Background: Health economics, as a branch of economics, examines how resources are utilized in the healthcare sector. The primary objective of efficient healthcare systems is to improve patient outcomes while reducing treatment costs. Nurses, being the largest group of healthcare providers, play a significant role in health economics. Given the crucial role of nurses in the healthcare system and the necessity of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of health services, conducting precise and comprehensive research in the field of nursing and health economics is of particular importance.
Methods: This narrative review was conducted by searching the databases SID, PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus, with the aim of exploring the roles of nurses in health economics. The keywords used included: resource allocation, allocation, cost-effectiveness, health economics, nursing, healthcare policy, decision-making participation, and their equivalents, using the operators AND and OR. Articles published between 2016 and 2024 were reviewed.
Results: Out of 83 retrieved articles, 19 were selected for final analysis based on the researcher’s access to the full text and the relevance to the study topic. The collected materials were categorized thematically by the researchers into two main themes: "Nurses and Health Economics" and "Nursing and the Value of Health Services."
Conclusion: Nurses play a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency of healthcare systems and reducing costs by delivering high-quality and cost-effective care. They fulfill multiple roles in health economics through clinical interventions, resource management, policy participation, and specialized education—contributing to improved care quality and system performance. Further research is needed to better understand the long-term impact of nurses on economic decision-making and to provide effective strategies.
Type of Study:
Review Article |
Subject:
Health Economics Received: 2025/06/7 | Accepted: 2025/05/20 | Published: 2025/05/20