Nursing shortage in endoscopy: are there issues in the next future? Results of a survey in the MarcheRegion – Central Italy

A shortage of specialist nurses may affect the number and complexity of procedures in endoscopy. This survey investigated the endoscopy clinics nursing staff in the Marche Region (Central Italy).

Survey all endoscopy nurses in the Marche region about their length of service.

In September 2024 a brief questionnaire was sent to all 66 nurses employed in the endoscopy clinics of the Marche region, obtaining 19 responses (28.7%) from each province: 4 from National Institute of Research and Care for the Elderly, 4 from hospitals in the province of Pesaro-Urbino, 4 from hospitals in the province of Ancona, 3 from hospitals in the province of Ascoli Piceno, 2 from the hospital of the province of Fermo, 1 from the hospitals in the province of Macerata, 1 from the University Hospital of Marche region.

Personal data: the majority of nurses are women (n=15; 78.9%) and with high length of service. The most represented age groups are from 56 to 65 years and between 46 and 55 y. (both groups n=6; 31.6%) followed by the 26-35 y. (n=4; 21.1%) and 36-45 y. (n=3; 11.1%). Most of the interviewees have been working in endoscopy for over 30 years (n=10; 52.6%) and – as a result of the high average age, the most represented basic qualification is the Nursing Diploma (n=10; 52.6%) which was obtainable until 2000, followed by the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (n=6, 33.1%). Further/complementary education is represented by the 1st level specialising master (n=7; 36.8%), the Master in Nursing Sciences (n=2, 10.5%) and the research doctorate (n=1, 5.3%) [1] [2].

The vast majority of the interviewees had a high length of service in endoscopy clinics and were approaching retirement. As a result, about ⅓ of this expert and specialised staff is expected to leave in the next 5 years. Nurses are retiring or leaving nursing faster than they can be replaced. The same happens for endoscopy nurses. In the meantime, we expect more patients, due to population ageing and their need for healthcare. Furthermore, the American Cancer Society’s new screening guidelines for colorectal cancer recommend starting screening at age 45 instead of 50. If these guidelines were implemented at a local level, the number of recruitable people would potentially increase by 110,594 people in the Marche region.

Without a sufficient number of endoscopy nurses it will be very difficult to improve overall endoscopy capacity even with endoscopists available.

Publication History

Article published online:
27 March 2025

• References

• 1 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Healthcare_personnel_statistics_-_nursing_and_caring_professionals'oldid=648971
• 2 Factors Influencing Generation Z Bachelor of Nursing Students' Decision to Choose Nursing as a Career: A Pilot Study https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/23779608241242246