What professions come to your mind when someone mentions the medical industry? The two career paths that most people mention would be doctors and nurses. Nurses have extraordinary qualities as they put themselves at the backend and cater to other people’s needs. They stand on one foot as they have to tackle multiple responsibilities.
Nursing is one of the oldest professions as it has a long history. Although the role of nursing has changed over the years, their primary responsibility is to provide care to the patients. Today, nurses use technical means to perform their jobs as they have made performing monumental tasks convenient.
A nurse’s job is demanding and critical. They often have to work for grueling hours while demonstrating utmost diligence as they deal with the most crucial aspect of human life; health. Doctors devise the treatment plans considering patients’ diagnoses and medical conditions; nurses provide patients with emotional and medical support during their illness. Several critical patients come back to life and regain health due to the efforts of competent nurses. Skillful nurses provide patients with better medical services and can play an active role in their recovery. Nonetheless, nurses can enhance the care that leads to better patient outcomes.
Here are some ways in which nurses can improve quality healthcare:
- Hiring Sufficient Nurses
Nursing leaders and other healthcare practitioners who serve in authoritative positions can get sufficient nurses on board. Many medical organizations suffer from a shortage of nurses and force their nurses to work for excoriating hours. As a result, they work for double treble shifts, put in extra effort, affecting their efficiency. Moreover, nursing is generally a female-dominated profession, and we hardly see any male nurses. Today, the demand for male nurses is on the rise. Although the situation is slowly changing, and several men are now inclined towards making a career in nursing. Still, healthcare facilities need to hire more male nurses to improve the delivery of care. Hiring sufficient nurses will distribute the load and enable them to perform their jobs proficiently.
- Educating patients about Preventive Measures
Many people are oblivion and do not know about basic preventive measures. Unknowingly they put themselves at risk and get into health issues. Nurses can help communities in raising awareness about preventative measures. Today, when the world is dealing with a health catastrophe, COVID-19, nurses can actively educate people to be mindful of their actions and adhere to SOPs.
Apart from patients, they can also educate people about common health issues and ways to promote them. It helps them improve holistic health and reduces patients’ chances of falling prey to the same disease again.
- Practicing Open Communication
Nurses deal with patients and must be easily approachable, and they must practice open communication and be honest in their dealings. They must not sugarcoat patients’ health conditions and should be straightforward while updating patients about their conditions. Still, they must keep the element of care and compassion. Nurses come across patients from all backgrounds, and some people may be tough nuts to crack. Nurses must have practical communication skills and should speak confidently in a range of contexts. Furthermore, nurses have to work alongside other healthcare practitioners, and practicing open communication helps them collaborate. Speaking precisely and openly enables them to perform their jobs efficiently.
- Ensuring Continuity Care
Nurses deal with some patients in severe conditions who may need aftercare. Nurses must strive to maintain high-quality care and should coordinate with other medical professionals to devise care plans. They must create a clear summary of patients’ conditions that state patients’ health graphs and enable other people to provide care after discharge. Ensuring continuity care is a critical aspect of delivering healthcare and improves healthcare quality.
- Looking After Clinicians
Healthcare professionals realize that the atmosphere and surroundings of healthcare facilities greatly impact patients’ outcomes. Even the working conditions of staff have a direct effect on patients. Nurses must keep the atmosphere clean and should not let their professional issues come in front of patients. They must have cordial relations with other staff and collaborate to enhance the quality of healthcare.
In addition, nursing leaders must establish a proper working environment to improve nurses’ engagement. They must have a culture where nurses synergize to enhance healthcare quality. Improving nurses’ working conditions positively affects their working, and they perform better in their spheres.
- Providing Person-centered Healthcare Services
Modern nursing has introduced new healthcare approaches, and some have proven to be effective. In person-centric healthcare, nurses view patients as equal partners in planning and monitoring their health to meet their requirements. The person-centric approach allows nurses to provide patients individual care as per their needs and tweak their care plans that align with patients changing health conditions. The method keeps the aspect of value and respect and does not let patients’ age, location, language, or ethnicity decide their value in society. It leads to patients’ satisfaction and improved patients’ outcomes.
The patient-centric approach creates a sense of two-way respect and collaboration. This approach help nurse provides better care to the patients in severe health conditions who need support for prolonged durations.
- Exercising Empathy
Empathy is the core aspect of nursing. Nurses need to put themselves in patients’ shoes and practice compassion with them. It plays an active role in achieving patients’ satisfaction. Demonstrating active listening, asking clarifying questions, recognizing patients; feelings, and understating their views help them in practice empathy.
Nurses exercise empathy by communicating verbally and non-verbally with patients day in and day out. Putting empathy into practice every day is not easy and can tire nurses out, leading to compassion fatigue. Nurses must strive to exercise empathy in general life as it becomes their habit, and they do not have to force it. Practicing compassion enables nurses to give patients the best care and improve healthcare quality.
Conclusion
Nurses are the spine of the medical industry, and no medical facility can survive without their contribution. Aside from giving medical services, nurses often provide emotional support to patients. Modern nursing is considerably different from the previous era’s nursing, and today nurses look after many tasks. Besides, the field continues to expand and bring forth new subfields. Nurses need to equip themselves with the latest skills and stay updated with the current happenings of the nursing world. Nurses hold an important position in the medical industry and play a crucial part in improving quality care.