Foreseeing the unforeseen: Towards mental health and gerontic nursing perspectives

Abstract

With the theme of "Foreseeing the Unforeseen: Towards a New Era of Nursing", this special issue on nursing includes a variety of articles from different countries and institutions. Several key features of this issue include: i) the impact and responses/countermeasures to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic; ii) innovative nursing practice, management, education, research, and policy in response to the issues raised; iii) nursing toward a low fertility and a super-aged society, internationalization, or cultural diversity; and iv) human resource development, systems development, and policy recommendations for health, medical care, and welfare in the next era. In this Editorial article, we summarize the issues during the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for the next era, particularly in the fields of mental health and gerontic nursing. We also provide several perspectives on mental health issues in the general population and for nurses, as well as gerontic nursing issues related to older adults.