Improving Patients’ Health Outcomes

Subject: Nursing
Pages: 3
Words: 590
Reading time:
3 min
Study level: College

Nurse practitioners can consider various concepts, technologies, and ideas to address the health needs of their patients. This paper gives a detailed analysis of the major barriers to the use of evidence-based practice (EBP), issues surrounding the 12-hour nursing shift, and the concept of connected health. The paper outlines ideas and practices for improving patients’ health outcomes.

EBP and 12-Hour Shift

The use of evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing leads to higher levels of patient satisfaction. Unfortunately, the concept is not fully integrated into the field due to various barriers. The first one is the existing gap between practice and education. Most of the courses and learning processes fail to prepare nurses for EBP. The second issue discouraging the effective use of EBP is the absence of the required tools, resources, and mentors (Mackey & Bassendowski, 2016).

The third barrier is the absence of competent health leaders to guide the intended EBP direction. As a healthcare professional, I can consider various initiatives to promote EBP in my facility. The first one is guiding all practitioners to engage in lifelong learning. This approach will equip them with superior ideas for applying EBP efficiently. I can also encourage leaders to present the right tools, resources, and opportunities for introducing EBP.

The article, “12-Hour Nursing Shifts in Critical Care: A Service Evaluation” indicates that 12-hour shifts can be appropriate for critical care settings since they result in improved patient satisfaction. Practitioners will record proper work-life balances, complete their professional roles, and pursue their dreams. Patients will also benefit from continuous care delivery. The authors acknowledge that past studies have tried to link 12-hour shifts to increased fatigue, burnout, and poor patient outcomes (Battle & Temblett, 2018). Despite these conflicting views, I believe that the current article presents evidence-based insights for encouraging hospitals to embrace this model. Such a strategy will minimize depersonalization and emotional exhaustion.

Patient Engagement

Connected Health Potentials

The concept of connected health has become essential in the field of nursing practice. In my setting, caregivers are presently using modern technological solutions to offer insights and empower patients to engage in self-care practices (Birnbaum, Lewis, Rosen, & Ranney, 2015). I have been embracing different applications to guide and connect with my patients. This strategy encourages me to interact with individuals after being discharged. Due to the absence of proper solutions, I utilize social media platforms to respond to queries, share useful guidelines, and mentor patients to engage in self-care practices.

Engagement Tool

The selected patient engagement tool is social media. Practitioners and clinicians can choose various platforms to empower and engage their patients. These technological systems present opportunities for sharing ideas, videos, and files. I am, therefore, planning to use social media to deliver evidence-based care and support in my practice. I will consider different networks to engage individuals in need of outpatient and inpatient services (Bhavnani, Narula, & Sengupta, 2016).

The established connections will make it easier for me to guide, empower, and inform more people about the best ways to improve their health behaviors. I will go further to use different networks as powerful education tools for patients suffering from chronic conditions. I will inform them about the importance of physical exercises and healthy eating practices.

Conclusion

The above discussion has presented powerful strategies that practitioners can consider to support the power of evidence-based practice. It has also revealed that 12-hour shifts can empower both nurses and patients. The idea of connected health is also relevant since it can guide practitioners to engage, empower, and transform patients’ health outcomes.

References

Battle, C., & Temblett, P. (2018). 12-hour nursing shifts in critical care: A service evaluation. Journal of the Intensive Care Society, 19(3), 214-218. Web.

Bhavnani, S. P., Narula, J., & Sengupta, P. P. (2016). Mobile technology and the digitization of healthcare. European Heart Journal, 37(18), 1428-1438. Web.

Birnbaum, F., Lewis, D. M., Rosen, R., & Ranney, M. (2015). Patient engagement and the design of digital health. Academic Emergency Medicine, 22(6), 754-756. Web.

Mackey, A., & Bassendowski, S. (2016). The history of evidence-based practice in nursing education and practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 33(1), 51-55. Web.