Introduction
Nursing science has advanced extensively over the past few decades due to the introduction of innovative technologies, the creation of new theories, and the identification of other tools that allow improving patient outcomes. Among the key changes, the shift toward quality combined with sustainability should be deemed as the step that marked a new era in nursing. The recent concern for the quality of care and especially the focus on sustainability can be seen as the endeavor to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration and, therefore, an essential aspect of making patient outcomes better. By following the idea of sustainability, contemporary nursing science has built the platform for transdisciplinary cooperation and the rise in patient safety rates.
Quality and Safety Measures in Nursing Science Today
Due to the necessity for nurses to address a wide variety of health concerns and target a very diverse demographic, the concepts of quality and safety are frequently environment- and patient-specific. However, there are general principles of quality and safety applied to the nursing science context. At present, the phenomenon of quality in nursing science is typically defined as the provision of timely and effective services to patients (Edvardsson, Watt, & Pearce, 2017).
In other words, quality is characterized by the speed of service delivery and the effects that the proposed measures produce. Safety, in turn, is regarded as the ability to prevent any harm to patients (Rabelo-Silva et al., 2017). Patient safety includes both physical well-being and the security of patients’ personal information.
At present, the efforts of raising quality and safety measures have a profound impact on the development of nursing science. Specifically, new tools for managing the needs of patients allow addressing health concerns not only on a personal level but also on a community level and even a nationwide scale (Edvardsson et al., 2017). As a result, modern nursing science advances, with innovative measures for handling health issues faced by vulnerable groups being created regularly.
Similarly, the emphasis on safety leads to the exploration of new areas in nursing science, especially in regard to innovative technologies. With the introduction of Electronic Health Records (EHR), healthcare organizations have managed to set all patients’ data in order (Rabelo-Silva et al., 2017). However, alongside the identified improvement, the threat to patients’ privacy emerged. Therefore, innovations in safety, as well as the emergence of new opportunities and threats, move the nursing science forward, encouraging unceasing progress.
Applying Quality and Safety Measures in Nursing Science: An Example
Numerous means of introducing the concepts of quality and safety into the realm of nursing science have been undertaken so far. IT tools have been incorporated into patients’ data management and especially the identification of health concerns after the transfer of patients from the environment of a healthcare facility to the home setting (Adam, Osborne, & Welch, 2017). However, when defining some of the most recent changes in the quality and safety measurement in nursing, one has to mention the idea of voluntary public reporting that has been introduced lately.
The data received from patients has informed recent decisions, including the need to explain to patients the impact that medications produce on them and the necessity to maintain patient-nurse communication (Cho, Mark, Knafl, Chang, & Yoon, 2017). The specified scenario is a perfect example of how quality and safety measures can be applied to nursing science. By using an evidence-based approach and receiving information directly from patients, one can determine the problems that people have with nursing services. As a result, strategies for improving nursing care can be designed.
One should admit that the described example of applying safety and quality measures in nursing is far from being flawless. For instance, by relying completely on the data provided by patients, it may eventually suffer from biased opinions. Nevertheless, it is critical to understand what causes dissatisfaction and nurse-patient communication problems currently to improve the existing services and promote well-being across communities. The resulting change in perspective will help to promote quality and safety.
In addition, the significance of nurse education and the acquisition of new competencies has risen recently. For example, the use of standardization in the nursing setting has affected the efficacy of care and allowed studying the methods of reducing medical errors in healthcare (Ausserhofer et al., 2016). The transfer to the idea of standardization has its problems, particularly the rigid framework that may impede the implementation of a patient-specific approach. However, it is also beneficial for the rearrangement of the existing nursing science principles and their further improvement. Particularly, by introducing rigid guidelines, one will reduce the threat of a medical error and organize the workflow, setting priorities in line.
Furthermore, the example provided by Swart, Pretorius, and Klopper (2015) indicates that nurses’ perception of safety is also an important factor in reducing the number of accidents and providing proper care. The study shows that nursing science will benefit significantly from an in-depth understanding of nurses’ perception of quality care. An insight into the way in which nursing experts define the idea of care will allow stretching the
Analyzing Healthcare Program’s Outcomes: Quality and Components
The quality and safety measures described above will provide the platform for cross-disciplinary collaboration among nurses. The specified idea has been the focus of the nursing science for a while, with the assumption that collaboration is a crucial component of a health care program. Indeed, in order to assess the efficacy of a healthcare program, one needs to define how well healthcare staff members can cooperate. The ability of nurses, therapists, and other members of the healthcare system to work in a team defines the success of a program or an intervention aimed at addressing a particular health concern (Kim, Yoo, & Seo, 2018). Therefore, the specified item should be regarded as a crucial component of a healthcare program.
In addition, the tools for communication management are an inseparable element of a healthcare program. The selection of appropriate communication devices and strategies determines the success of patient education and awareness-raising efforts (Pelicand, Fournier, Le Rhun, & Aujoulat, 2015).
A nurse has to be capable of integrating various communication tools for maintaining the dialogue with the target community. Finally, to ensure that a healthcare program is accomplished successfully, one will need to introduce the principles of an evidence-based approach toward project implementation. There is a possibility that, while implementing the program, one will come across information that may redefine the scope of the management process. Thus, flexibility and the promotion of change should also be seen as important components of a healthcare program.
Conclusion
The current tendency to use the principles of sustainability in advancing nursing science has led to a focus on transdisciplinary collaboration and, thus, a rapid increase in the quality of care. Due to the introduction of patient-centered approaches and the use of technological advances to improve key nursing processes, the issue of safety and especially data security has become one of the primary concerns for nursing over the past several years.
Therefore, it is satisfying to see that contemporary nursing science utilizes all available tools to address the specified concern and meet the increasing safety requirements. Overall, the course of modern nursing science can be described as sustainability-driven, which is crucial for the enhancement of quality and communication between a nurse and a patient. By exploring the opportunities that cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary communication provides, a nurse will be capable of preventing health issues, encouraging patient education, and managing health concerns.
References
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