Nurses provide essential care through the development and delivery of a care plan that caters to patients’ needs. These plans are not only limited to medical treatment but encompass the patient’s overall well-being.
Comprehensive care incorporates physical, emotional, social, and cultural aspects of a patient. Guided by the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards or NSQHS standards, this approach is improving outcomes for patients across Australian healthcare.
Understanding comprehensive care
Comprehensive care incorporates everything about the patient’s health. Care is not only to be clinically focused; but is also about the experience of the patient. The NSQHS Comprehensive Care Standard enforces this where it calls for nurses to provide holistic, person-centred care.
Key elements of comprehensive care:
Patient goal identification
Comprehensive care works by first identifying the patient’s goals. That means nurses work with the patients to understand what is most important to them. It could be pain control, chronic disease management, or improvement in the quality of life. By understanding what is important to the patient, nurses can create care plans that not only address clinical requirements but also promote patient satisfaction and emotional well-being.
Managing risks of harm
Another key role is risk management. Prevention of falls, infections, and pressure injuries is a key concern in nursing. NSQHS Standards emphasise the importance of regular assessments for the timely identification of risks. Through close observation, the nurses intervene when necessary, following specific policies and procedures in order to prevent harm to the patient.
Addressing mental health and cognitive decline
These circumstances also encompass psychological and cognitive disorders, such as dementia. To this end, nurses are specifically trained to recognise the early phase of the symptoms, so they then can collaborate with doctors to provide appropriate care. When there is evident cognitive impairment, nurses take the responsibility to modify care appropriately for these patients. This may also include adapting the method of communication or working with families to put together a patient’s history and preferences.
Improving health literacy
Health literacy is an important aspect of patient care. The patient should be informed about their condition and treatment. Health literacy can be directly promoted by nurses, who simplify medical information and make their patients feel empowered to ask questions. For example, while explaining a treatment plan, nurses may use pictures to explain in a much simpler manner some difficult concepts that the patient would understand easily. This improves outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Providing end-of-life care
End-of-life care requires compassion and sensitivity. Nurses support patients and families during this time, ensuring comfort and dignity. Care planning here involves discussing options early and respecting patient wishes. Nurses manage symptoms, provide emotional support, and ensure that patients receive care aligned with their values. The NSQHS Standards call for personalised care during these critical moments, ensuring that patients’ rights and wishes are respected.
Care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients
Caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients requires cultural sensitivity. Knowledge about a patient’s background and values will be necessary for nurses in providing care. This can include adapting styles of communication, incorporating traditional practices into the care plan, or focusing on other dimensions of care. The NSQHS Standards highlight culturally safe care. It is about taking the time to listen, respecting traditions, and making sure that care is provided in a manner that reflects the patient’s identity.
Embedding person-centred care:
Embedding person-centred care within health organisations improves its quality of it. It is led by nurses who ensure that patients and their carers’ preferences are driving decision-making at every level.
Nurses may promote this model by:
- Training: Ongoing professional development and CPD courses for nurses can enhance skills needed for person-centred care.
- Leadership Support: The leadership must support the showing of empathy and respect towards all staff. Such a cultural change makes person-centred care more than just ticking boxes; it is in the environment.
- Feedback: Collecting feedback from patients ensures that their voices are heard. Nurses can use this feedback to improve care and identify areas that need attention.
Improving communication among clinicians
This means communication at all levels of health professionals is important in the provision of comprehensive care. Nurses act as an intermediary for clinicians to communicate care. During handovers or meetings, nurses ensure that critical information regarding patients is well communicated to others. Standardised communication tools like the SBAR system enhance clarity: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. The NSQHS Standards highlight effective communication to reduce risks and enhance patient outcomes.
Using technology to support this care
Technology enhances care by facilitating access to patient data and streamlining processes of care. Nurses are increasingly utilising Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the management and follow-up of patients and their treatment plans. EHRs make sure that all health professionals concerned with a patient have up-to-date information about the patient, thus minimising errors and enhancing coordination. Other important tools include telemedicine, which allows nurses to deliver care remotely and consult in real-time with specialists. This is also of great importance in enabling nurses to provide more personalised and exacting care.
Comprehensive nursing care needs the appropriate framework that is to be given by the NSQHS Standards for care to be safe, coordinated, and patient-centred. From establishing patient goals and risks to considering mental health status to respect for culture, nurses are in a position to make positive differences in patient outcomes. Embedding person-centred care into health organisations, extending communication, and using technology are all very important strategies that nurses should pursue in their pursuit of better quality of care.