A Perspective on the State of the World's Nursing Report

This article is a review and US view of the State of the World's Nursing (SOWN) report, released in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and authored and promoted by nurses and nonnurses from the World Health Organization and Nursing Now. The report offers a comprehensive analysis of how national governments, educational, and health care institutions, public agencies, and private partners must collaborate over the coming decade to meet the anticipated growing stress on the nursing workforce. It also details the case to overcome geographic, economic, and demographic disparities that block access to effective, affordable universal health care. As an early participant in the research and preparation of this document, the National League for Nursing has been a vocal advocate for one of its key themes: serious investment in nursing education and leadership as a vital link in cocreating equitable, sustainable access to outstanding, inclusive, culturally sensitive universal health care.