 2002 document, Nursing's Agenda for the Future, which details nursing's strategic plan to address the complex, interrelated factors that have created the shortage of nurses.

The JCAHO report recommends changes in the system by creating organizational cultures of retention, bolstering the nursing education infrastructure and establishing financial incentives for health care organizations to invest in nursing.

ANA is particularly pleased that JCAHO recommends that facilities adopt the characteristics of Magnet hospitals to foster a workplace that empowers and is respectful of nursing staff. Magnet status is awarded to hospitals by ANA's subsidiary, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, to recognize health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and support professional nursing practice.

The release of the JCAHO report follows President George Bush's signing of the "Nurse Reinvestment Act," which also recommends that hospitals adopt Magnet characteristics.

"Passage of the 'Nurse Reinvestment Act' was a first step in addressing the shortage," Blake-ney said. "We believe the JCAHO report will be another valuable step by helping to build the critical mass of support that will be needed to change the outlook for nursing in America. ANA looks forward to continuing activities with JCAHO related to improving the safety and quality of patient care provided to all Americans."

To learn more about Nursing's Agenda for the Future, go to www.nursingworld.org/naf/; for more information about the Magnet Recognition Program, go to www.nursingworld.org/ancc/magnet.htm.