Discussion on Education on Patient Care Delivery

Evolving Practice of Nursing and Patient Care Delivery Models
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Education on Patient care delivery
The role of nurses has shifted and changed as there are different health care delivery systems that increasingly requires nurses to promote health, wellness and prevents diseases besides treating illnesses. The number of uninsured Americans who could previously not access medical services has fallen with the adoption of the Affordable Care Act there is emphasis on facilitating affordable and equitable health care. Additionally, changes in the healthcare industry will shift from acute care to community care, requiring nurses to work together and cater to the needs of more diverse populations. The rising health care costs challenge health practitioners to support innovative care delivery models to ensure health care provision. Such models include the accountable care organizations (ACO) nurse-managed health clinics (NMHCs) and, medical homes.
The concept of continuum or continuity of care is associated with close connectedness coherence and uninterrupted health care delivery, across the lifespan. To achieve continuity of care, there has been an emphasis on patient-centered care to facilitate smooth progression. When there is proper flow of information and flexibility in health care delivery it is easier to support the continuity of care. Hence, establishing relationships between the patient and providers facilitates continuity of care. Episodic care is ineffective compared to the continuum of care, as there is follow up and providers support a more holistic care approach. Integrating care enhances high quality, cost effective health services provision and continuity of care.
The need to minimize costs and maximize quality in health care has led to the adoption of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). There have been various changes in the health care industry with the role of nurses having expanded as they use their skills to coordinate care (Baldwin, 2012). At the same time, the nursing professionals increasingly team based, as they coordinate care and conduct their responsibilities. Affordable care focuses on coordinating efforts to improve the quality of care while facilitating coordination. The patient-centered approach is the most common in accountable care organizations, but there are shared savings and bundled payment arrangements that facilitate care provision (Baldwin, 2012). Nurses have an important to play in care management.
Medical homes are associated with family-centered, accessible, culturally sensitive, and compassionate and allow comprehensive care coordination (Knapp et al., 2012). The continuity of care extends to medical homes, and as nurses we need to ensure that we take into consideration the health, physical, emotional and social support needs of those in medical homes. The medical care model has changed from emphasizing the medical records of children to adult needs. This approach is valuable in coordinating care and improving the health outcomes of children with special needs. Medical care homes facilitate family-centered care and effective care coordination targeting children and adults to improve health outcomes (Knapp et al., 2012). To address the patients...