Primary Nursing - Essay Example

College Introduction A primary nurse is responsible for 4-6 patient full times. Started in the 1960’s, this branch of nursing has undergone a lot of transformations in terms of efficiency and in turn has influenced nursing in a lot of ways. Understanding the history of primary nursing is vital to the understanding of the various transformations that have been seen in this particular nursing field. There are a lot of negative as well as positive challenges that primary nurses have undergone over the years to make this branch of nursing a success. This paper critically examines various literatures that have been written in regard to this topic and uses this literature to come up with overall changes that primary nursing has undergone. The paper then looks at the role that primary nursing has played and is still playing in the development of a better environment for both the nurse and the patients and how leadership has influenced this branch of nursing. After all these analysis, it is important to look at what future this field has especially on the realization of the goals of primary healthcare. What are some of the transformations that the nursing field has seen ever since it was started in the 60’s? Literature review Thompson ET all introduces the concept of primary nursing right from the beginning of its start in the 60’s. The sprouting of this particular type of healthcare all through the globe and its major influence to patient care is critically discussed. In this article, the author mainly insists on the influence of technology on this field and how hard it was for nurses back when everything was manual. Since the nurse has to work for 24 hours taking care of her patients, this field is thought provoking and in the early days of its invention, most of the primary nurses took care of fewer patients due to the nature of the work that was involved in the monitoring of the patients. The nurse had to manually move to each patient, take care of them and move to the next one (Thompson ET ALL, 2005). This was tedious and in most cases, the patients never got that right kind of care that they needed. However, due to technological changes in the medical industry, primary nursing has been on the increase and most institutions of higher learning have included the field in part of their study. Bowman ET all has similar opinions and insists that there has been improvements in primary nursing ever since its invention. The author compares the current situation of nursing and how it was in its early days and some of the changes that have been seen in the area. Comparing the way primary nursing was in the 60’s and now, it is pretty obvious that the field has undergone a lot of changes. First is the various means that nurses use to monitor patients. In the 60’s, there were crude means of monitoring patients but as time went by, new methods of patient monitoring came into place (Bowman ET ALL, 2006). The introduction of computers into the ICU was very instrumental in improving primary nursing. Computers made it easier for the nurses to monitor the patients even without being closer to them all the time. As a result of this, the primary nurse has increased the number of patients that they can take care of at a time. For example, in the 1960, a primary nurse working in the ICU could only be able to take care of 2 patients at a time. However at the moment, most primary nurses working in the ICU can be able to take care of up to 6 patients at a time an achievement that points to technological advancement in the industry. Rawls on the other hand has a different opinion on primary nursing and in his article, how to solve healthcare crisis in America he comes up with several disadvantages that primary nursing has come with over the years. He however blames the administration of most healthcare facilities for these disadvantages. His first argument is that primary nurses do not provide equitable chances to all the patients rather provide better services to those patients that they know better. However comparing primary nurses with other nurses, he concludes that primary nursing is the best (Rawls, 2012). This has made several nurses to team up with each other so as to provide better care for their patients. This has made many healthcare facilities to do away with team nursing and as a result major on primary nursing. Alligood also insists that primary nursing homes are on the increase due to its advantages presented to the patients. Any of the healthcare facilities with team nursing has been changed to match those conditions that primary nurse’s offer. This has seen the spread of primary to various parts of the country as well as globally due to the advantages that it is showing over team nursing. This has also increased the number of nurses in this field and helped promote nursing as a whole in most institutions. Influence to nursing leadership Primary nursing has had a lot of influence on nursing leadership. Since its introduction, this nursing filed has seen the training of several primary nurses who are responsible nurses all across the globe. As a result of this, the nurses have played a major role in the nursing leadership. Before one becomes a primary nurse, they are expected to have worked as a nurse for a particular period of time. During this particular time that they work as general nurse, they are expected to gather some experience that would be vital in the practicing of primary nursing. As a result of this, primary nurses are known to be very good experienced leaders in their particular fields (Hamric, 2009). Most of the healthcare facilities especially those working with ICU patients have had to include primary nursing as one of the requirements for someone to work for them. Primary nursing has therefore played a very major role in the creation of responsible nursing leaders. This has led to many primary nurses ending up as the nursing leaders of various places. Since primary nurses have the responsibility of taking care of their patients without the involvement of any other third party, this field has helped create responsible nurses who do not have to depend on their leaders for supervision. Unlike team nursing, where a patient may be neglected by the nurses since no one would be accountable for any damages caused, a primary nurse has to be careful and responsible since they are accountable for all that happens to the patient. If anything happens to the patient that can be traced back to carelessness, the nurses have to be disciplined. This means that the nurse has to be very responsible. It therefore reduces the workload of the nursing leaders as they are sure that the primary nurse is very responsible (Alligood, 2010). Primary nursing has helped improve healthcare a lot over time. First of all, this field has been instrumental in the realization of nursing goals. For example, primary nursing ensures that the patient has total care all throughout the day and night. This has helped improve the services that most healthcare facilities offer and as a result, it has helped improve the services of the healthcare facilities. Primary nursing has also influenced the systems used in healthcare facilities a lot. For example, most healthcare facilities all through the globe today assign a nurse to specific patients a practice that reflects strongly on primary nursing, this shows that primary nursing is influencing the healthcare industry each and every day. Recommendations for future of this nursing field Future Recommendations of primary nursing can be categorized on several grounds. The first ground is the recommendations to the congress. The congress should expand primary nursing to all parts of the country in various healthcare facilities. In future, every healthcare facility should have at least a group of primary nurses working for them. With this, every healthcare facility would have a chance of providing better nursing facilities and staff to its patients. There is also need for most institutions of higher learning to consider including this field into the major nursing courses that are offered in their various institutions. With this, primary nursing would have a chance of spreading although the globe like tam nursing has done. However, the institutions have to ensure that the primary nurse has had a responsible experience working as a team nurse to ensure that they know what they are doing and that they provide more responsible care (Yoder, 2011). For state legislatures, they also have a major role to play in the realization of a brighter future for primary nursing. They should come up with reforms in the healthcare facilities that would ensure that primary nursing is not only practiced as an optional practice in healthcare facilities rather it has to be mandatory for every healthcare facility to at least have a primary branch that they use in treating patients especially critically ill patients. The laws should be able to identify various departments of the healthcare facility that has to be able to have a primary nurse by all means. A good example is the ICU. This is one area that the legislators should ensure that only primary nurses are involved with. This is because, it requires a lot of responsibility for a nurse to be able to work at this level and team nursing does not provide this level of responsibility. With these laws, primary nursing has a better chance of spreading all throughout the country and in the entire globe. With these recommendations, the country would not only experience the growth of primary nursing but would also have a positive improvement in primary healthcare. Rebecca Billing’s contribution Rebecca Billing is one of the key players that have done their best to ensure that the recommendations discussed above become a reality in the real world. Being a nurse in the pediatric inpatient unit, Rebecca learned the value that primary nursing was capable of delivering to the entire healthcare industry after it was introduced in the UC Davies centre where she had worked. After this realization she felt the urge to spread this field to various parts of the country and the entire globe by getting involved in legislative issues that would ensure that primary nursing was a success although the country. Her first assignment was to help organize a campaign team that would come up with reports of the importance of primary healthcare and some of the advantages of primary healthcare in our society. With her 13 year old patient as the major reference, she showed the advantages that primary nursing could bring and how this branch of nursing could help reduce the nurse’s workload and as a result increase the efficiency of a nurse (Manley, 2001). She wrote a report to various legislators to request them to come u with laws that would ensure that the ICU patients only get services from primary nurses only and their primary doctor and not from any other nurse as team nursing has had a lot of negative impact especially in the ICU area. In terms of expanding primary nursing to various parts of the country, she has had to move from healthcare to healthcare facilities convincing the management of each healthcare facility to consider migrating to this nursing field. As a result of this, she has seen a major change and improvement since many managers have accepted to shift to the change ad accepts primary nursing in their institutions. Conclusion In conclusion, it is very important to note that primary nursing has had a lot of positive improvements ever since it was invented in the 60’s. As a result of this, many healthcare facilities are shifting their resources to match those of primary nursing and most legislatures are fighting to ensure that ICU areas are operated by experienced primary nurses and doctors. Primary nursing has therefore had a major positive impact in the healthcare facilities as a whole. However, the hospitals managements are always asked to accept these changes and adapt to primary nursing. References Thompson, C., McCaughan, D., Cullum, N., Sheldon, T., & Raynor, P. (November 01, 2005). NURSING AND HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT AND POLICY: Barriers to evidence-based practice in primary care nursing - why viewing decision-making as context is helpful. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52, 4, 432-444. Retrieved from http://www.cno.org/Global/docs/prac/41034_Ethics.pdf Bowman G.S, Thompson D & Suttin T (2006) Nurses attitudes towards the nursing process Journal of Advanced Nursing 8(2) p.125-129. Retrieved from http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/26606/Seminars/health_care_system.pdf Rawls, G. (2012). How to solve the health care crisis in America: Physicians must get back in the game: a basic primer. Munster, IN: Hilton Pub. Retrieved from http://samples.jbpub.com/9781449634476/80593_ch25_5806.pdf Alligood, M. R., & Marriner-Tomey, A. (2010). Nursing theorists and their work. Maryland Heights, Mo: Mosby/Elsevier. Retrieved from http://www.corexcel.com/courses4/Legal_Issues_in_Nursing_Course_Handout.pdf Hamric, A. B., Spross, J. A., Hanson, C. M., & Hamric, A. B. (2009). Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach. St. Louis, Mo: Saunders/Elsevier. Retrieved from http://www.bookdev.com/Pearson/Osborn/dap/chapters/M04_OSBO1023_01_SE_C04.p df Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2011). Leading and managing in nursing. (Fifth Ed.). St. Louis: Mosby. Manley, K. (2001). Primary nursing in intensive care. Harrow, Middlesex, England: Scutari Press. Read More