Introduction
Creating an environment that contributes to patients’ faster recovery is a crucial responsibility of a nurse. Therefore, it is essential for nurses to engage in the process of promoting the quality of care (Lavin, Harper, & Barr, 2015). Thus, a nurse must play several roles to meet the required high standards of care and make sure that patients are safe. For this purpose, a nurse must assume three key roles, i.e., the one of a communicator, and educator, and a mediator to encourage the further dialogue between a nurse and a patient, promote patient agency actively, and focus on introducing innovative solutions into the environment of the contemporary healthcare.
Educator, Communicator, and Safety Manager
Encouraging patients to acquire the relevant skills and knowledge is an essential responsibility of a nurse. A patient needs to be able to identify primary symptoms of a particular health issue, determine the available resources, and address a healthcare expert to be provided with the necessary assistance. The role of a nurse is, therefore, to shed light on the specified issues and encourage a patient to develop independence in their process of learning (Carayon et al., 2014).
Apart from enhancing the process of patient education, a nurse must also consider focusing on the means of improving the process of communication between a nurse and a patient. Giving a chance to reduce the threat of a misunderstanding or misinterpretations of the provided information, as well as delivering the services of the finest quality, efficient communication between a nurse and a patient must be listed among the top priorities of a nurse (Hall, Johnson, Watt, Tsipa, & O’Connor, 2016).
Finally, one must keep in mind that direct supervision is also essential for the safety of patients. Therefore, a nurse must be able to define the extent to which a patient’s independence can stretch, as well as the areas in which a patient will require assistance. The levels of the patient agency must increase with the progress made (Laschinger, 2014).
Organizational Culture, Leadership Style, and Patient Safety
The organization under analysis is managed with the help of the transformational leadership style used by the CNO of the facility. The specified approach allows for a fast and efficient introduction of changes in the nursing environment. The organizational culture of the facility, in turn, is geared toward encouraging active knowledge sharing, as well as the promotion of a dialogue between a nurse and a patient. The focus on communication as the primary value allows supporting the management of patient safety (McComb, Lemaster, Henneman, & Hinchey, 2017).
It could be argued, though, that certain improvements could be introduced into the identified setting. For instance, the reconsideration of the current approach toward expenses management might be a significant improvement. The use of a cost-efficient approach based on reducing delays by using advanced technology should be deemed as a necessity. The specified framework will lead to not only more sustainable use of the facility’s resources, but also the enhancement of patient safety since the quality and speed of the service delivery will rise (Parand, Dopson, Renz, & Vincent, 2014).
Conclusion
The significance of a nurse’s role in maintaining the quality of healthcare services must not be underrated. Although nurses play a range of roles in the realm of the modern healthcare system, the ones of an educator, communicator, and mediator are particularly prominent. Assuming the responsibilities that are associated with the identified roles, a nurse can build the foundation for enhanced communication with the target population. For this purpose, the principles of transformational leadership must be coupled with a cost-efficient and sustainable approach toward resource management in a nursing organization. Thus, the opportunities for delivering the services of the finest quality are built.
References
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