Please reply to below
Nursing is a well-respected profession that is focused on the provision of health care with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life. Three major objectives include health promotion, illness prevention, and disease management. Although nurses play critical roles in patient care, the patient’s involvement in their own care allows them to be in control of their health. According to a research study by Krist et al. (2017), there was a significant drop of mortality rates seen in patients who were involved with their own chronic disease management compared to those who were not engaged with their care at all. Part of a nurse’s duty is to empower patients and the following strategies can be used to accomplish this: building a therapeutic relationship, promoting effective communication, involving support systems as well as acting as one, providing education, and respecting patient autonomy (Jerofke-Owen & Bull, 2018). Patient education is fundamental in nursing care. This is done on a routine basis and contributes greatly to patient empowerment. Understanding one’s health condition allows for better management. Jerofke-Owen and Bull (2018) emphasize that nurses are not just responsible for teaching patients how to care for themselves but also to make them realize that they are accountable for their health. With that said, they have the right to make decisions about care being provided. As long as they are not incapacitated, patients have the right to accept, modify, or refuse any intervention or treatment. Although patient decisions do not always align with the medical professional’s advice, they must still be respected. Patient empowerment not only promotes better health outcomes but also improves patient satisfaction.
Montalvo (2007) describes the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) as a tool used to evaluate nursing practice at the unit level with the intent to improve patient outcomes. This database helps to identify areas of nursing performance that need improvement, which encourages nursing accountability. Since nurses are the ones carrying out most of the interventions, it only makes sense that they (along with leadership and administration) be involved in the improvement of patient safety and quality of care. In addition, a good work environment impacts nurse performance. A study by Giancarlo et al. (2014) found that an empowering work environment is associated with greater job satisfaction.
The hospital I am currently employed in allows their nurse unit managers to work with staff nurses to identify areas of practice that need improvement. When identified, a Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) is created for data collection and problem monitoring. This is supervised by the Utilization Review Team. After some time of implementation, the nurse unit manager looks back and evaluates if the QAPI intervention contributed to better patient outcomes. From recent personal experience, I encountered a patient who was in her early pregnancy but was admitted for uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. Since admission, it was part of our interventions to educate about the disease and the potential complications it may cause during pregnancy if left uncontrolled. I asked the patient to do a teach-back with new information and interventions that we discussed. After guidance and assistance, I made the patient do her sugar checks and insulin administration on her own while I observed. I often quizzed her on normal glucose ranges, sliding scale, and what to do during an event of hypoglycemia. After five days of consistent teaching, she verbalized feeling confident in managing her T2DM along with her pregnancy at home.