Vision for the Future of Nursing

Que. 1 ways in which evidence-based practice will influence trends in healthcare and the future of nursing

Evidence-based practice (EBP) will have a great impact on the nursing practice which will influence the healthcare in a positive way. The current health care trend is to adopt EBP in service delivery by all the healthcare workers. Nurses and other health care workers have realized that for EBP to be adopted and sustained, it should be adopted byindividual providers of care microsystem and system leaders. It should also be adopted by the policy makers (Shojania & Grimshaw, 2005). Local, state, federal and other regulatory bodies are of importance in its adoption. Once adopted, it will lead to the provision of quality health care to the patients.

Nurses developed a number of models and frameworks to understand different aspects of the EBP as stated by Finkelman & Kenner (2013).These models are developed to assist in guiding the design and implementation approaches that are supposed to make evidence-based decision-making stronger. The literature helps in identifying forty-seven of these models. Their main aim is to help in the translation of evidence into practice. These models emphasize the importance of having knowledge and knowledge transformation that can be useful in clinical practice. The overall goal is the provision of high-quality healthcare that meet the individual need of each patient.

EBP has a great impact in nursing education according. The Health Professions Education Report indicated that the current programs of education do not completely prepare lab technicians, nurses or other health care providers in providing the highest safety and quality healthcare (Stevens, 2004).The report concluded by stating that the current education for all healthcare practitioners was in need for a dramatic change to equip healthcare providers with new skills for assuming new roles. This dramatic change involves changing the methods health practitioners are educated in both practices and academic settings. This education change will help in equipping healthcare providers with essential skills for providing high-quality health care.

EBP has a great impact on nursing research. The effort of transforming nursing research with the focus on changing evidence into practice is at its peak in the modern world of healthcare (Institute of Medicine, 2008). Various fields are emerging to understand how to increase efficiency, timeliness, safety and effectiveness of the healthcare. These fields are also researching on ways of improving health service delivery systems and how healthcare performance can be improved. These emerging fields include research implementation, improvement and translational sciences, and the science of health delivery system. Research in health care will improve the evidence-based healthcare.

Que. 2 ways in which the application of nursing theory will continue to influence professional nursing practice

Application of nursing theory assist nurses in describing, explaining and predicting everyday experiences (Alligood, 2013).  Nurses come across different experiences due to the nature of their work. Nurses are the only health practitioners who spend the longest time in contact with the patient. This long contact with the patient helps them to understand the individualized need of each patient. Providing individualized care to the patient has been shown to result in the provision of quality nursing care that aid in quick recovery of the patient. Nurses use nursing theory to understand and explain the different health condition they encounter in the hospital.

Nursing theory serve as a useful guide to the assessment, interventions and evaluation of effective nursing care as stated by Parker & Smith (2010).Without nursing theory, it would be very difficult for nurses to assess, diagnose, give relevant interventions and perform the evaluation of the progress of the patient. Nursing theory provides set guidelines on how to approach any condition they encounter in the hospital. Thus, theory serves as a significant template for helping nurses prepare an effective nursing care plan for the individual patient. Hence, nursing theory influences nursing practice positively by ensuring that nurses provide high-quality care to the patient.

Nursing theory provides a rationale for collecting valid and reliable data about the status of health of each patient which assist in effective decision-making process and implementation (Johnson & Webber, 2010).Valid and reliable data about the status of health of a patient play an integral role in the planning of effective individualized nursing care plan of a patient. This data also assist nurses to make effective decision about the care of a patient. This data also help in the implementation phase of this care. Nursing theory thus helps in the provision of effective healthcare that pays attention to the individual needs of the patient.

 

Nursing theory help in describing the criteria for measuring the quality of nursing care according to Alligood (2013).Theory provides nurses with a wide body of knowledge that they apply to the provision of quality nursing care. These theories provide step by step guide on how quality nursing care should be provided. Nurses make use of this knowledge in ensuring that they provide high-quality nursing care that aid in quick recovery of the patient. Nursing theories hence serve as a benchmark for evaluating the quality of care nurses provide. These theories have been shown to paly an integral role in the provision of quality nursing care.

Que. 3 ways in which nurses` current role is in research

Nurses’ current role of increasing efficiency and timeliness in healthcare delivery is in research. Nurses have realized that for them to provide high-quality nursing care they must engage in increasing efficiency and timeliness in healthcare delivery (Institute of Medicine, 2011). This role has resulted in engaging in various researches by the nurses to identify the best ways of increasing efficiency and timeliness in delivering care to the patient. This need to engage in research is after realization by nurses that many patients die due to lack of efficiency and timeliness in nursing care delivery. Research to improve this role has yielded positive outcomes.

Current nurses’ role in increasing safety to the patient during health care delivery is in research. Nurses have demonstrated a lot of interest in ensuring that safety of the patient is ensured during the provision of healthcare (Institute of Medicine, 2008). It is after realizing that the act of providing care to the patient can pose a safety risk to the well being of the patient if not well provided. Some health care providers end up hurting the patient due to use of poor service delivery. The compromise of patient safety has triggered the need to engage in doing research by the nurses to find better ways of increasing patients’ safety.

Current nurses’ role in improving the system of health service delivery is in research. Nurses have realized that for them to be in a position of providing quality nursing health care to the patient they should first improve the system of health service delivery (National Institutes of Health, 2013). Poor systems of service delivery are known to hamper the provision of quality health care. Nurses have incorporated other health care providers in this process of improving the systems of health care. The ongoing research aimed at improving the existing systems of health care delivery has resulted in positive outcomes. Once fully implemented the provision of quality health care will be enhanced.

The current role of nurses of improving their effectiveness and performance in health care delivery is in research (Berwick, 2008). Nurses have shown tremendous need of improving their effectiveness and performance while delivering care to the patient. The need mainly comes from the wide body of knowledge that nurses acquire from the many nursing models and frameworks. Many developers of these nursing models emphasize on effective nursing care. Improved performance in the provision of health care has been shown to enhance quick recovery of the patient. These benefits have resulted in engaging in more research by the nurses to enhance the provision of high-quality nursing care.

Que. 4 ways in which new roles and opportunities will benefit nursing and healthcare in general

Nursing informatics is a new role and opportunity in the nursing profession. Nurses informatics are involved in figuring out on how to implement technology to improve the quality of care delivery as stated by Currie, Finn & Martin (2010).They update themselves with the current trends, look for problems in the systems and find solutions for them. They mostly work with vendors to make sure that technology meets the need of the facility, and they collaborate with the management to assess, implement and improve the systems. Nursing informatics will improve the quality of care delivered to the patient through the use of technology.

 

Coaching nursing is another new role and opportunity in the nursing profession. Nurse Coaches help patients in defining and achieving goals and objectives through the use of evidence-based behavioral change methods stated by Bryant‐Lukosius & DiCenso (2010). Coaching can be performed using a phone call, in person or by making a video call. Nurse Coaches mainly focus on wellness and health issues, though they can also help in faculty and staff development, development in business or assist in general lifestyles objectives. These nurses help in improving the quality of care delivered to the patient through helping patients in defining and achieving their goals.

 

Care coordinator nurse is another new role and opportunity in the nursing profession. Care coordinator nurses help in the systematic management of the patient, managing chronic conditions and avoiding unnecessary emergency department trips (Booth, Hutchison, Beech & Robertson, 2006).This function entails appointments making, lab results and medications tracking and giving health education to the families and patients about their conditions. Care coordinator nurses are among the multidisciplinary health care team that ensures critical patient survival. They help in reducing the incidences of preventable loss of lives in the hospital environment. They also assist in improving the quality of care delivered to the patients.

Patient safety nurse is another new role and opportunity in the nursing profession as stated by Swallow & Coates (2004). Patient safety nurses help in developing, implementing, monitoring and maintaining protocols and systems to decrease factors contributing to the adverse outcomes of the patient. They engage in educating other health care providers on system-based causes of mistakes, leading assessments of the safety and sharing of evidence-based safety of the patient strategies. Patient safety has become a priority in the modern health care service delivery. Safety of the patient contributes a lot to the recovery of the patient. The field has improved the quality of health care.

References

Alligood, M. R. (2013). Nursing Theory: Utilization & application. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Alligood, M. R. (Ed.). (2013). Nursing theorists and their work. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Berwick, D.M. (2008). The science of improvement. Journal of the American Medical Association, 299(10), 1182-1184.

Booth, J., Hutchison, C., Beech, C., & Robertson, K. (2006). New nursing roles: the experience of Scotland’s consultant nurse/midwives. Journal of Nursing Management, 14(2), 83-89.

Bryant‐Lukosius, D., & DiCenso, A. (2004). A framework for the introduction and evaluation of advanced practice nursing roles. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 48(5), 530-540.

Currie, G., Finn, R., & Martin, G. (2010). Role transition and the interaction of relational and social identity: new nursing roles in the English NHS. Organization Studies, 31(7), 941-961.

Finkelman, A & Kenner, CA. (2013). Learning IOM: Implications of the IOM reports for nursing education. Washington, DC: American Nurses Association.

Institute of Medicine (IOM). (2008). Training the workforce in quality improvement and quality improvement research. IOM Forum Workshop. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Institute of Medicine (IOM). (2008). Training the workforce in quality improvement and quality improvement research. IOM Forum Workshop. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Institute of Medicine. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health [prepared by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative on the Future of Nursing]. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Johnson, B. M., & Webber, P. B. (2010). An introduction to theory and reasoning in nursing. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2013). Dissemination and implementation research in health. PAR 10-038. Retrieved from: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-038.html

Parker, M. E., & Smith, M. C. (2010). Nursing theories & nursing practice. FA Davis.

Shojania, K.G., & Grimshaw, J.M. (2005). Evidence-based quality improvement: The state of the science. Health Affairs (Millwood), 24(1), 138-150.

Stevens, K.R. (2004). ACE star model of knowledge transformation. Academic Center for Evidence-based Practice. University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. www.acestar.uthscsa.edu

Swallow, V., & Coates, M. (2004). Flexible education for new nursing roles: reflections on two approaches. Nurse education in practice, 4(1), 53-59.