Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41250269›Full record

ArticleJournal of advanced nursing2026

Underrepresentation of Nurses in Croatian Graduate Nursing Programs: Implications for Academic Equity in Nursing Education.

Ivana Žilić, Sanda Franković, Hana Brborović, Marko Marelić, Ognjen Brborović

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of advanced nursing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ivana ŽilićNursing Home Senior Garden, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3560-3811
Sanda FrankovićSchool of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1553-6225
Hana BrborovićEnvironmental Health, Occupational and Sports Medicine Department, University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0844-0054
Marko MarelićMedical Sociology and Health Economics Department, University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2596-3359
Ognjen BrborovićSocial Medicine and Organization of Health Care Department, University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4852-2495

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimTo examine the representation of nurses in Croatian graduate nursing programs and to explore its implications for academic equity, professional development, and nursing leadership.

designCross-sectional descriptive study using document analysis.

methodsData on lecturers and course leaders for the 2022/2023 academic year were retrieved from all graduate and specialist nursing programs in Croatia. A total of 694 lecturers and 545 course leaders were analysed by professional background.

resultsNurses accounted for 19% of lecturers in university graduate programs and 14% in specialist studies. As course leaders, they represented 11% in specialist studies and only 4% in university graduate programs. Thirty courses lacked assigned lecturers. The findings demonstrate a strong dominance of medicine and other professions in teaching roles.

conclusionNurses remain markedly underrepresented in academic positions, which may limit their ability to shape curricula, influence educational standards and strengthen professional identity. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Improving the academic presence of nurses could be important for advancing leadership capacity, curriculum relevance and professional equity. Stronger representation may help enhance the profession's authority and indirectly benefit patient care. IMPACT: What problem did the study address?: The study explored limited nurse representation in graduate nursing education and its implications for equity and autonomy. What were the main findings?: Nurses are a small minority in lecturer and course leader roles, with most positions occupied by non-nursing professionals. Where and on whom will the research have an impact?: The findings are relevant to educators, regulators and policymakers in Croatia and internationally, particularly in countries where nurses face barriers to academic participation. The study supports ongoing policy efforts to strenghten nurses' academic representation and leadership in higher education. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. This study relied exclusively on publicly available academic data and did not involve patients, service users or members of the public.

Indexed as

Education, Nursing, GraduateFaculty, NursingAcademiaCroatiaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLeadershipMaleacademic representationfaculty developmentgender and nursinggraduate programshigher educationnursing educationnursing leadershipnursing workforceprofessional equity

Identifiers

PMID41250269
PMCPMC13267438

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.