NEW AND EMERGING ROLES OF OUTPATIENT NURSES

Healthcare is a field that always faces challenges in terms of treating the ailing and looking after them. In every health institution or facility, the doctors and all other medical practitioners give their best to take care of others. They spend an enormous number of hours to make sure that the patients start feeling better. They work late shifts and spend time with the attendants, and respond to their concerns.

In addition to the current circumstances, healthcare goes through a more significant challenge during any pandemic. In such situations, everyone at the health facility is on their toes and tested to the optimum. Those who remain resilient pass the test of time and become an example for others to follow. Among the staffers are those who play the role of the first line of defense. Without any doubt, it’s the nurses rendering their duties.

Nurses have many different designations and areas of expertise, and each one has its importance. A nurse, regardless of their title, is the backbone of the system. In terms of the type of work, we see a clear distinction between the two main designations. These are Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) and the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). It is a matter of a lengthy debate.

The ACNPs perform one of the essential functions in intensive care units. From collecting the patient history to performing the invasive procedures, they play a pivotal role. Similarly, the FNPs work entirely with the families and work with them at extended time-spans. So, regardless of the ACNP vs FNP debate, both perform crucial functions in treating the patients.

The outpatient (OPD) nurses remain the busiest on any given day. That is why their role has the most significant spotlight in any health facility. Let’s look at what their new and emerging roles are.

1. Transitional Treatment

When someone is suffering from a chronic condition or illness, they need specific care. Nurses who have skills and expertise in transitional treatment look after such patients and ensure the best care possible. It is particularly called transitional care because it involves moving from one specific setting to another.

For instance, suppose a patient who faces an ailment may need to switch from one healthcare practitioner to another or from one hospital to another. In that case, the experts know the patients’ conditions well, and so they make sure that the transition remains smooth and comfortable.

2. Population Healthcare

When a pandemic hits the world, that is when we truly realize the importance of collective healthcare. That’s where the role of population healthcare. It calls for a wholesome and collaborative approach to preventing any disease. It stresses the need to take steps preemptively to ensure healthy living.

Nurses who get specialization in this area work within communities to help people make collective choices related to their wellbeing. In simple words, it is the lifestyle changes that they help people make.

3. Informatics Design

Those who are related to the field of healthcare technology know that nursing has turned into a science. It is another emerging role in the area. It enables healthcare practitioners to use data to tend to their patients. With this approach, they are more accurate and so can provide superlative care to the ailing. It is all about carving out the data and analyzing it to ensure the best possible care outcome.

4. Geriatric Process

Medical science is all about providing relief to a person suffering from a particular ailment. The elderly are the ones who need such care the most. It is why there is a geriatric department in every hospital, catering to the needs of the elderly. In this context, a new and emerging role gets linked with providing care to the said patients.

5. Advocacy Care

A person who is ailing above all needs advice, and the healthcare professional provides them the same. A healthcare advocacy expert works for the rights of the patients in an otherwise complicated system. They are ones to ensure capacity building for the ailing and take initiatives to provide quality care.

An individual who provides advocacy care establishes a relationship between the caregiver, patients, and the family. They make sure that any decisions related to an ailing person’s health are taken in line with their needs and wants. Advocacy care nurses ensure that the opinion of the patient gets into account.

Final Thoughts

The world we live in is undergoing constant changes and transformation, and the healthcare sector is no exception. Healthcare has a more significant and more immense responsibility of tackling the rate of infections and diseases in the current times. So, it must get prepared to do so in every way it can.

In this context, the emerging roles of healthcare practitioners are of immense importance. The system needs more and more people who can take up more contemporary roles. From primary care to community care and conventional system to informatics design, the system needs to change.