Nurses: a force for change
International Nurses Day (May 12) highlights the impact of nurses on quality care.
THROUGHOUT history, nurses have played an invaluable role in the health and wellbeing of communities, forming the mainstay of every nation’s healthcare system.
Nurses impact the lives of people when they are most vulnerable, not only through clinical care, but also through the compassion they demonstrate when it is most needed.
So says Shannon Nell, director of nursing and nursing education at Netcare, speaking ahead of International Nurses Day on May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
“As the largest profession in the health workforce, nurses are well positioned to deliver on this year’s International Nurses Day global theme, ‘Nurses: a force for change’. Nurses use their expertise to drive improvements in efficiency and quality of care to attain optimal patient outcomes. The expertise that every nurse applies in their work daily can make an important difference, which is why they are a pivotal force for change,” asserts Nell.
“Quality improvement skills are necessary to identify gaps between current care and best practice and to design, implement, test and evaluate changes. Netcare has adopted a range of evidence-based international best practices as part of our efforts to enhance patient clinical outcomes on an ongoing basis.
“Nurses are playing a key role in the implementation of these practices which have been proven to benefit patients. They are at the centre of patient care and therefore are essential drivers of quality improvement,” notes Nell.
She also states that patient safety remains one of the most critical issues facing healthcare today. In light of their close interaction with patients, nurses are the healthcare professionals most likely to stop errors from happening and prevent harm to patients.
“Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient care, not only in the hospital environment, but also with community-based care and the care rendered by family members. It is because of this dynamic approach that we are appreciative and proud that our nurses are taking the lead in exploring ways in which they can improve patient care to bring about even better clinical outcomes and an improved patient experience.”
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