Nursing quality models have been in use for several decades as a way of guiding activities of nurses in institutions of care. Emerging environmental forces are redefining position of nurses in healthcare institutions. Nurses currently find themselves in a position where they have to make critical decisions without directions from doctors (Hughes, Kinder, & Cooper, 2012). As such, a need emerged for new nursing quality models which are different from the traditional ones that emphasized on the need for nurses to seek for guidance from medical doctors before making decisions on patient care. The researcher met with a nurse leader and discussed nursing quality model they utilize. The nurse leader informed the researcher that at her institution, they use Patient-Centered Care Model.
How Nurses Fit Into the Quality Model in the Organization
This model creates a platform where cross-functional terms of assistive care personnel and professionals work as a single unit to achieve a common goal. It is a patient-oriented approach and emphasizes on the need for nurses to work with specific groups of patients till they are discharged from hospital. Nurses fit into this quality model in this organization because they are the facilitator (Bateman, 2012). This model allows registered nurses to work with other assistive care professions, but the nurses are always in charge. In each team of caregivers, the leader is always a registered nurse who is expected to offer guidance to other team members on how to offer the best quality care to the patients. In the interview, it was noted that the institution allows nursing students in their final years at nursing colleges to work closely with nurses in offering care to the patients. However, the model strictly requires the registered nurses to always be at the center-stage in offering care to the patients.
Role of Nurse Staffing to Patient Ratio and How Safety is Affected
When using Patient-Centered Care Model, nurse staffing to patient care ratio matters a lot. This model emphasizes on the need for nurses to give patients personalized care. When using this model, patient should come into contact with as few medical staff as possible. It demands that the ratio of nurse to patient be as high as possible. Patients should have specific nurses involved in offering care to them. For nurses to give their patients personalized care as demanded for in this model, it is necessary to ensure that they are assigned manageable number of patients. According to Fuhrman (2011), one of the factors that compromise the quality of care is the fact that sometimes a nurse is assigned to work with numerous patients, making it impossible to meet the expectation of each patient. At this institution, the management is keen on enhancing safety of both patients and nurses. The safety is achieved by having fair nurses to patients’ ratio.
Nurse-Sensitive Quality Indicators and Reporting Tools
It was established, based on the interview with the nurse leader, that the institution uses four main nurse-sensitive indicators. The first indicator is patient satisfaction with pain management (Tolson, Booth, & Schofield, 2011). The patients are encouraged to express their feelings about how their pain is managed by the nurses. The second and third indicators are patient satisfaction with nursing care and patient satisfaction with overall care (Glembocki & Fitzpatrick, 2013). The last indicator is nurse job satisfaction (Huston, 2014). The reporting tool used in the four indicators is direct interview with the patients. The supervisor and nurse would engage nurses and patients to determine their level of satisfaction.
How the Bedside Nurse is Part of the Quality Model
Patient-Centered Care Model focuses on the need to give patients personalized care. Bedside nurses play a critical part of this model. These nurses always ensure that needs of patients are addressed whenever it is necessary. When using this model, bedside nurses are play primary role in monitoring progress of hospitalized patients. Every time a patient is in need of nurses’ attention, they are always available to meet the desired needs. Their work defines how satisfied patients are with the nursing care and overall care offered at the institution. Their availability helps in ensuring that cases of emergency
The Mission, Vision, and Value Statement of the Organization
The mission, vision, and value statements of the organization are in line with the quality plan discussed above. The researcher requested the nurse leader to outline the vision, mission, and value statements of this organization.
Mission Statement
To continuously offer high value healthcare care services to our clients
Vision Statement
To be the leading regional healthcare provider
Value Statement
Core values: Research, teamwork, and corporate partnership
The statements above show that this organization is keen on offering their patients the best value possible. The management has been working closely with nurses to ensure that needs of the patients are met as stated in the mission statement. The nurse leader who was interviewed stated that nurses are regularly reminded about the mission of the organization and their role within this institution. They are always motivated to ensure that they deliver the best service possible.
References
Bateman, N. (2012). The business of nurse management: A toolkit for success. New York, NY: Springer.
Fuhrman, B. P. (2011). Pediatric critical care. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders.
Glembocki, M., & Fitzpatrick, J. (2013). Advancing professional nursing practice: Relationship-based care and the ANA standards of professional nursing practice. New York, NY: Cengage.
Hughes, R., Kinder, A., & Cooper, C. (2012). International handbook of workplace trauma support. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Huston, C. J. (2014). Professional issues in nursing: Challenges & opportunities. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.
Tolson, D., Booth, J., & Schofield, I. (2011). Evidence informed nursing with older people. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.