In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a landmark report titled The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. In the preface to the report, the chair and vice chair of the committee, Donna Shalala and Linda Burnes Bolton, stated that the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also in 2010, would require that the U.S. health care system expand to accommodate a significant increase in demand for services, particularly those needed to manage patients with chronic conditions or mental health conditions or to provide basic primary care. They noted that nurses were in a unique position to take on a leadership role in helping the nation attain these goals. They stated that “nurses have a key role to play as team members and leaders for a reformed and better integrated patient-centered health care system.”

The Future of Nursing was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and senior staff of RWJF helped the IOM gather material for the 2-year study. Following the publication of the report, RWJF supported the creation of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action (the Campaign) and its 51 state Action Coalitions. The efforts of outside groups devoted to the implementation of the IOM report's recommendations have been extraordinary.

It has now been 5 years since The Future of Nursing was issued, and RWJF asked the IOM to assess the progress made toward implementing the report's recommendations and to identify areas that should be emphasized over the next 5 years to help the Campaign fulfill the recommendations. The committee convened to carry out this study was not asked to reexamine the merits of or amend the recommendations of The Future of Nursing. I was delighted when the new president of the now National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Victor Dzau, asked me to chair the committee and take on this task. The field of nursing has been of special interest to me since I published my first book—Present and Future Supply of Registered Nurses—in the early 1970s. After reviewing The Future of Nursing and analyzing the information collected as part of the present study, it is clear to me that the nursing profession is a far more important component of the U.S. health care system than it was 45 years ago.

The committee conducted three public workshops and met as a group four times. In addition, it held three full-committee and several smaller subcommittee phone meetings. I am especially appreciative of the time commitment and pursuit of excellence of the 11 other members of our committee. Without their expertise, their experience, and their knowledge of the information that could be used to assess the changes that have occurred in the health care system, this report could not have been completed. We also are indebted to the staff of RWJF for their help in assembling this information. We appreciate as well the efforts of the three IOM staff members and the consultant writer who guided us through the study and the writing of this report. In particular, the dedication and drive of our study director, Adrienne Stith Butler, were irreplaceable.

Clearly much has been accomplished by the Campaign and other stakeholders, and it is readily apparent that The Future of Nursing was a catalyst for a number of new activities and accelerated several trends that had begun before the report was completed. The present report is timely in that it allows for reflection on the progress that has been achieved over the past 5 years in implementing the recommendations of The Future of Nursing, while leaving time for the Campaign and others to adjust to the many changes occurring in nursing and the health care system. The committee worked diligently over a short period of time to assemble and review the available data and evidence to help in understanding the changes that have occurred in the field of nursing—the structure of its education system, who is entering the field and in which programs, where nurses are employed, the attitudes of others about the appropriate role of nurses, and, where possible, how the expanded use of nurses has impacted the quality of patient care. With the help of this assessment, the committee generated a number of recommendations, which we hope will assist the Campaign, its state Action Coalitions, and other groups and stakeholders in positively impacting the field of nursing and improving the U.S. health care system.

Stuart H. Altman, Chair

Committee for Assessing Progress on Implementing the Recommendations of the Institute of Medicine Report

The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health