Patient Center Care as a Competency of Quality and Safety Education for Nurses
Although nurses are usually viewed as well-educated and high-skilled professionals, specific quality standards for their practice were reformulated in the context of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) project in 2007. The focus was on defining particular knowledge, skills, and attitudes for such competencies as patient-centered care, quality improvement, safety, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, and informatics (Sherwood & Zomorodi, 2014). While speaking about the relevance of these competencies for the development of the practicum project related to the problem of preventing complications associated with the use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and their reinsertion, it is important to concentrate on patient-centered care as a key competency.
Patient-centered care is defined concerning the necessity of recognizing patients as partners who can participate in controlling care, and much attention should be paid to patients’ needs and preferences (Flagg, 2015). This type of care is demonstrated when nurses concentrate on communication with patients to learn about their concerns, wishes, and needs (Lyle-Edrosolo & Waxman, 2016). For patients with PICCs, communication is very important to control the quality of care and predict any problems or complications. Therefore, the focus should be on respecting patients and their visions and values.
Patient Center Care Competency in Nurses’ Practice
While focusing on such specific QSEN competency as patient-centered care, what associated knowledge, skills, and attitudes should be taken into account to improve nurses’ practice? It is important to note that nurses’ knowledge regarding patient-centered care and associated aspects is rather diverse. Nurses should understand a variety of care forms while paying attention to patients’ preferences and backgrounds, coordination of care, communication, emotional support, and education (Hinds, 2013). Furthermore, nurses are expected to recognize the principles of pain management, concentrate on safety and quality of care, as well as to involve not only patients but also their families in treatment procedures.
When nurses realize all the listed aspects of patient-centered care, they apply their knowledge to practice with the focus on their skills and attitudes. For instance, nurses who work with patients who have PICCs are expected to demonstrate such skills as the provision of the patient-centered response to persons’ needs and concerns while respecting patients’ values; the assessment of the physical pain and emotional state; the involvement of patients and families in care activities; the elimination of any patients’ sufferings (Onge & Parnell, 2015). These activities require a lot of effort, and nurses are expected to demonstrate such attitudes as the respect for patients’ values and visions as well as the acknowledgment of their needs and desires.
Mind Map
References
Flagg, A. J. (2015). The role of patient-centered care in nursing. Nursing Clinics of North America, 50(1), 75-86.
Hinds, L. E. (2013). Patient-centered care: A nursing priority. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 44(1), 10-11.
Lyle-Edrosolo, G., & Waxman, K. T. (2016). Aligning healthcare safety and quality competencies: Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), the Joint Commission, and American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Standards Crosswalk. Nurse Leader, 14(1), 70-75.
Onge, J. L., & Parnell, R. B. (2015). Patient-centered care and patient safety: A model for nurse educators. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 10(1), 39-43.
Sherwood, G., & Zomorodi, M. (2014). A new mindset for quality and safety: The QSEN competencies redefine nurses’ roles in practice. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 41(1), 15-22.