Bianca Buurman: 'Nurse can be engine of transformation'

Abolition of student fees, more "nurse tech" and the nurse as a key figure in digital transformation. That's what healthcare needs right now, according to Bianca Buurman.

There is a growing care gap in the Netherlands. In her keynote, Bianca Buurman, president of professional association V&VN and professor of acute elderly care, outlines a disturbing perspective: in 2034 we are heading for a shortage of 260,000 healthcare professionals. Of these, 60 percent will be nurses or caregivers.

To close the care gap, on the one hand, the demand for care should be reduced. This can be done with more self-management and more coordination in the care that can be delivered in the home. Because "with every transition between care systems, information gets lost. And people get lost in our complex healthcare system."

At the same time, much more attention must be paid to training and retaining healthcare professionals. "But that means making fundamental choices. And that is not happening enough now. I mentioned this in an interview the other day: in the future, do you want the pizza to arrive on time or the ambulance to arrive on time?"

Fundamental occupations

The V&VN president sees several important steps to achieve that. "We need to direct students much more to essential occupations, whether in healthcare, engineering or safety. These are the fundamental professions that society needs." V&VN, for example, is working with Techniek Nederland to achieve that. "One of the things you can think about is abolishing tuition fees," he said.

Technology in training

At the same time, Buurman says digital technology should receive much more attention in nursing education. That should be one of the fundamentals. For example, with simulation education and VR glasses. "It should not be all-important, but technology can support and strengthen nurses in their profession so they can focus on what really counts: that warm and person-centered care."

More 'nurse-tech'

The nurse of the future will be the guide to getting the right information, and they must therefore also understand how healthcare technology works, Buurman believes. "We need to think about more 'nurse-tech,' and we need more people who can bridge the gap between digitization and care."

It is not only in education that things need to change. Buurman advocates positioning nursing much more strongly as a key figure for digital care transformation. To that end, she cites the "shared governance model. "In that you think together - the nursing board, the medical staff, the board of directors - about the future of care and you make decisions about that together."

Chief nursing information officers

The increasing number of chief nursing information officers is a good example. Many hospitals have that position, but a lot can still happen in VVT and disability care in that regard. "As a result, you see that development at the intersection of nursing care and digitization is much slower."

Voice

More say for nurses and caregivers is also important from a retention perspective. Hence V&VN has blinded itself to the national say action plan. "Time and again you see that in organizations that invest in that positioning the quality of care improves and the intention to leave decreases."

Several places around the country are already making great strides, Buurtman says. Aunt Louise is an example, as is Create4Care, where nurses and engineering students work together.

Nurses can be the engine of care transformation, is Buurman's belief. That's what V&VN is going to be fully committed to. "There are a lot of us," Buurman emphasizes, "so investing in this is really going to pay off!"