Understanding Nursing Care

Understanding Nursing Care

If someone asked you, “What is nursing care?” how would you respond? Nursing care refers to the assistance provided by trained nursing experts under the supervision of registered clinical nurses. Nursing care is complex and involves caring for individuals of different backgrounds, families, ages, illnesses, and races.

In this article, we’ll delve into the details of what nursing care entails. As a student, you’ll gain confidence in answering questions like “What does nursing care mean?” We’ll cover types of nursing care, its significance, examples, and its recipients. If you have any queries, feel free to reach out to our customer support team.

The Significance of Nursing Care

Why is nursing care so important? Often, patients and families feel vulnerable and stressed, and this is where nursing care steps in. Nursing care includes:

Providing emotional support.
Assisting with oral care.
Monitoring patients’ overall well-being.
Aiding with exercises.
Ensuring patient hygiene.
Tracking fluid intake and output.

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Nursing care accelerates the healing process, allowing patients to leave the hospital sooner and without complications.

Who Receives Nursing Care?

Nursing care is provided to patients of all ages, groups, or communities in hospitals, community homes, nursing homes, as well as to their families and caregivers.

The Role of Nursing Care

What is the role of nursing care? Many nursing students search for this on the internet. The role of nursing care involves registered nurses carrying out duties to aid the sick, prevent illness, care for critically ill or incapacitated patients, and promote health. These responsibilities enhance, enable, and compensate for deficits in self-care abilities.

For terminally ill patients, nursing care ensures they experience their final moments with specialized support like comfort, pain relief, answers to questions, guidance, emotional backing, and fulfillment of their needs. Let’s explore some categories of nursing care roles.

Patient Education and Support

Nurses must fully grasp what nursing care entails to ensure patients understand their illnesses, medications, treatments, and overall health. This is crucial because patients often continue treatment at home after leaving the hospital.

Nurses explain the seriousness of illnesses, potential risks, and how to manage them to patients, caregivers, and families. Nurses answer patients’ questions truthfully and provide advice on diet, exercise, and resources before discharge.

Patient Advocacy

Nurses advocate for patients’ legal, medical, and human rights during policy-making processes. They explain treatment options and support patients in decision-making. Nurses provide emotional assistance through counseling, prepare patients for treatment, and offer assurance.

Care Planning

Nurses contribute directly to treatment decisions by assessing patient symptoms and identifying causes for accurate medication choices. While physicians and nurse practitioners make final decisions, nurses play a crucial role in patient interaction and monitoring, leading to optimal health outcomes.

Patient Care

A nurse’s primary role is to prevent illness, attend to patients’ physical needs, and treat and monitor health conditions. This involves observing and monitoring patient progress, recording relevant information, and collaborating with physicians.

Nurses monitor vitals, conduct tests, administer medication, handle injuries, maintain medical histories, perform exams, and admit or discharge patients. They ensure patient comfort and respect patients’ needs for their well-being.

In summary, nursing care involves crucial roles that benefit patients’ well-being and contribute to their recovery and overall health.

Skilled Nursing Care: Explained

What is meant by skilled nursing care? Skilled nursing care refers to the specialized treatment provided by registered nurses in settings such as nursing homes, hospitals, communities for the elderly or terminally ill, and licensed institutions.

Different Types of Skilled Nursing Care

If a patient has conditions like neurological disorders, spinal injuries, cancer, brain injuries, stroke, muscular dystrophy, or motor neuron diseases, they might be transferred to a skilled nursing care facility after leaving the hospital. Here are various types of skilled nursing care provided in such rehabilitation centers:

Occupational therapy: This care helps patients adapt to their physical and social surroundings. It includes activities like memory training, dressing lessons, and coordinated exercises.
Wound care: Skilled nursing involves managing wounds caused by burns, ulcers, lacerations, or animal bites by cleaning, treating, and dressing them.
Speech therapy: Nurses aid patients with communication problems by teaching alternative strategies like word games and reading aloud.
Physical therapy: Skilled nurses guide elderly individuals and patients affected by illnesses or injuries through exercises, pain management, and self-care education.
Monitoring vital signs, medical equipment, and administering injections: Skilled nurses monitor patients’ vital signs, medical devices, and provide injections in nursing homes.

Modes of Nursing Care

The organization of nursing care depends on factors like client population, nurse staffing, and nursing sector arrangement. There are three types of nursing care modes:

Team Nursing

Here, a registered nurse leads a team of nurses caring for specific patients. Each team member has tasks based on their specialization. This approach maximizes skilled nurses’ abilities, leading to high job satisfaction.

Functional Nursing

Specific nursing tasks are assigned to staff members. For example, there may be separate nurses for bedside care, treatments, and medications. This efficient method allows nurses to focus on their tasks and provide more in less time.

Primary Nursing

In this approach, a primary nurse takes care of patients in her care unit throughout their stay. An associate nurse assists when the primary nurse is absent. The associate nurse follows the primary nurse’s care plan. This approach distributes authority and responsibilities among nursing staff.

Examples of Everyday Nursing Care Activities

What are some examples of nursing care? Nurses perform various care activities during their shifts. Here are some services they provide regularly:

Position changes

Nurses help patients change positions to prevent bedsores, especially for those who are bedridden.

Pain control

Nurses manage patients’ pain by administering prescribed injections and oral medications, ensuring comfort and relief.

Cluster care

Nurses manage patient visits to maintain a comfortable environment and provide consistent care.

Schon Reflective Model in Nursing

Adequate oral intake:

Nurses plan and provide meals to ensure patients are well-fed and hydrated.

Active listening

Nurses engage with patients, providing a listening ear, especially for those without visitors. This helps ease frustration and gather medical history.

Fall prevention

Nurses guide patients, particularly post-surgery or elderly individuals, to prevent falls during movement or exercises.

Nursing care builds a strong nurse-patient relationship, involving patients in their treatment decisions, respecting privacy, and addressing needs. This fosters trust and openness, aiding in treatment planning. For nursing students, understanding and answering the question “What is nursing care?” is crucial, as their careers center around patient care.