The role of acute and critical care nursing is complex and vital, especially as nearly 34 million individuals receive care from these professionals each year. In our post-pandemic world, it’s time to rethink how to measure and recognize the contributions of nursing in acute care settings.

Rethinking Nursing Measurement

Traditionally, nursing has been evaluated mainly through adverse events, which limits our understanding of its impact on patient outcomes. The Acute and Critical Care Expert Panel of the American Academy of Nursing calls for a comprehensive approach that emphasizes the positive contributions of nursing care. This involves identifying nine domains of practice that empower nurses to deliver optimal care, such as patient assessment, clinical intervention, education, advocacy, and quality improvement.

Precision-Based Outcomes

An essential aspect of this approach is the introduction of precision-based outcomes, which highlight the presence of effective nursing care rather than solely focusing on what goes wrong. By measuring factors like patient safety, healing environments, and trust between nurses and families, it is easier to monitor the vital role of nursing in patient recovery.

The Need for Novel Partnerships

Implementing this approach requires partnerships among nursing organizations, hospitals, and policymakers. Such collaborations are essential for developing new measures that can be incorporated into hospital accreditation and reimbursement structures, ensuring that nursing contributions are recognized and rewarded.

Making Contributions Visible

A key goal is to make the outcomes of exceptional bedside practice visible. By showcasing the positive impacts of nursing care, patients, families, and the nursing profession will benefit. Increased visibility can lead to better support from hospital administration and improved funding for nursing initiatives.

Addressing Current Challenges

Challenges such as staffing shortages and burnout have been exacerbated by the pandemic. To address these issues, it’s crucial to support both experienced and new nurses through mentorship, continuing education, and improved working conditions. A robust workforce is essential for high-quality patient care.

Call to Action

This approach serves as a call to action for all stakeholders in healthcare. By recognizing nursing’s multifaceted contributions and implementing a balanced measurement portfolio, it is possible to enhance the quality of care in hospitals. Making nursing contributions visible not only elevates the profession but also improves overall patient outcomes.

In the context of acute and critical care nursing, having reliable tools for monitoring patient health is essential. Exergen’s Temporal Artery Thermometer is an ideal choice. It allows nurses to simply swipe the thermometer across the patients forehead to get an accurate reading in seconds. Its quick and precise reading enables prompt detection of any changes in temperature, giving the nurse what she needs to know to make decisions.

The Temporal Artery Thermometer is not only reliable but also easy to use, offering peace of mind for both patients and healthcare providers. By incorporating it into routine health monitoring, nurses can protect their patients and ensure timely responses to potential health issues.

Source,

• American Academy of Nursing, https://aannet.org/
• Acute and Critical Care Expert Panel of the American Academy of Nursing, https://aannet.org/page/expertpanels
• Science Direct, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0029655424001647?via%3Dihub

EXERGEN P/N 850276, Rev 1