Question

deseibe the future role of nurse practioners in an interdisciplinary US health care delivery system. How could technology be incorporated

Answer 1

Change in the landscape of health care system and change in the profile of the population requires system to undergo a fundamental shift to provide patient-centered care:

• deliver more primary as opposed to specialty care
• deliver more care in the community rather than the acute care setting
• provide seamless care
• enable all health professionals to practice to the full extent of their education, training, and competencies
• and foster inter-professional collaboration

Achieving such a shift will enable the health care system to provide higher-quality care, reduce errors, and increase safety. Providing care in this way and in these areas taps traditional strengths of the nursing profession. Nurses are so well poised to address these needs by virtue of their numbers, scientific knowledge, and adaptive capacity that the health care system should take advantage of the contributions they can make by assuming enhanced and re-conceptualized roles.

Nursing is one of the most versatile occupations within the health care workforce. In the 150 years since Florence Nightingale developed and promoted the concept of an educated workforce of caregivers for the sick, modern nursing has reinvented itself a number of times as health care has advanced and changed. As a result of the nursing profession’s versatility and adaptive capacity, new career pathways for nurses have evolved, attracting a larger and more broadly talented applicant pool and leading to expanded scopes of practice and responsibilities for nurses. Nurses have been an enabling force for change in health care along many dimensions. Among the many innovations that a versatile, adaptive, and well-educated nursing profession have helped make possible are

• the evolution of the high-technology hospital;
• the possibility for physicians to combine office and hospital practice;
• lengths of hospital stay that are among the shortest in the world;
• reductions in the work hours of resident physicians to improve patient safety;
• expansion of national primary care capacity;
• improved access to care for the poor and for rural residents;
• respite and palliative care, including hospice;
• care coordination for chronically ill and elderly people; and
• greater access to specialty care and focused consultation (e.g., incontinence consultation, home parenteral nutrition services, and sleep apnea evaluations) that complement the care of physicians and other providers.

With every passing decade, nursing has become an increasingly integral part of health care services, so that a future without large numbers of nurses is impossible to envision.

Recent regulatory and policy developments give NPs the opportunity to be facilitators of cost-effective care models that improve access and quality of care. In an evolving health care system, NPs can positively impact health care delivery by focusing on health promotion, health maintenance, and prevention. In acute and primary care settings, NPs have a pivotal role in meeting the health care needs of an expanding, aging, and chronically ill population. Around the world, the NP’s role must continue to be developed and clarified to benefit health care systems and health care consumers. NPs must seize the current opportunity to advance the role of the NP and must collaborate to transform and improve health care globally.

Recent regulatory and policy developments give nurse practitioners (NPs) the opportunity to be facilitators of cost-effective care models that improve access and quality of care. In an evolving health care system, NPs can positively impact health care delivery by focusing on health promotion, health maintenance, and prevention. In acute and primary care settings, NPs have a pivotal role in meeting the health care needs of an expanding, aging, and chronically ill population. Around the world, the NP’s role must continue to be developed and clarified to benefit health care systems and health care consumers. NPs must seize the current opportunity to advance the role of the NP and must collaborate to transform and improve health care globally.

The application of modern technologies is an essential factor required for the advancement of nursing. Health care itself and continuous monitoring of patients requires using of Information-communication system. However, information-communication system is essential for efficient implementation of nursing documentation and effective providing of health care. Information technology in health care involves the processing and application of information and easier access to patient’s history of care. Data entry, data conversion into useful information, and the application of data affecting the health care system are the factors included in this process.

Recent technological advancements have drastically changed how care providers manage data and deliver services. For this reason, both entry-level and experienced nurses continually learn new technologies, while nursing schools develop innovative curriculums that serve the new caregiving environment. The most notable changes have occurred in the field of healthcare information technology (HIT), where providers use powerful software and hardware to manage patient records. By combining HIT with electronic health records (EHRs) and administrative data, organizations perform more efficiently. Practitioners of informatics use HIT to maximize the utility of EHRs to store, analyze and make critical decisions using real-time patient data. The following benefits represent the latest operational improvements realized through health information technology.

• Increased Patient Safety
• Improved Scheduling
• Reduced Test and Procedure Redundancy
• Efficient Care Coordination
• Faster Lab Results
• Increased Patient Information Accessibility
• Enhanced Performance Analysis
• Streamlined Records Administration
• Reduced Hospital Stays
• Reduced Operational Costs

Technologies used by nurses offer the means for preventing errors and adverse events (e.g., medication errors, miscommunications, delays in treatment, and adverse events—such as failure to rescue, nosocomial infections, pressure ulcers, falls, and complications of immobility). Yet technology also introduces unintended side effects and opportunities for failures.

Telehealth is becoming a vital process for providing access to cost-effective quality care to patients at a distance. As such, it is important for nurse practitioners, often the primary providers for rural and disadvantaged populations, to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to utilize telehealth technologies in practice.

Below are some of the new technologies nurse practitioner can incorporate:

• Automated IV pumps: Automated IV pumps control the dosages and drips given to patients. Software and medical tech allows nurses to change the drip amounts and medication doses so patients aren’t waiting for changes. Automated IV pumps help speed up nursing processes, and can be crucial if there is a need for immediate adjustment. Changing medication through an automated process also removes elements of human error that could present issues for clinical patients and hospitals. Automated IV kits give nurses opportunities to focus on other areas of work, instead of having to measure and give medication or food.
• Portable monitors: Portable monitor equipment allows nursing professionals to check up on patients even if they are on the move, or busy helping someone else. Portable devices monitor vital signs like ECG, respiratory rates, and oxygen saturations while transmitting the information back to a central monitor. This means that nurses will get an alarm notification if there is any emergency. Most hospitals have nurses check on levels hourly. Portable monitoring technology allows nurses to track and note stats at the right time, even if there are a lot of other things going on. This helps patients be constantly monitored from anywhere in the hospital, and the alerts and alarms sent to nurses through the portable monitor can save lives.
• Smart beds: Smart bed technology can help nurses track movement, weight, and even vitals. Smart beds also play a major role in keeping patients safe and comfortable during a long hospital stay. With the number of falls and patient injuries inside hospitals, smart beds are very important for patient safety. Smart bed technology gives nurses a constant monitor in a room that provides them with regular updates and communications on a patient’s activities. It can also help them identify patterns, which can lead to a new diagnosis or a different understanding of a condition. Nurses also spend less time coming in and adjusting supplies and medical equipment for comfort or safety, because they can help control that with their smart bed. It allows providers to get back to other important work that needs to be done by humans.
• Wearable devices: Wearable devices and mobile apps are transforming the healthcare industry. Devices that help track heart rates, exercise, sleep, respiration, and more, are helping people take their health into their own hands. Wearable devices from health tracking, to specific patient monitoring, are often called the future of healthcare. With access to huge amounts of data, wearable devices can help the entire healthcare process; from diagnosis to recovery.
• Electronic health records: Electronic health records (EHR) are taking over older paper filing methods. Electronic health records allow nursing experts to document care provided to patients, and retrieve information that can help prioritize care. Additionally information entered into computer systems, can then be accessed by the care team, including doctors and even patients themselves when necessary.
• Centralized command centers: One of the newest ideas for hospitals, centralized command centers, promise improved patient experiences and better ways for nurses and doctors to manage supplies, clinical technology, and capacity. This is done through software applications such as dashboards that provide real-time updates for an organization.
• Telehealth and apps: Telehealth is a new and valuable element in healthcare. Hospitals and clinics allow patients to virtually video-chat with a nurse. Patients are able to describe their symptoms, or show doctors things like rashes or bumps. This allows patients to quickly be diagnosed, without leaving the comfort of their own home. They can be told if they need to come in for further testing or diagnosis, be prescribed medicine, or given medical advice.