Patient-centered care has become a prominent strategy in the last few decades. It is an approach to the provision of healthcare services with consideration of an individual’s overall health status, preferences, and initiatives (Fix et al., 2018). Not only do doctor-patient interactions become more fruitful, but both parties also benefit from such a mindful approach. This strategy allows doctors to increase adherence, patient satisfaction, and the quality of care (Fix et al., 2018). At the same time, it gives doctors more information regarding their patients’ status, concerns, and potential barriers to treatment (Fix et al., 2018). Through patient-centered care, healthcare facilities recognize that patients are willing to put effort into their well-being as much as their doctors. In conclusion, the focus of modern healthcare practices continues to shift towards cooperation between a patient and a doctor, which improves treatment outcomes.
The vastness of knowledgebase regarding nursing cannot be underestimated, as new evidence regarding better practices continues to amass. In reality, there are gaps between nursing theory and practice that hinder further integration of the latest developments in nursing (Younas & Quennell, 2019). It is critical to understand that the vast majority of theory-guided interventions are known to improve outcomes in comparison to traditional practices (Younas & Quennell, 2019). Despite this implication, nursing theories remain challenging to apply in practice. Higher education among nurses leads to more widespread implementation of the theoretical material, signifying the importance of proper, continuous training. Rapid implementation of new theories into healthcare organizations’ frameworks would allow them to respond to new and old deficiencies in service provision in an optimal manner. In conclusion, nursing theories provide a solid foundation for practice changes that improve the quality of care.
References
Fix, G. M., VanDeusen Lukas, C., Bolton, R. E., Hill, J. N., Mueller, N., LaVela, S. L., & Bokhour, B. G. (2018). Patient-centred care is a way of doing things: How healthcare employees conceptualize patient-centred care.Health Expectations, 21(1), 300-307. Web.
Younas, A., & Quennell, S. (2019). Usefulness of nursing theory‐guided practice: An integrative review.Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 33(3), 540-555. Web.