IFPN President's Message: Perioperative Nurses’ Wellbeing: A Foundation for Safe Surgical Care
Dear IFPN Board Members, Member Association Representatives, and Colleagues,
I am pleased to share this message about one of the key priorities of the IFPN Executive Team for 2025–2027: the wellbeing of perioperative nurses.
Perioperative nurses care for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. They work in complex and demanding environments where patient safety, teamwork and attention to detail are essential.
To provide safe, compassionate and high-quality care, perioperative nurses’ own health and wellbeing must also be protected. For this reason, supporting perioperative nurses’ wellbeing is a key priority for IFPN.
A Growing Concern
The World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe’s 2025 Mental Health of Nurses and Doctors (MeND) Survey included more than 90,000 responses from 29 European countries.
The findings are concerning:
- One in three doctors and nurses reported symptoms of depression or anxiety.
- The prevalence of depressive symptoms among nurses was 32%.
- More than one in ten respondents reported thoughts of ending their life or harming themselves.
- One in three had experienced bullying or violent threats at work.
The survey also showed that poor mental health is strongly connected to difficult working conditions, such as heavy workloads, long working hours, night shifts, workplace violence and insufficient support.
Risks in Perioperative Nursing
Perioperative nurses may experience long working hours, staff shortages, physical fatigue, emotional stress and high levels of responsibility. They may also face bullying, violence, exposure to workplace hazards and pressure to work quickly in critical situations.
These risks can affect nurses’ physical and mental health. They can also influence communication, teamwork, concentration and patient safety.
Stress and burnout should not be accepted as a normal part of nursing.
Creating Healthy Workplaces
IFPN welcomes the EU-OSHA Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2026–2028: “Together for Mental Health at Work.”
https://healthy-workplaces.osha.europa.eu/en
The campaign focuses on preventing psychosocial risks, workplace violence, harassment and other conditions that may harm workers’ mental health.
Healthcare organisations should:
- provide safe staffing levels;
- manage workloads and working hours;
- prevent bullying, harassment and violence;
- provide adequate rest and recovery time;
- offer confidential mental health support;
- create safe systems for reporting concerns; and
- involve nurses in decisions about their work.
Resilience and wellbeing education can help nurses, but individual nurses cannot solve problems caused by unsafe working conditions. Healthcare organisations and leaders must take responsibility for creating supportive and psychologically safe workplaces.
IFPN’s Commitment
IFPN encourages its member associations to make perioperative nurses’ wellbeing a priority. We must share good practices, support research, strengthen professional education and advocate for safe and healthy working conditions.
Protecting nurses’ wellbeing is not only important for nurses. It is also essential for patient safety, quality of care and sustainable health systems.
The wellbeing of perioperative nurses is the foundation of safe surgical care. By caring for and supporting one another, we help protect every surgical patient and every member of the perioperative team.
Prof. Dr. Meryem Yavuz van Giersbergen
President
International Federation of Perioperative Nurses
2025–2027
References
1. European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. (n.d.). Healthy Workplaces campaigns.
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