Nurses play an indispensable role in improving the nation’s health. They engage in various medical activities and practices ranging from supporting healthcare delivery systems to offering effective care coordination. In this regard, the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) developed the Edge Runners program to allow innovators in the nursing field to develop and share new methods and thinking to a broad range of healthcare problems. According to Sullivan-Marx (2020), the initiative identifies nurse-designed models of interventions and care, which positively influence health costs, promote consumer satisfaction, and enhance the quality of care. Through the program, several unbelievable and credible designs have accentuated nurses’ ingenuity, determination, and leadership in solving daily medical challenges experienced by mainly the underserved populations in society. The Edge Runners initiative embraces a proactive approach that involves examining potential risks and existing problems to offer the best care to less privileged people who rarely access care.
The program has inspired creativity and innovativeness in the nursing practice, thus helping address both existing and emerging healthcare challenges. For instance, Dr. Diane Spatz developed a care model relating to the ten steps of protecting and promoting human milk and breastfeeding (Davis & Spatz, 2019). Indeed, several hospitals across the United States and the globe currently educate their healthcare professionals on the appropriate practices revolving around breastfeeding, especially for vulnerable infants. On her part, Maria de los Angeles Ortega developed a holistic model of dementia care that has informed various nursing theories, caring science, and perspectives (American Academy of Nursing, n.d.). She has contributed to addressing challenges experienced by people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other mental conditions. The Edge Runners initiative has encouraged comprehensive studies on health issues affecting the less privileged population and offered solution-focused approaches to improve health outcomes. Notably, the new knowledge in nursing practice such as dementia model remains indispensable in addressing various acute and chronic illnesses affecting different segments of the population.
References
American Academy of Nursing. (n.d.). Edge Runners: Transforming America’s health system through nursing solutions. Aannet.org. Web.
Davis, J. A., & Spatz, D. L. (2019). Human milk and infants with congenital heart disease: A summary of current literature supporting the provision of human milk and breastfeeding. Advances in Neonatal Care, 19(3), 212-218. Web.
Sullivan-Marx, E. (2020). Risk and reward: The innovation behind Academy’s Edge Runners. Nursing Outlook, 68(1), 3-4. Web.