Managing Patient Care in an Evolving Healthcare System
Today’s nurses must understand what drives the change that they see in healthcare. They must understand why there are mandates for practice change, and the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they will need to effect the change not only in themselves but throughout the healthcare system. Salmond and Echevarria (2017) of Orthopedic Nursing say, “To deliver these outcomes, nurses, from the chief nursing officer to the staff nurse, must understand how nursing practice must be dramatically different to deliver the expected level of quality care and proactively and passionately become involved in the change. These changes will require a new or enhanced skill set on wellness and population care, with a renewed focus on patient-centered care, care coordination, data analytics, and quality improvement” (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017, pp. 19, 21). Nurses will need to be well educated to achieve this, and they will need to be given the respect and autonomy for which that education qualifies them.
Conclusion
The IOM report was a surprising critique of the nursing profession. It included both what nurses can do to become recognized as professionals in their own right and how the healthcare system can change the way nurses are perceived so that they are given the opportunity to demonstrate their professional qualities. It boils down to education, respect and resources being provided for nurses so that they can help to address the rising population of people who need to access health care and the rapid changes occurring in the field.
References
IOM. (2011). Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington D.C.: National Academies Press. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/b...
Price, S., & Reichert, C. (2017). The importance of continuing professional development to career satisfaction and patient care: meeting the needs of novice to mid-to late-career nurses throughout their career span. Administrative Sciences, 7(2), 1-13. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/journal/a...