Introduction
Various nursing care models characterize healthcare delivery in the contemporary healthcare centers. Some of the models that medical practitioners undertake as they deliver services to patients include team nursing, total patient care, functional, and primary nursing. During my time in a certain hospital that is near our home, I observed a process of service delivery, which followed team-nursing model of service delivery. The process qualified to be a team-nursing model of service delivery because of the manner in which medical practitioners served the patients. The registered nurses provided medications and supervised the assistants, who engaged in activities such as bathing the patients and undertaking other miscellaneous activities that concerned service delivery. Notably, the team worked together under the leadership of the registered nurses and doctors, who authorized major operations in the hospital. The model was all-inclusive and all nurses participated in service delivery. Therefore, the essay summarizes two journals related to team nursing model and two journals that discuss primary nursing model, provides observations, and recommends a model that could improve healthcare service delivery.
Summary of Scholarly Articles
Related to the Team Nursing Model
The Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, titled ‘Team Nursing: Experiences of Nurse Managers in Acute Care Settings’ and Collegian titled ‘The Trials and Tribulations of Team-Nursing’ are articles which discuss the team nursing model that I observed. The Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing highlights the practicability of team nursing model in healthcare. According to Ferguson and Cioffi (2011), team nursing is one of the models practiced by heath centers in the world. In their perspective, the model ensures satisfaction and high-end service delivery to patients. The article states that unlike other forms of personalized care, team nursing ensures that nurses work together following the directives of registered nurses. By working together as a team, nurses not only deliver high-end services to patients, but also advance their skills. Furthermore, instances of errors reduce because the assistants work under the leadership of registered nurses, who have the requisite medical expertise.
Consequently, the Collegian article titled ‘The Trials and Tribulations of Team-Nursing’ provides an in-depth study on the challenges linked to successful utility of team nursing model in healthcare. In the perspective of O’Connell, Duke, Bennett, Crawford, and Korfiatis (2006), team nursing is one of the models that optimize employee performance in hospitals. Optimization of employees according to the article emanates from the fact that all nurses and their assistants participate in delivering services to several patients with different ailments. Additionally, the nurses acquire more skills and become multitalented, a factor that is critical in modern service delivery. The article plays a very important role in bringing to the fore the key aspects of team nursing model in its quest to ensure that the healthcare sector adopts and fully utilizes the model in execution of their services.
Related to Primary Nursing Model
The Journal of Advanced Nursing titled ‘Evidence to Inform Staff Mix Decision-Making: A Focused Literature Review ‘and Nurse Admin Journal titled ‘Integrated Primary Nursing, a Care Delivery Model for the 21st-Century Knowledge Worker’ discuss the primary nursing model. Concisely the articles explain the essence of practicing the model in healthcare centers. To substantiate the importance of primary nursing model, Jost, Bonnell, Chacko, and Parkinson (2010) elucidate that the model increases the quality of care accorded to patients. According to the article, the time spent by nurses with patients, which is higher as opposed to other forms of nursing care models, leads to development of a good relationship. When the relationship between the nurses and patients improve, the quality of services becomes personalized. In the modern society, several individuals expect to receive personalized attention from service providers, which include the health sector. Therefore, the inception of primary nursing model in hospitals is instrumental in matching patient needs with services.
It is imperative to explain that the expertise of nurses concerning a certain ailment improves when they get more time with the patient. The time accorded to the registered nurses helps them to ask questions concerning a particular disease, and in turn, understand the factors that could be useful in addressing the ailment. The Nurse Admin article authored by Harris and Hall (2012) states that when patients become acquainted with their nurses, they open up and provide some information, which could be vital in improving the quality of services delivered by the facility. The nurses then channel the information to the hospital’s management in the attempt to convert the expectations into services. The article states that the information provided by the patients could otherwise be unavailable in congested wards where nurses handle the patients using less personalized nursing care models. Notably the article expounds its scope by presenting the study with findings that validate the essence of the model if medical practitioners around the globe adopt and utilize it.
Observations about the Implementation of the Current Nursing Care Models and Recommendations on a Model that can Improve the Quality of Healthcare
Notably, several healthcare facilities in modern societies deliver their services using team-nursing models. The wide employment of team nursing model transpires because it facilitates increased delivery of medical, services to a large number of patients. In addition, the model optimizes employee utility. Unlike personalized nursing care models practiced by few hospitals, team-nursing model is less expensive. In effect, a healthcare centre, which has few registered nurses and doctors can effectively utilize the model, as it only requires their supervision and minimal participation.
In the context of a model that can boost the level of satisfaction, safety, and quality of service delivery in medical centers, I recommend application of total patient care model. It is fundamental to explain that total patient care is a model that reduces cases of mistakes in service delivery and creates a good rapport between the practitioners and the patients. According to the study undertaken by the Association of Registered Nurses of British of Columbia (2015), the number of patients in need of personalized nursing is on the rise. The rising demand for personalized medical attention and care is one of the reasons that compels countries to institute polices, which promote total patient care model of service delivery in the healthcare sector.
Conclusion
Nursing care models are very practical in determining the quality of services delivered by health centers. My experience and lessons that I learnt out of the observations increased my knowledge in nursing care models and their role in dictating the overall delivery of medical services. I have learnt that a wrong choice of nursing care model leads to dissatisfaction from patients, whereas a correct choice advances the overall position and reputation of a particular healthcare facility.
References
Association of Registered Nurses of British of Columbia. (2015). Position Paper. Association of Registered Nurses of British of Columbia, 1(1), 1-5.
Ferguson, L., & Cioffi, J. (2011). Team Nursing: Experiences of Nurse Managers in Acute Care Settings. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28(4), 5-11.
Harris, A., & Hall, M. (2012). Evidence to Inform Staff Mix Decision-Making: A Focused Literature Review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 55(6), 757–769.
Jost, S., Bonnell, M., Chacko, S., & Parkinson, D. (2010). Integrated Primary Nursing, a
Care Delivery Model for the 21st-Century Knowledge Worker. Nurse Admin, 3(34), 208-216.
O’Connell, B., Duke, M., Bennett, P., Crawford, S., & Korfiatis, V. (2006). The Trials and Tribulations of Team-Nursing. Collegian, 13(3), 11-17.