Evolving Practice of Nursing and Patient Care Delivery Models

Part 1: Evolving Practice of Nursing

Advancement in health care technology and other components of care have contributed to some of the remarkable changes experienced in the health care system over the years. Change in nursing education and nursing practice, for instance, have improved the process of care delivery to the patients. Nurses have become key figures as well as invaluable instruments in promoting change in healthcare. The transformation of the nursing education has produced highly experienced professionals who provide quality care at all points of care. However, the changing dynamics together with the complexities of the modern health care system subjects it to a wide range of challenges.

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Some of these challenges include the shortage of nurses, increased patient population, and a lack of resources among others (Joel, 2013). Notably, also, the number of geriatric patient populations has increased since advancement in health technology leads to the delivery of quality care which improves the quality of life of patients and increases life expectancy (Cherry &Jacob, 2016). An increase in the number of geriatric patients, as well as other patient populations, appears to have outgrown the current supply of nurses. The dynamic and ever-changing needs of the patient populations imply that traditional tactics have limited capability to address these needs fully (Joel, 2013).

Most of the existing challenges in the health care system can only be resolved by a competent team of health professionals with excellent leadership and problem-solving skills. The continuing changes in nursing practice models also have the potential to address various healthcare problems (Joel, 2013). For instance, it is expected that the operationalization of the Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) will promote the recognition of the medical homes model patients (Mason, 2015). The guiding principles of the medical homes model borrow heavily from the saving concept of the ACO. Nurses are expected to become the primary stakeholders of the medical homes ones the model is implemented patients (Mason, 2015). However, the fundamental role of nurses in delivering quality care to the patients will not change. One of the main benefits of implementing the medical homes model is that it will improve access to care besides significantly reducing the care costs.

The other remarkable aspect of the changes in the nursing profession is the development of Nurse-Managed Health Clinics (NMHCs). The NMHCs are healthcare outlets affiliated with bigger institutions such as learning institutions and big hospitals. These centers have the potential to address most of the health care problems affecting the people at the community level patients

(Mason, 2015). The other remarkable benefits associated with the construction of NMHCs are increased access to care, delivery of quality care to underserved communities and the reduction of the cost of care. Patients seeking care at the NMHCs will benefit from a wide range of services including healthier living focused services, counselling programs, health promotion, disease prevention, patient education, and smoking cessation programs (Joel, 2013).

The establishment of NMHCs has been recognized as one of the practical ways of achieving the universal health objectives. Besides improving access to care, these centers also promote continuity of care for patients presenting with chronic conditions patients (Mason, 2015).

Part 2: Summary of Feedback

Interaction with nurses and other healthcare staffers is one of the practical ways by which information concerning various changes in the health care sector can be generated. This section provides detailed information concerning the feedback of healthcare staffers on the evolving changes in the nursing profession. Some of the areas that will be addressed include the nurses take on the importance of medical homes and community care centers, as well as the changing roles of nurses and other care providers in clinics and major health organizations (Grace, 2018).

The analysis of the feedback from the healthcare staffers revealed that their experience with the ongoing changes concurs with information from the literature. Nurses and other staffers are optimistic that the profession will continue to grow and more transformations will be witnessed in the future (Joel, 2013). Nurses also believe that the fact that the nursing profession has come from a humble beginning does limit its potential for growth. The nursing profession has undergone numerous advancements and transformations to become one of the key health care system pillars (Grace, 2018). Nurses have also pointed out that they have devised strategic ways of dealing with most of the challenges that exist in the industry. For instance, these professionals have realized the importance of recognizing health care challenges as opportunities for change.

Another notable aspect of the nursing profession is that the creation of a strong foundation on which to deliver quality care to the patients has remained a common purpose for all nurses. This unifying factor ensures that nurses remain devoted to their call despite the presence of challenges (Grace, 2018). Nurses, however, look forward to key changes in their roles and responsibilities as a way of improving their competence and capacity to offer quality primary care to the patients.

It is irrefutable that in the future nursing practice will be characterized by increased collaboration between care providers and other stakeholders (Grace, 2018). This collaboration will culminate in improved problem solving, better medical decisions and improved health care services delivery. It has also been noted that healthcare staffers will employ a more patientfocused approach besides using integrated systems to deliver care to diverse patient populations. The development and implementation of Nurse-Managed Health Clinics (NMHCs) have been termed as a noteworthy stride towards the growth of integrating systems. The NMHCs are invaluable community resources since they improve access to care and ensure minority and underserved community members are provided with quality care (Ely, 2015). Nurses argue that since the fundamental objective of the NMHCs is to serve as critical access points to patient care, they have a great potential to reduce visit to emergency departments (Ely, 2015). The huge amount of money used in emergency care services will subsequently be used in developmental activities. It is agreeable that the NHMCs will establish the base where nurses will be provided with an opportunity to demonstrate their competence and economic value (Cherry & Jacob, 2016).

It is also anticipated that changes in the nursing profession will be amalgamated with other strong components of nursing practice to develop a modernized structure that can improve primary care and integrate it into community-based nursing frameworks (Grace, 2018). Such an eventuality will result in better care for the underserved members of the community. It is highly likely that the contributions of nurses and other health care staffers will be leveraged thereby making patients the prime beneficiaries of the renovated care system. New models of care will typify the care delivery processes of the future, adoption of paperless strategies, the transition to Accountable Care Organizations and extensive use of evidence-based principles (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). It is undeniable that technology will occupy the core of the health care system. The integration of health information technology into nursing practice has been supported extensively. Health care reform activists believe that technology will eliminate redundant process and other tedious documentation activities that add no value to the care delivery processes (Grace, 2018). Since technology can transform the manner in which care is delivered at all levels, consumers will benefit from prompt delivery of services, improved medical decisions and better outcome of care. The documentation and storage, as well as retrieval of patient health information, will be revolutionized (Grace, 2018). The safety of patient health information will be improved, and care providers will easily share this information with other health team members. Information from various literature sources has highlighted some of the potential benefits of integrating technology into nursing practice. Nurses agree with YoderWise (2014) that the evaluation of care processes will be improved since all health details will be stored electronically. Technology will also be used in the comprehensive evaluation of nursing practice to identify some the challenging areas. For instance, technology will assist hospital administrators to rate the performance of nurses and calculate the ration of nurses to patients in the hospital.