Addressing nurse shortages and pandemic responses to enhance patient safety within global health challenges.

Globally, the rapid expansion of the aging population and increasing healthcare demands are intensifying public health challenges (Khan et al., 2024). Paradoxically, while healthcare needs continue to rise, the workforce responsible for service delivery, particularly nurses, is also aging, further exacerbating the ongoing nurse shortage crisis. This shortage is aggravated by rising burnout among nurses, increased workforce churn, and a decreasing career lifespan (Haddad et al., 2025). Key contributing factors include excessive workloads, chronic fatigue, and sustained occupational stress (Wang et al., 2024), with the additional burden of uncertain long-COVID prevalence further compounding the issue (Tangsathajaroenporn et al., 2024).