Introduction
Nursing has acquired esteem as one of the most reliable careers in society. Despite the ensuing intricacy, nurses are important health professionals who touch limitless lives. They are vital to all healthcare settings and gain pleasure from the care that they offer each day. Nurses provide care to all people regardless of their age, nationality, ethnic background, or community (Griffiths, 2019). They operate determinedly to cater to the psychological, physical, and spiritual requirements of the ill and susceptible. Nonetheless, problems in the nursing field are exceptional attributable to the degree of dedication that nurses bestow on their job. For example, nurses attempt to understand their patients, satisfy their needs, and undertake a significant role in their recovery. They are entrusted with making a difference in all the patients they come across irrespective of the daily nursing challenges. To overcome the arising challenges, there is a need for nurses to understand the underlying problems, the intricacy of the healthcare environment, and possible solutions.
Challenges That Nurses Face in Care Delivery
Staffing in health institutions is a major issue for nurses. The problem of the shortage of nurses is that they do not have the time and ability to offer the care that is essential for all patients. In such circumstances, nurses develop the feeling that they are not providing sufficient care, which results in displeasure and burnout. This is referred to as moral distress and may be physically and psychologically draining when nurses fail to provide the care that they feel is necessary. The government, nurse managers, and the management of all hospitals should address staffing challenges as one step towards ensuring nurses’ satisfaction and patient safety (Buerhaus et al., 2017). An effective solution to the staffing issue necessitates a wide-ranging approach that encompasses the provision of tuition reimbursement, implementation of nurse internship and externship programs, and quickening the nursing hiring process. For tuition reimbursements, nursing students should pay upfront for their education, and then, after employment, the government should refund a fraction of the funds utilized or the total amount. For instance, there could be a $10,000 reimbursement following a year of employment in the case of newly hired nurses and $2,000 every year moving forward. This would create an attractive package that would go a long way towards improving the rate of retention.
A second challenge faced by nurses is burnout. Nurse burnout represents the concern of emotional, physical, and psychological exhaustion attributed to prolonged work-associated stressors such as lengthy working durations, pressure related to fast decision-making, and the stress of taking care of patients who only have poor outcomes. When nurses continually experience this challenge, they begin to feel disengaged and helpless. If the situation is not timely addressed with adequate self-care, it may cause sentiments of cynicism, depression, and despair (Griffiths, 2019). Burnout not only leads to increased staff turnover but also influences patient safety, a health institution’s quality of care, and health outcomes. Therefore, healthcare leadership should take actions such as training nurse managers to identify and tackle burnout. Another proven approach to address burnout among nurses should be to offer them the chance to contribute to decision making, particularly on issues that directly affect them.
The third problem experienced by nurses is workplace hazards. Nurses usually contend with hazards associated with heavy lifting during transfer or relocation of patients, operating in awkward positions, and long periods of walking and standing. Other hazards encompass exposure to infectious diseases, radiation, injuries, and noxious substances (Buerhaus et al., 2017). COVID-19 has been the most prevalent work-associated infectious disease around the world, and which has led to the death of many nurses in recent times. Possible solutions to workplace hazards include sufficient security in risky areas, annual training and development of nurses, legal proceedings against baneful parties and hospitals, and provision of adequate personal protective equipment for infectious diseases such as the coronavirus disease. Additionally, hospitals should establish high-tech handling programs and lifting machines that ease the work of nurses.
Nursing has acquired reverence as one of the most dependable careers in society. However, problems in the nursing field are extraordinary attributable to the degree of devotion that nurses bestow on their job. To overcome the occurring challenges, there is a need for nurses to comprehend the underlying problems, complexity of the healthcare environment, and likely solutions. The problem of the deficiency of nurses is that they do not have the time and capability to offer the care that is crucial for all patients. Burnout not only causes increased staff turnover, but also impinges on patient safety, a health institution’s quality of care, and health outcomes.
Institute of Medicine’s 2010 Future of Nursing Report
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report represents a thorough assessment of the nursing field. In the IOM report, the team established four vital messages. The recommendations provided centred on the crucial intersection between the medical requirements of diverse, varying patient populations and the practices of nurses (Jamison et al., 2018). The report seeks to support the endeavors to improve health provision in the United States through the work of nurses in the delivery of care. It is designed to act as the structure of the transformations in the nursing field and care delivery network. The nurse-related solutions in the IOM report call for their implementation by policymakers, the government, researchers, learning institutions, and advocacy agencies.
Effective planning and policymaking necessitate enhanced data collection and infrastructure
The fourth key message in the IOM report affirms that successful workforce development and policymaking involves facilitated data collection and enhanced information structure. Strategizing for effective, comprehensive transformations in the deployment of nurses necessitates all-inclusive data on the number and category of professionals needed to satisfy future demands. Such data are crucial in the achievement of an essential change in the health care system. Ensuring quality of care necessitates a balance of proficiencies and views among doctors and other medical experts (Friedman et al., 2017). Nevertheless, the comprehension of the influence of modes of payment, health information expertise, patient involvement, and quality of care cannot be comprehensive without sufficient information and evaluation of the contribution and needs of nurses. Having sufficient data is a crucial first stride in the realization of effective models for demonstrating workforce capacity. Such models are fundamental in the establishment of necessary changes in the nursing practice and education.
In the IOM report, the group established four crucial messages. The nurse-linked solutions in the IOM report require their application by policymakers, the government, scientists, learning institutions, and advocacy agencies. Effective workforce development and policymaking entails facilitated data collection and enhanced information structure. Strategizing for effective, wide-ranging transformations in the deployment of nurses necessitates all-inclusive data on the number and group of professionals needed to satisfy future requirements. Having sufficient data is a necessary first stride in the establishment of effective models for demonstrating workforce capability.
Institute of Medicine’s Five Core Competencies
Addressing challenges in care provision requires extensive changes in the way health systems are planned. At the center of medical systems are skilled caregivers with whom effective treatment cannot occur (Turner et al., 2017). Preparing nurses and other health professionals necessitate a shared visualization across professions based on dedication to satisfy the needs of patients and achieve the five core competencies articulated by the Institute of Medicine. All nurses should be sufficiently educated to provide effective care, highlight evidence-based practice, and undertake quality improvement.
Five Core Competencies
Provide Patient-Centred Care
Nurses an offer patient-centred care by recognizing and upholding patient differences, ideals, inclinations, and articulated needs. This requires nurses to coordinate continued care while clearly informing, interacting with, and enlightening patients. An obstacle in the provision of patient-centered care is that patients who have numerous coexisting conditions require the attention of different health professionals, in diverse environments, for a long time. The co-creation of care is positively linked to the quality of care and the welfare of patients who have many coexisting conditions (Turner et al., 2017). Ensuring that care is designed in line with the needs of patients who have multi-morbidity results in positive outcomes. Co-creation of care requires the realization of productive communication between patients and caregivers.
Work in interdisciplinary teams
Nursing practice should ensure that nurses operate in interdisciplinary teams by cooperating, collaborating, and communicating with different groups to make the provision of care continuous and dependable. Various nursing disciplines should operate jointly to meet diverse patient needs (Turner et al., 2017). An obstacle to interdisciplinary teams is the difficulty in the balanced distribution of tasks within collaborative groups. This hindrance may be overcome by making each member of interdisciplinary teams understand the benefits of cooperation in ensuring distinction, safety, continuity, and dependability.
Employ Evidence-Based Practice
This may be ascertained by incorporation of excellent research with medical proficiency for excellent care delivery. A hindrance to evidence-based practice is that nursing operations are usually not gauged using demanding research designs, which may result in misunderstanding (Green, 2018). This problem could be overcome by the implementation of standardized evidence that should be merged with other bodies to reinforce evidence base and encompass diverse perspectives.
Apply Quality Improvement
Nursing practice should employ quality improvement through detection of possible errors and dangers in care delivery through implementation of safety principles and improvement of value. The hindrances facing quality improvement include the existence of undesirable errors, waste, and inefficiencies (Turner et al., 2017). However, health institutions are adopting approaches such as continued quality upgrading to lessen errors, waste, and inefficiencies.
Utilize Informatics
Nursing practice should employ informatics effective communication, management of knowledge, and application of information technology. Some of the barriers that face utilization of nursing informatics encompass technology being hard for some nurses and the fear of learning and employing news techniques (Green, 2018). Computerized support systems assist care teams to adhere to excellent utilization of informatics by offering required feedback and showing performance on numerous care models.
Conclusion
Addressing problems in care provision requires widespread changes in the way health systems are operated. All nurses should be adequately educated to offer effective care, highlight evidence-based practice, and take on quality improvement. Ensuring that care is designed according to the needs of patients who have multi-morbidity lead to positive outcomes. Different nursing disciplines should operate cooperatively to meet diverse patient needs. Computerized support systems help care teams to adhere to outstanding utilization of informatics by offering required response and showing performance on several care models.
References
Green, C. (2018). Contemporary issues: The pre-licensure nursing student and medication errors. Nurse Education Today, 68, 23-25. Web.
Turner, P., Eliot, K., Kent, S., Rusnak, S., & Landers, P. (2017). Level of implementation of the Institute of Medicine recommended core competencies among dietetics education programs. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 117(11), 1709-1716. Web.