Discussion Prompt
After graduation, I plan to become a nurse practitioner and treat diverse patients and provide basic care preventive health services to them. Nurse practitioners (NP) perform focused and comprehensive physical examinations as well as diagnose and treat acute illnesses. Nursing theories are in place to guide nursing practice by providing a framework that nurses can use in giving care to patients and interacting with other healthcare professionals as well. Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory emphasized the need for the patient’s independence to enhance their healing progress after being discharged from the hospital. The theory emphasized the need for patient-centered care among all clients to understand their needs and care for them appropriately.
As a nurse practitioner, my focus of nursing practice will be inclined towards the independence of the patients in their medical care, since it has been proven to be effective in improving patient outcomes. Patient education can be useful in ensuring patients are well have adequate information concerning their health. As a nurse, I will have to teach my patients about the diagnosis of their conditions, side-effects, and treatment options. This approach can be essential in reducing the patient’s anxiety among patients and improve decision making concerning their care through an increased understanding (DeMarco, Nystrom & Salvatore, 2011). I plan to step into the patient’s care whenever needed and answer critical questions that the patients may ask concerning their health. When setting personal goals, however, the patient needs to get involved through proper education that can motivate them to reach the specific goals. This approach can be useful in improving the patient’s overall health in a quick and efficient manner. The entire healthcare organization that I will be part of also stands to benefit through the practice by reducing the number of unnecessary admissions, visits, or calls, hence saving the patient’s money as well.
References
DeMarco, J., Nystrom, M., & Salvatore, K. (2011). The importance of patient education throughout the continuum of health care. Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, 15(1), 22-31.