In this project, 2 performance improvement (PI) methodologies were used to evaluate the process of nursing admission and history collection. Nurses have a responsibility to methodically assess bedside care, ensuring that practice changes do not merely add on to an often inefficient workload but add value. This article illustrates the use of PI to modify the initial nursing inpatient admission assessment process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdequate nurse staffing is inextricably linked to patient outcomes and, although optimal staffing levels for inpatient hospital units are widely debated, staffing standards for critical care areas such as intensive care units may be less variable. Even established staffing levels cannot guarantee adequate staffing. The nursing workforce shortage has affected all areas of nursing practice, but perhaps no area more severely than critical care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContemporary patient care demands expert nurses with advanced clinical judgment and reasoning abilities. Expertise develops for an extended experiential learning process of 5 years or more and cannot be accomplished through educational preparation alone. Current approaches to orientations, residencies, and care delivery do not support the learning curve to expert practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContemporary patient care requires sophisticated clinical judgment and reasoning in all nurses. However, the level of development regarding these abilities varies within a staff. Traditional care models lack the structure and process to close the expertise gap creating potential patient safety risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza is a serious vaccine-preventable disease affecting 20% of the U.S. population each year.
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