Quality of Life Framework for Personalised Ageing: A Systematic Review of ICT Solutions

Developing a Framework for Digital Activities of Daily Living

The emergence of digital technologies has shown a promising potential to enhance access to goods, services, and resources. Digital technologies and interfaces differ from mechanical and analog electronic technologies as they often require internet access and are dependent on a set of activities or actions for the user to successfully implement them in their day-to-day life. We describe this set of activities as digital activities of daily living (DADLs). Much like activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and enhanced activities of living, DADLs are critical to supporting well-being and healthy aging. For example, the digitalization of tasks such as health insurance (e.g., creating a Medicare account) or banking (e.g., making a utility payment via a web portal) are all DADLs. With a growing dependence on digital technologies to participate in day-to-day life, disparities in individuals' ability to competently complete DADLs present major concerns for independence, quality of life, safety, and well-being. We developed a framework for understanding DADLs and their implication for daily life. Furthermore, we provide a guide for the development of interventions and outline implications for research, practice, and policy.

Home living older adults' subjective perceptions, evaluation, and interpretations of various welfare technology: A systematic review of qualitative studies

Objectives

This paper aims to map home-living older adults' subjective perceptions, evaluations, and interpretations of various welfare technologies.

Study design

Systematic literature review.

Methods

The study was designed as a systematic literature review of qualitative studies. This systematic literature review was carried out according to the PRISMA statement and was prospectively registered in PROSPERO registration number CRD42020190206. The international electronic bibliographic databases included AMED, Academic, CINAHL, Cochrane Reviews, EMBASE, Google Scholar, MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The scientific evidence was synthesized using qualitative analysis. All aspects of the study method followed COREQ guidelines.

Results

Following a detailed systematic search and screening of 1405 studies, 10 were included in the systematic review. The study shows that implementing Welfare Technology seems to prolong older adults' independent living in their own homes and was perceived as a complement to face-to-face contact with health care providers.

Conclusions

This study indicated that older adults consider accepting Welfare Technology as it contributes to a sense of security and empowerment in their everyday lives.

Characteristics and Range of Reviews About Technologies for Aging in Place: Scoping Review of Reviews

BACKGROUND

It is a contemporary and global challenge that the increasing number of older people requiring care will surpass the available caregivers. Solutions are needed to help older people maintain their health, prevent disability, and delay or avoid dependency on others. Technology can enable older people to age in place while maintaining their dignity and quality of life. Literature reviews on this topic have become important tools for researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and decision makers who need to navigate and access the extensive available evidence. Due to the large number and diversity of existing reviews, there is a need for a review of reviews that provides an overview of the range and characteristics of the evidence on technology for aging in place.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the characteristics and the range of evidence on technologies for aging in place by conducting a scoping review of reviews and presenting an evidence map that researchers, policy makers, and practitioners may use to identify gaps and reviews of interest.

METHODS

The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews). Literature searches were conducted in Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus using a search string that consisted of the terms "older people" and "technology for ageing in place," with alternate terms using Boolean operators and truncation, adapted to the rules for each database.

RESULTS

A total of 5447 studies were screened, with 344 studies included after full-text screening. The number of reviews on this topic has increased dramatically over time, and the literature is scattered across a variety of journals. Vocabularies and approaches used to describe technology, populations, and problems are highly heterogeneous. We have identified 3 principal ways that reviews have dealt with populations, 5 strategies that the reviews draw on to conceptualize technology, and 4 principal types of problems that they have dealt with. These may be understood as methods that can inform future reviews on this topic. The relationships among populations, technologies, and problems studied in the reviews are presented in an evidence map that includes pertinent gaps.

CONCLUSIONS

Redundancies and unexploited synergies between bodies of evidence on technology for aging in place are highly likely. These results can be used to decrease this risk if they are used to inform the design of future reviews on this topic. There is a need for an examination of the current state of the art in knowledge on technology for aging in place in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Africa.

Experienced barriers in the use of ICT for social interaction in older adults ageing in place: a qualitative systematic review protocol (SYSR-D-22-00848)

BACKGROUND

Several information and communication technologies (ICT) have been developed to enhance social connectedness of older adults aging in place, although they are not accessible for all. Barriers in using ICT might for example relate to health issues, sensory loss, lack of technical skills, or reluctance to use technologies. Though knowledge on these barriers is crucial for the development and implementation of ICT for older adults, no systematic review was found on this subject. The proposed qualitative systematic review aims to explore barriers experienced by older adults aging in place in using ICT for social interaction.

METHODS

The review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology. Databases for search will include MEDLINE (via PubMed), CINAHL (via EBSCO), and Web of Science (ISI), among others. Included studies focus on older adults ageing in place 60 years or older. Pairs of authors will independently, by following agreed guidelines, assess the eligibility of studies, and extract data. The testing of eligibility criteria and screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts will be performed. The findings will describe for example populations, context, culture, and the phenomena of interest. Qualitative research findings will, where possible, be pooled by using JBI SUMARI for the meta-aggregation approach.

DISCUSSION

The mapping of published studies has the potential to identify research gaps in the existing literature, which again may inform developers and stakeholders in designing more user-friendly and adaptive ICT solutions for older people ageing in place.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

CRD42022370044.

National digital strategies and innovative eHealth policies concerning older adults' dignity: a document analysis in three Scandinavian countries

BACKGROUND

Scandinavian countries are internationally recognised for leading the way in older adult care and in digitally transforming healthcare. Dignity has become a central value in care for older adults in all three Scandinavian countries. Investigating documents about digitalisation in these countries can offer insights into how the dignity of older adults is impacted by digitally transforming healthcare. This study aims to provide knowledge about digital strategies and eHealth policies concerning older adults' dignity in three Scandinavian countries: Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

METHODS

National-level documents by the Norwegian Directorate of eHealth, the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the Danish Ministry of Health concerning older adults were used as data sources. In addition, a systematic search of databases, informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute framework for systematic reviews of text and opinion papers, was undertaken to find relevant papers. All extracts concerning national digital strategies or innovative eHealth policies were deductively coded. Thereafter, extracts concerning older adults were inductively coded using a thematic analytic approach.

RESULTS

A total of 26 sources satisfied the inclusion criteria, 14 governmental papers and 12 other papers. The three countries' national digital strategies focused on access to digital technologies and continuous learning for digital skills. The included papers describing national eHealth policies underlined the importance of placing the patient at the centre of healthcare and how digital systems can increase feelings of safety. Both types of documents concerned access to data, digital device security and the human dimension of care.

CONCLUSION

The findings present evidence on Scandinavian countries' national digital strategies and innovative eHealth policies concerning older adults' dignity. The documents describe a lack of digital competence among older adults, resulting disengagement may put their well-being and human dignity at risk. Findings also underline the importance of security and at the same time the human dimension of care: Use of new digital systems must be meaningfully integrated into digital strategies and eHealth policies. All three Scandinavian countries strategies and policies underline the importance of equal access to healthcare services, as thus they promote a stance of dignified care.

Evidence and User Considerations of Home Health Monitoring for Older Adults: Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Home health monitoring shows promise in improving health outcomes; however, navigating the literature remains challenging given the breadth of evidence. There is a need to summarize the effectiveness of monitoring across health domains and identify gaps in the literature. In addition, ethical and user-centered frameworks are important to maximize the acceptability of health monitoring technologies.

OBJECTIVE

This review aimed to summarize the clinical evidence on home-based health monitoring through a scoping review and outline ethical and user concerns and discuss the challenges of the current user-oriented conceptual frameworks.

METHODS

A total of 2 literature reviews were conducted. We conducted a scoping review of systematic reviews in Scopus, MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL in July 2021. We included reviews examining the effectiveness of home-based health monitoring in older adults. The exclusion criteria included reviews with no clinical outcomes and lack of monitoring interventions (mobile health, telephone, video interventions, virtual reality, and robots). We conducted a quality assessment using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2). We organized the outcomes by disease and summarized the type of outcomes as positive, inconclusive, or negative. Second, we conducted a literature review including both systematic reviews and original articles to identify ethical concerns and user-centered frameworks for smart home technology. The search was halted after saturation of the basic themes presented.

RESULTS

The scoping review found 822 systematic reviews, of which 94 (11%) were included and of those, 23 (24%) were of medium or high quality. Of these 23 studies, monitoring for heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease reduced exacerbations (4/7, 57%) and hospitalizations (5/6, 83%); improved hemoglobin A1c (1/2, 50%); improved safety for older adults at home and detected changing cognitive status (2/3, 66%) reviews; and improved physical activity, motor control in stroke, and pain in arthritis in (3/3, 100%) rehabilitation studies. The second literature review on ethics and user-centered frameworks found 19 papers focused on ethical concerns, with privacy (12/19, 63%), autonomy (12/19, 63%), and control (10/19, 53%) being the most common. An additional 7 user-centered frameworks were studied.

CONCLUSIONS

Home health monitoring can improve health outcomes in heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes and increase physical activity, although review quality and consistency were limited. Long-term generalized monitoring has the least amount of evidence and requires further study. The concept of trade-offs between technology usefulness and acceptability is critical to consider, as older adults have a hierarchy of concerns. Implementing user-oriented frameworks can allow long-term and larger studies to be conducted to improve the evidence base for monitoring and increase the receptiveness of clinicians, policy makers, and end users.

Age and Gender Perspectives on Social Media and Technology Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Few studies have examined social media and technology use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Therefore, the main research question and objective of this study was to examine similarities and differences in the influences of mobile technology and social media use on Canadians among different age groups and across gender during the COVID-19 pandemic. From June through October 2021, 204 persons completed a 72-item online survey. Survey questions encompassed COVID-19 pandemic experiences and technology use. Standardized measures including the Psychological Wellbeing measure, eHeals, and the UCLA V3 Loneliness scale were collected to examine the psychological influences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings showed that males under 50 years were most likely to self-isolate compared to the other demographic results of the study. Males reported using technology less than females but were more likely to report using technology to share information regarding COVID-19. Respondents under 50 years were also more likely to use smartphones/mobile phones as their most used mobile technology device, whereas respondents over 50 were more split between smartphones/mobile phones and computers/tablets as their most used device. Males scored higher on the UCLA loneliness scale and lower on the Psychological Wellbeing sub-scores compared to females. Further research should explore additional demographics in relation to broader aspects of digital skills across different age groups.

Individual and Team Factors Influencing the Adoption of Information and Communication Technology by Nurses: A Systematic Review

The aim of this review was to explore which factors influence nurses' adoption of information and communication technology. A systematic review was conducted using qualitative and quantitative studies. The authors performed the search strategy in the databases of PubMed, CINAHL, and IEEE and included articles published between January 2011 and July 2021. This review explores the following factors: collaboration, leadership, and individual and team factors-that, according to qualitative and quantitative research, seem to influence nurses' adoption of information and communication technology. A gradual implementation process of the information and communication technology, involvement from care professionals in the implementation process, and team functioning are important factors to consider when adopting information and communication technology. In addition to these, individual factors such as age, experience, attitude, and knowledge are also influencing factors. The review suggests that collaboration is important within the implementation of information and communication technology in care and that it positively influences nurses' adoption of it. Individual factors are researched more extensively than collaboration, leadership, and team factors. Although they also appear to influence the adoption of information and communication technology, there is insufficient evidence to convincingly substantiate this.

Social Capital Mediates the Association between the ICT Usage and Well-Being of Older People in Japan: Implication for a New Design Paradigm

As the population ages, the question of how to prevent isolation among older people and increase their well-being becomes a social issue. It has often been argued that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage can be a solution to these challenges, but empirical studies have not shown consistent results. Moreover, there are even fewer studies targeting older people in Japan, which is the most aging country in the world. Therefore, using the psychological comprehensive data of Japanese people aged 60 and over recorded in World Values Survey Wave 7, we conducted a study to clarify the relationship between the ICT usage, social capital, and well-being of older people to make a meaningful contribution to policymakers and the scientific community. As a result of the analysis, it was shown that ICT usage indirectly enhances well-being by increasing social capital. This indicates that for older people, ICT usage does not have a large effect on enhancing well-being, but becomes sufficiently large only through the improvement of social capital. The pros and cons of such modern communication means should be utilized as a reference when considering the development of future communication means and a human coach—a person who supports the use of communication means by older people. In other words, to think about the spread of communication means to community-dwelling older people in the future, it is always necessary to think about technology usage emphasizing the relationship between older people and society.

Information and communication technologies for the improvement of cognitive function in healthy older adults: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Mild cognitive impairment is one of the consequences of ageing, causing functional disability, a poor quality of life and an increased socioeconomic expenditure. Evidence shows that patients go through a long preclinical stage in which cognitive deficits appear subtly until they reach the threshold of dementia. Non-pharmacological interventions have been gaining ground as prevention of modifiable factors of cognitive decline such as obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity or social isolation. Along these lines, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be a tool for cognitive stimulation, cognitive training and cognitive rehabilitation. The main objective of the systematic review will be to review and analyse the use of ICTs for the improvement of cognitive functions in healthy older adult population aged 50 and over, for the prevention of cognitive impairment METHODS: A systematic review will be conducted including randomised clinical trials in adults without diseases or accidents associated with cognitive impairment, and whom have used ICTs for the improvement of cognitive functions between 2010 and 2020 in English or Spanish. The articles that report data on cognitive function by domain, for example, memory or executive functions, or by test will be included. The databases Medline (PubMed), CinahlPlus, Scopus, ISI WoS, CENTRAL and IEEE Xplore will be searched. Studies that meet the inclusion criteria will be analysed according to the Cochrane RoB2 tool for risk of bias assessment.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval is not necessary as this is a systematic review. The results will be published in scientific journals, as well as in specialised congresses on the subject of study.

Telehealth and digital developments in society that persons 75 years and older in European countries have been part of: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Demographic changes are leading to an ageing population in Europe. People are becoming more dependent on digital technologies and health ministries invest increasingly in digitalisation. Societal digital demands impact older people and learning to use new telehealth systems and digital devices are seen as a means of securing their needs.

METHODS

The present study undertakes a scoping review in order to map relevant evidence about telehealth and digital developments in society involving citizens aged 75 and over in European countries. It focuses on their experiences and the main barriers to, and facilitators of, societal digital demands. A framework proposed by Arksey and O`Malley was used to guide the scoping review process. The studies included in the review covered telehealth, digital technology and digital devices, and the context covered participants` own home or surroundings. A comprehensive search on PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase and Open Grey was undertaken.

RESULTS

Out of 727 identified citations, 13 sources which met the inclusion criteria (9 original study articles, 2 theses, 1 letter about a product and 1 project report). Few of the studies identified have investigated European citizens 75 years and older separately. The studies included varied in their design, location and focus. Older people have experienced both telehealth and digital devices making life easier and the opposite. The outstanding facilitator found was that technology should be easy to use, and difficulty in remembering the instructions was seen as an important barrier. Interestingly, both social support and lack of social support were found as facilitators of using new devices.

CONCLUSIONS

Telehealth may give a sense of security but learning to use a new device often takes extra effort. Older people were more open to new devices if the possible advantages of the new technology outweighed the effort that would be involved in adopting a new strategy. As technology develops rapidly, and life expectancy in Europe is anticipated to rise continually, there is a need for new and additional research among older European citizens. Future research should cover the technical solutions most relevant to older people today, social support and participants` access to the devices.

Combining the Digital, Social and Physical Layer to Create Age-Friendly Cities and Communities

This qualitative investigation makes suggestions about creating age-friendly cities for older adults focusing on three domains of the World Health Organization (WHO) age-friendly city framework namely “Communication and Information”, “Outdoor Spaces and Buildings” and “Social Participation”. The authors present two case studies, the first one focusing on older adults using activity wearables for health self-management in the neighborhood, and the second one focusing on older adults engaged in social prescribing activities in the community. The authors then reflect on the relationships of the domains and future opportunities for age-friendly cities. These case studies apply a co-design and citizen-based approach focusing within these larger frameworks on emotions, values and motivational goals of older adults. Results suggest how the convergence of the often siloed age-friendly city components based on older adults’ goals and input can lead to better social participation and longer-term health outcomes. The authors propose that the digital, physical and social aspects need to be considered in all domains of age-friendly cities to achieve benefits for older adults. Further work involving older adults in the future shaping of age-friendly neighborhoods and cities, and identifying barriers and opportunities is required.

Aging at Work: A Review of Recent Trends and Future Directions

Demographic data suggest a rapid aging trend in the active workforce. The concept of aging at work comes from the urgent requirement to help the aging workforce of the contemporary industries to maintain productivity while achieving a work and private life balance. While there is plenty of research focusing on the aging population, current research activities on policies covering the concept of aging at work are limited and conceptually different. This paper aims to review publications on aging at work, which could lead to the creation of a framework that targets governmental decision-makers, the non-governmental sector, the private sector, and all of those who are responsible for the formulation of policies on aging at work. In August 2019 we searched for peer-reviewed articles in English that were indexed in PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and Springer and published between 2008 and 2019. The keywords included the following phrases: “successful aging at work”, “active aging at work”, “healthy aging at work”, “productive aging at work”, and “older adults at work”. A total of 47,330 publications were found through database searching, and 25,187 publications were screened. Afterwards, 7756 screened publications were excluded from the further analysis, and a total of 17,431 article abstracts were evaluated for inclusion. Finally, further qualitative analysis included 1375 articles, of which about 24 are discussed in this article. The most prominent works suggest policies that encourage life-long learning, and a workforce that comprises both younger and older workers, as well as gradual retirement.

Activities of Daily Living and Associated Costs in the Most Widespread Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Systematic Review

Nowadays, the population is rapidly ageing because of increasing life expectancy and decreasing birth rates. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review is to prepare a comprehensive overview which identifies the activities of daily living (ADLs) that are gradually reduced among patients with dementia, as well as explore the therapies applied in relation to dementia and how they effectively improve the quality of life (QoL) of patients and caregivers. Furthermore, we aim to summarise the ADL activities influenced by therapies and examine the treatment costs and care for patients so that recommendations for research and development (R&D) can be made to improve both the QoL of people with dementia and cost-saving measures. The research focuses on four selected neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer, Parkinson, vascular dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Therefore, the peer-reviewed English written articles from 2014 to 2019 were searched between September 1 and December 13, 2019. Twenty-seven papers were included in the analysis. The results show that essential assistance occurs in connection with activities: eating, drinking, dressing, bathing, personal hygiene, use of the toilet, and transport. By contrast, shopping or cleaning is not addressed as much. A lower ability to take care of oneself is connected with poor patient health and higher social care costs because the patient requires care from external sources, such as home aid or nurse visits. The challenge that remains is to shift new knowledge from scientific disciplines and connect it with the needs of patients to remove legitimate barriers and increase the acceptance of new solutions by popularisation. Additionally, regarding the burden on caregivers, it would be appropriate to promote this area of education and employment so that family members can use formal caregivers, ensuring them free time and much-needed rest.

Multidimensional Geriatric Assessment with MAGIC Questionnaire and Quality of Life in Elderly Primary Care Patients

The Manageable Geriatric Assessment (MAGIC) questionnaire, recently developed by a group of European family doctors for multidimensional geriatric assessment in primary care, has not yet been evaluated in clinical practice. The objectives of this study were to translate and adapt it to Spanish and to check the association between the limitations of older adults identified by this questionnaire and their perceived health status assessed by the five-level version of the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D-5L). First, questionnaire translation, back translation and cognitive test were applied. Then, a cross-sectional observational study was performed in two Spanish health centers Galicia, Spain. Participants were 170 people aged over 75, recruited opportunistically by consecutive case sampling. Anonymous surveys were used to collect data. The MAGIC questionnaire, the EQ-5D-5L scale, age and sex were employed. The visual analog scale of EQ-5D-5L (EQ VAS) was used as the outcome variable. Descriptive and bivariate analyses by sex and outcome variable are presented. The linear regression analysis showed an association with quality of life for daily activities, recognizing people and stress incontinence. As this is associated with quality of life, the MAGIC questionnaire may be useful in primary care and a study to investigate the impact on health with a clinical trial would be worth considering.

How Older People Experience the Age-Friendliness of Their City: Development of the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire

The World Health Organization engages cities and communities all over the world in becoming age-friendly. There is a need for assessing the age-friendliness of cities and communities by means of a transparently constructed and validated tool which measures the construct as a whole. The aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire measuring age-friendliness, providing full transparency and reproducibility. The development and validation of the Age Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ) followed the criteria of the COnsensus-based Standards for selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN). Four phases were followed: (1) development of the conceptual model, themes and items; (2) initial (qualitative) validation; (3) psychometric validation, and (4) translating the instrument using the forward-backward translation method. This rigorous process of development and validation resulted in a valid, psychometrically sound, comprehensive 23-item questionnaire. This questionnaire can be used to measure older people’s experiences regarding the eight domains of the WHO Age-Friendly Cities model, and an additional financial domain. The AFCCQ allows practitioners and researchers to capture the age-friendliness of a city or community in a numerical fashion, which helps monitor the age-friendliness and the potential impact of policies or social programmes. The AFCCQ was created in Dutch and translated into British-English.

Smart and Age-Friendly Cities in Romania: An Overview of Public Policy and Practice

The role of smart cities in order to improve older people's quality of life, sustainability and opportunities, accessibility, mobility, and connectivity is increasing and acknowledged in public policy and private sector strategies in countries all over the world. Smart cities are one of the technological-driven initiatives that may help create an age-friendly city. Few research studies have analysed emerging countries in terms of their national strategies on smart or age-friendly cities. In this study, Romania which is predicted to become one of the most ageing countries in the European Union is used as a case study. Through document analysis, current initiatives at the local, regional, and national level addressing the issue of smart and age-friendly cities in Romania are investigated. In addition, a case study is presented to indicate possible ways of the smart cities initiatives to target and involve older adults. The role of different stakeholders is analysed in terms of whether initiatives are fragmentary or sustainable over time, and the importance of some key factors, such as private-public partnerships and transnational bodies. The results are discussed revealing the particularities of the smart cities initiatives in Romania in the time frame 2012-2020, which to date, have limited connection to the age-friendly cities agenda. Based on the findings, a set of recommendations are formulated to move the agenda forward.

Social Participation in Relation to Technology Use and Social Deprivation: A Mixed Methods Study Among Older People with and without Dementia

Social participation is a modifiable determinant for health and wellbeing among older people; however, social participation is increasingly dependent on technology use. This study investigated social participation in relation to Everyday Technology use and social deprivation of the living environment, among older people with and without dementia in the United Kingdom. Sixty-four people with dementia and sixty-four people without dementia were interviewed using standardized questionnaires: The Participation in ACTivities and Places OUTside Home Questionnaire and Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire. A mixed methods approach integrated statistical analyses and content analysis of free-text responses, through data visualizations. Small, statistically significant associations were found between social participation and Everyday Technology use outside home, for participants with dementia (Rs = 0.247; p = 0.049) and without dementia (Rs = 0.343; p = 0.006). A small, statistically significant association was identified between social participation and social deprivation in the living environment, among only participants with dementia (Rs = 0.267, p = 0.033). The content analysis and graphical joint display revealed motivators, considerations that require extra attention, and strategies for managing social participation. The results underline how Everyday Technology use can be assistive to social participation but also the need to consider social deprivation of the living environment, especially among people with dementia.

A Shortage in the Number of Nurses-A Case Study from a Selected Region in the Czech Republic and International Context

A lack of nurses in the Czech Republic is an issue that has been under discussion for several years. The aim of this paper is to analyze the lack and need of general nurses and midwives in the Hradec Kralove region where the shortage is higher than the national average. The used methods are quantitative research and structured interviews, to determine the number of nurses in healthcare institutions. The study uses data obtained from publicly available sources, i.e., Czech Statistical Office (CSO) and the National Institute of Education (NIE). The shortage of nurses in the Hradec Kralove region can be expected by 2030 to be in the range between 647.6 and 667.1 nurses while maintaining the existing conditions, that is, five times more than at present. In addition to the commonly considered measures that appear in the country’s strategies—such as improving the quality of conditions during studies and during employment, specifying or adjusting the role and competency of nurses and midwives in the healthcare system, or unifying employment standards— a focus on promoting the nursing profession can be recommended. Schools and ministries should be encouraged to focus on and invest in the promotion of this profession, so as to play a key role in recruiting new students for the nursing field of study at a time when the nursing profession is perceived positively, as an embodiment of solidarity and selflessness.