Growth and change in the practice of nursing
The current healthcare system is criticized since it is focused more on providing solutions to acute illnesses rather than focusing on prevention measures and wellness. The healthcare system mainly focuses on episodic care which has disadvantages on people (Debisette & Vessey, 2011). Health providers in most cases do not put into consideration the social background and other relevant information concerning patients. Patients who have chronic diseases are vulnerable to these disadvantages since they have to spend so much money. In addition insurance companies only cater for the first expenses rather than helping out patients through the entire periods they are sick. Therefore this paper will focus on the analyzing the growth and changes in the practice of nursing considering concepts such as continuum of care, Accountable Care Organizations, medical homes and nurse managed health clinics. Through the Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), doctors and nurses have been able to provide quality care to patients in the least expensive ways possible (Debisette & Vessey, 2011). The ACO brings together the needs of patients such as homecare, primary care and other useful services that will ensure patients receive attention from the medical officers. The ACO ensures that patients do not get each care separately but in deed get all the care they need integrated which ensures all their needs are catered for. Nurse managed health clinics are community based clinics which ensure that healthcare is provided to patients at standardized costs. Healthcare has been a burden to patients because of the increasing costs which deter patients from getting quality healthcare services. The problem of cost related healthcare concerns is solved by the nurse managed clinics which ensure quality healthcare services reach the common people (Debisette & Vessey, 2011).
Through the Continuity or continuum of care, the nursing field has and will continue evolving in the continuity of care management since patients need to be handled with care. The nursing filed continue evolving in the integration of systems that will ensure continuum of care takes place. The continuum of care can be defined as a system which is patient oriented that takes place over a life time, composed of all mechanisms and care services, tracks and guides patients throughout with the help of a comprehensive health care, mental care and other important services that ensure patients are able to survive (Murray, 2017). The continuum of care provides a number of services such as acute care, wellness programs and other services needed by patients. Due to its nature of providing all services to the patients, the continuum of care cannot be seamless. Community based programs, diseases management techniques, health information systems and case management services are examples of services initiated by the continuum of care in ensuring patients are well catered for (Paschke, 2017). The nursing industry is currently shifting from the episodic care system to the flawless continuum of care which will ensure doctors and nurses provide follow up services to the patients. Through introduction of the medical homes patients are able to get enough health care since the patients satisfaction is enhanced and healthcare costs reduced. The healthcare sector is currently supporting all the mechanisms that will ensure medical homes successful since patients need care from doctors and nurses. Primary care is provided by nurses and doctors in the medical homes in an efficient manner that allows patients are well catered for.
Part B
Nurses are pushing to continue their education since the healthcare sector is reforming thus needing more qualified medical personnel that will adapt to the changes and reforms (Buerhaus, 2016). Nurses feel that they need more knowledge concerning healthcare as the sector continues to grow so that they cannot be left behind. The online nursing degree programs have come up which allow nurses to gain knowledge on the changes that have come with healthcare. The nurses continue to practice nursing while earning higher education levels. Nurses feel they need to gain more knowledge in order to provide quality healthcare to the patients. For the nurses to achieve meeting the changing demands of patients, they need to increase their levels of education and training. There are increasing job opportunities for nurses since some nurses have opted on going back to school without practicing nursing which have been a challenge in the healthcare reform (Buerhaus, 2016). Nurses feel that they need the modern skills in the nursing field for them to provide quality medical care to patients. the increasing numbers of patients will lead to increased numbers of nurses thus institutions have come up in provision of modern training in nursing that will ensure nurses are qualified and in line with the new requirements. Nurses have to keep in line with the increasing technologies in the healthcare field. Nurses are required to remain sharp in learning how to use new equipments and machines that will enable chronic diseases get cured (Buerhaus, 2016). Electronic health record systems have been introduced as well as other new technology such as remote monitoring devices which nurses have to learn how to use. Apps have been introduced which enable nurses to know when they are learning late. These are new reforms that will ensure the healthcare sector improves. Through implementing these changes and reforms, quality healthcare at reduced costs will be made possible.
Nurses help patients stay at the most favorable level of wellness. Nurses feel that it is their responsibility to give optimum care to patients since they have been trained to do that. Nurses keep away complication from patients through taking care of them and whatever they need. The current sick model ensure nurses check patients and ensure they are progressing on well (Buerhaus, 2016). Nurses act as the primary care setting in the healthcare systems thus know and understand patients. The nurse is the first person patients see and is the one who determines whether the patients are in the health illness continuum (Slatyer et al, 2016). Nurses ensure that patients get care since the nursing field is all about wellness programs and prevention. Nurses are well prepared to see the healthcare reforms take place since they will ensure their services are provided in the best way possible using the modern facilities. Nurses ensure they provide chronic care management, homecare, school care and other services that ensure people remain healthy (Buerhaus, 2016). Nurses are taught on community based programs where they learn how to take care of the community’s heath. Acute care will still be important but community care will be of more importance since nurses will provide healthcare to the community. The aging population is current on the increase which means that nurses will require being competent in that sector so that they can take care of the aging population (Buerhaus, 2016). It is the concern of nurses that through the healthcare reforms, the patient numbers is expected to increase. The fear most nurses have is that hospitals will not add more nurses thus they will have to overwork.
Nurses feel that most people who initially did not afford medical care will flock in the hospitals which mean that it will be hard for current nurses to handle the increasing populations. Hospitals will need to employ more nurses who will be able to handle the high populations. The heath reform law focuses more on rewarding quality healthcare unlike quantity meaning that hospitals have to employ more workforces (Slatyer et al, 2016). The reform law focuses on providing community care to the community people at affordable costs. The mortality rate has been on the rise due to unaffordable heath cost which the heath reform needs to minimize. The law basically supports provision of healthcare services in the communities. Nurse managed heath clinics, school based clinics, homecare and rural healthcare services are some of the improvements the heath law is advocating for (Slatyer et al, 2016). The programs are basically ensuring that healthcare is provided to the community. The healthcare reform is ensuring healthcare is provided to the community so that people can easily afford. In addition, the reform is advocating for certain services to be provided in hospitals. Such services include; disaster prepared services, trauma care services, wellness and prevention programs among many other that will ensure people are catered for in an all-round system (Slatyer et al, 2016). The healthcare reform, from nurses’ point of view will ensure nurses are trained in the best way possible so that they can provide quality services to the patients. Nurses are basically involved in ensuring quality and safety thus ensuring patients satisfaction.
References
Debisette, A. T., & Vessey, J. A. (2011). Nursing workforce issues. New York: Springer.
Murray, E. J. (2017). Nursing leadership and management for patient safety and quality care.
Paschke, Susan M. 2017. "American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing Position Paper: The Role of the Registered Nurse in Ambulatory Care." Nursing Economic$ 35, no. 1: 39-47. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 29, 2017)
Buerhaus, P. I. (2016). Data Watch. Recent Changes in the Number of Nurses Graduating from Undergraduate and Graduate Programs. Nursing Economic$, 34(1), 46-48.
Slatyer, S., Coventry, L. L., Twigg, D., & Davis, S. (2016). Professional practice models for nursing: a review of the literature and synthesis of key components. Journal Of Nursing Management, 24(2), 139-150. doi:10.1111/jonm.12309
