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A popular misconception is that professional nurses are only good for giving sponge baths and changing bedpans. However, the truth is that the modern nurse plays a very important role in the delivery of complete health and patient care.
Nurses, in association with other medical care providers, are responsible for a variety of functions including:
- Treatment and recovery of patients with chronic ailments
- Responding to life-threatening medical emergency situations.
- Improving health and quality of life of the healthy.
- Providing emotional support to patients to cope with their illness.
This article evaluates the important role that nurses play in delivering quality care for patients with a variety of ailments.
Roles and responsibilities
Depending on their training and nursing experience, nurses can deliver a variety of services including the following:
- As a treatment provider
Due to the amount of time that a nurse spends with the patient, they can monitor your recovery and determine the effectiveness of the treatment. They can also determine the outcome of the patient-specific health symptoms and communicate all patient-related information to the doctor, thus ensuring that the best treatment is administered.
- As an emotional support
Trained nurses understand the implications of an illness, particularly in terminal ailment. In addition to their medical knowledge, they can provide patients with the emotional support necessary for them to stay positive and go through the rigorous treatment regime. Nurses can also be a source of emotional support for family members of the patient.
- In preventive health care
Nurses can also play a more proactive role in preventive health care. This includes providing consultation tips for patients diagnosed with chronic diseases at an early stage on how to rectify the problem. Other functions include wound dressing procedures and bedsore care to avoid further complications and interventions.
- In palliative care
Nurses, specialized in delivering palliative care, are trained to work with patients of all ages with life-limiting illnesses. Not only do they have the necessary medical expertise to elevate the patient’s life expectation, nurses have the emotional skills to point out the futility of medical treatment to family members and advise them to switch to palliative care treatment.
- In developing a patient care plan
In countries with advanced medical care facilities, nurses can work independently or interdependently with physicians and doctors. They also have the expertise to work collaboratively with doctors, therapists, family members, and other professionals involved in delivering health care to a single patient. Through this collaborative effort, nurses can implement an effective plan for the benefit of the patient.
Nursing home services
Nursing home services allow patients to receive the services of a nurse in the comfort of their homes, instead of hospitals. Home nurses ensure that patients receive medical care and companionship just like how they would be treated in a hospital. Patients, being in the comfort of their home and the presence of their loved ones, respond better to their treatment, thus leading to shorter recovery period.
Patients in India, can employ the services of the best home nurse in Bangalore and other metro cities.
