Introduction

Over time, the field of nursing has changed positively. From the growth of nursing leadership position, nursing specialties, and technology advancement which contributes to the improvement of some very repetitive tasks. Being one of the largest segment in the healthcare workforce, according to the American Association of Colleges of nursing, more than three million nurses are practicing nursing (Nursing, 2015); hence they are the backbone of the health care industry and at the frontline in solving healthcare issues.  It is agreeable that some of the nurses still work in comfortable shoes, though for a good number of them, the day-to-day reality of their work has in dramatic ways changed over time. Being shaped by the changing dynamics in the USA population, the evolution of advanced technology and influential report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2010, that charged nurses to get engaged in leadership roles as they are essential partners in redesigning the healthcare system in the US (Sherwood & Barnsteiner, 2017).

Driving forces for the change

A good number of factors driving this transformation include fragmentation concerns, high healthcare cost, access problems disparities, and suboptimal outcomes. The concerns on the quality and value of healthcare services by the healthcare providers were highly prompted by the disease type demographics and changing social needs. That called for greater coordination across providers and healthcare settings (Aikenet al., 2013). The primary aim was to improve quality, outcomes, reduced spending connected with services like avoidable hospitalization, repeated and multiple diagnoses and adverse drug interactions. Nurses were established to be at the central role in achieving the transformative changes; these concerns accelerated the changes that are presently witnessed in the current healthcare sector. Some of the key changes and advancement include leadership, technology app, telemedicine, and nursing specialties.

Advancement in nursing leadership

According to the IOM report, nurse plays a key role in addressing the staff shortage of primary health care providers across us, advanced practice nurses are considered as the unique patient-centric across the USA. The advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) have a crucial role in increasing access to quality affordable care (Ellenbecker, 2010). A growing thanks to consumer demand APRN provided care that has drastically reduced the shortage of primary care providers, soaring cost of services to the aging population and patients living with more chronic conditions. The transformative care featured in the APRNs has seen a good number leading innovations in the sector.

Technology – App and Tele-medicines impacts on accessibility

Technology has advanced for the last decade, as the use of technology in nursing increases, nurses are at the forefront of shaping and utilizing the new technology and equipment. The nursing mobile app for patient records documentation in EHR-Electronic health records- that help nurses capture timely patient assessment such as vital diagnostic signs, medicine prescription, pain scales, and medicine distribution. Additionally, technology has led to the advancement of telemedicine options. According to the American Journal of critical care, (AJCC), advancement in telemedicine has changed the way patient care is done in ICUs, in its monitoring capacity. Tele-ICU has enhanced effectiveness in monitoring the trends of patient’s vital signs, detection of stable and unstable patient’s psychological status, medical management, patient safety and in the detection of arrhythmias.

Consequently, the telehealth has filled the void in the rural health care (Grove et al., 2012). The technology has increased timely and right patient care, reduced patient referrals hence care cost reduction. Apart from practical work, technology has evolved and its part of the nurse-learning tool. Handling high-pressure situations through the technology of simulation have made nurse to have a feeling of face to face patient care. Technology has also helped to nurse in scheduling and coordinated patient care.

As it is an essential aspect of health care, the time has done a lot to patient care through technology. Apart from increasing efficiency, it has saved the lives of many patients as the culture of patients care was a demoralizing experience for a good number of patients as professionals were less concerned with the patient’s dignity and subjected them to painful medical experiences. Changes in training strategy, healthcare settings, responsibilities, patient care, and nursing culture have boosted respect to the field.

In a case scenario, the first progress concerns the use of sterile and disposable equipment, which has allowed considerable time again by removing the sterilization process. There are consumables, disposables; the facilitation of protocols and use antiseptics (McCormack et al., 2013). All the disposables have revolutionized the nurse’s work on a daily basis. In particular, there used to be these great drums in which one would put compresses. After sterilization, it was wise to counter check, with reagents if it was working or not. To ensure this work done took an infinite time. The use of the drum was a non-avoidable service. Today, the organization of work has improved a lot. In this respect, the techniques have considerably improved nursing work a great deal. Thirty years ago, when our pioneer nurses started, they folded the compresses, made cylinders out of the compresses and sterilized them. They also cut pieces of cotton and did all the Sterilization. Currently, everything is neatly disposable.

The second progress concerns handling equipment (electric beds) and prevention
(anti-decubitus mattress) that provides better care, while relieving a nurse of heavy physical tasksIt also improves the quality of care offered in a rehabilitation service. The benefits associated with significant advances in prevention especially regarding everything that facilitates the handling of patients and drugs as well as the whole process of treatment. Additionally, the presence of material prevention, such as the anti-bedsore mattresses, new products for dressings and so on. All these are very beneficial towards the quality of care offered to patients. New technologies have also made it possible to automate and secure specific healthcare procedures. Modern techniques, scopes, dialysis machines, scanners, imaging and diagnostics that are done today are very effective, and the antibiotic treatments have a direct positive impact on nursing care.

Nursing roles and specialties

As seen in the IOM, nurses entering the workforce can shape the profession and has resulted in advancing in-demand nurses such as home-health and geriatric nursing. Besides, nursing specialties have enhanced nursing roles such as technology simulation, flying in an emergency as well as establishing a local library for public health initiatives. Fairly new, forensic nursing and bioinformatics are new nursing specialties that have emerged (McCormack et al., 2013). Other hobbies include radiology nursing, cardiac nursing as well as geriatric nursing.

The liberal sector and home care nursing have also benefited from improvements in equipment technology. In recent years, we have witnessed the development of alternatives to Hospitalization, or institutionalization, of dependents and patients suffering from psychiatric problems. Technological advances have brought a lot to work. At the moment bedsores among the patients cared for at home are rare. They also have the opportunity of having an electric bed, which makes patients life and that their family is easier.

Concerning the home care of the elderly, new medical nursing methods have been put in place. The deficiencies mentioned concern financing of this care. There is an evolution in the possibilities of taking care of people at home. As they are becoming more flexible, different means have been put in places, such as family employment or proxy service – which were previously in the role of traditional housekeepers who were supported by the pension funds. But they do not offer the same benefits for employees or the elderly.

Conclusion

In recap, the nursing profession has evolved a lot. Young nurses are no longer at all holding the same perception of care as those that happened fifteen to twenty years ago. The difficulties are not the same. Pioneer nurses had a relatively comfortable job, although, at the time, they also protested. The working conditions were at my more favorable opinions than now. Job satisfaction, work plan absenteeism and replacement procedure.

References

Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Bruyneel, L., Van den Heede, K., Sermeus, W., & Rn4cast Consortium. (2013). Nurses’ reports of working conditions and hospital quality of care in 12 countries in Europe. International journal of nursing studies, 50(2), 143-153

Ellenbecker, C. H. (2010). Preparing the nursing workforce of the future. Policy, Politics, &Nursing Practice, 11(2), 115-125.

Grove, S. K., Burns, N., & Gray, J. (2012). The practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences.

McCormack, B., Manley, K., &Titchen, A. (Eds.). (2013). Practice development in nursing and healthcare. John Wiley & Sons

Nursing, A. A. of C. of. (2015). Fact sheet: Enhancing diversity in the nursing workforce. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. JOUR.

Sherwood, G., & Barnsteiner, J. (2017). Quality and safety in nursing: A competency approach to improving outcomes. BOOK, John Wiley & Sons.

 
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