Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare system and these professionals use their skills to care for patients and promote positive health outcomes. The role of nurses in the healthcare industry has changed significantly over the decades. Clarke (2014) notes that historically nurses were only required to read and to record observations on various patient statistics. The nurse was not needed to interpret the observations made or react to them. This has changed and nurses today are tasked with not only recording but also interpreting patient related data. There are a number of reasons why possession of high-level assessment skills is important to nurses.
High-level assessment skills enable nurses to make better decisions when selecting the patients to be seen by the doctor first. Nurses are often tasked with setting the order in which the patients will be seen by medical staff in the health care facility. Priority is given to the patients whose condition requires immediate attention. Clarke (2014) declares that through the high-level skills nurses are able to accurately assess patients and identify care priorities. They are therefore able to prioritize and ensure that the most urgent cases are dealt with promptly.
Possession of high-level assessment skills will contribute to increased efficiency in the hospital. The first health care practitioner that most patients get to interact with in the healthcare institute is the nurse. Clarke (2014) reveals that in some hospitals, patients are admitted to the appropriate department based on the assessment made by the nurses. Without high-level assessment skills, nurses will not be able to make accurate assessments and this will lead to inefficiency as patients are admitted to the wrong department. Possession of the assessment skills will facilitate the correct interpretation of observations ensuring that patients are sent to the department with the most appropriate interventions (Clarke, 2014). This will lead to increased efficiency by facilitating good use of the available time resources.
These skills lead to effective care by enabling nurses to detect changes in the patient and take appropriate action. When dealing with acutely ill patients, physiological changes might be a sign that the patient is about to develop critical illness. In such a situation, nurses cannot afford to record the observations and then wait for the doctor to interpret the data and make a decision. Through high-level assessment skills, the nurse can recognize changes in physiological conditions and interpret what the changes mean (Clarke, 2014). This interpretation will lead to prompt action being taken by the appropriate healthcare staff. The timely intervention will reduce the risk of serious adverse events for the patient and even their death.
Finally, possession of high-level assessment skills enables the nurse to provide adequate and appropriate information to the family members of the patient. In most cases, the nurse is required to play a communication role by keeping the family members apprised of the condition of the patient. Without the high-level skills, the nurse will not be in a position to provide adequate or accurate information and this might lead to increased anxiety among the patient’s relative. Using the high-level assessment skills, the nurse is able to acquire a lot of information about the current condition of the patient (Clarke, 2014). He/she can then provide this information to the family therefore helping to alleviate their anxieties.
The role of the modern nurse is expanding and he/she is today required to provide more services. This paper has discussed the importance of possessing high-level assessment skills. It has revealed that these skills enable nurses to prioritize patient admission to the hospital and also ensure that the patient is sent to the appropriate department. The skills also assist in quick decision making when dealing with acutely ill patients. The communication role of nurses is also enhanced by these skills. Possession of high-level assessment skills is therefore paramount for the nurse to provide optimal care.
Reference
Clarke, C. (2014). Promoting the 6Cs of nursing in patient assessment. Nursing Standard, 28(44), 52-59.