The Definition of Nursing Outcomes

The outcome of human caring is a critical part of the nursing profession.

If patients are satisfied with the care offered to them in a healthcare institution, then it would be evident that this outcome has been achieved. Further evidence of this outcome can be seen through positive patient feedback regarding the quality of care offered to them in a health institution. Follow-up by health professionals on their patients after treatment has been done shows that they care about their patients. Human caring is an outcome that shows the level of commitment by nursing professionals to their patients to enable them to achieve better health outcomes (Davidson, Ray. &Turkel, 2011, p. 77).

Communication as an outcome can be described as the act of positive interactions between a nurse and a patient. Effective communication leads to an increase in patient satisfaction and helps to improve the quality of care offered to them. Effective communication between patients and nurses encourages sharing of information between the two parties. Patients can ask questions about their health from nurses and other health workers. This helps caregivers in a health facility to meet their objectives effectively (Chapman, 2005, p. 22).

Critical thinking as an outcome in nursing can be defined as the act of relying on effective practice-based solutions to solve problems. Critical thinking enables nurses to rely on evidence-based practices to solve critical problems which face them. To achieve this outcome, nurses need to improve their data analysis skills to enable them to acquire new knowledge in different areas of practice (Fesler-Birch, 2005, p. 62). Nurses should also share information with their peers to get an insight on how to improve the quality of care they offer in their respective workstations.

Diversity of care in nursing can be defined as the act of offering patients quality care regardless of their social, economic, political, or ethnic backgrounds. To achieve this outcome, nurses need to show empathy to all patients by offering them effective care whenever necessary. This shows that they respect codes of ethics that govern the nursing profession. Nurses need to implement health initiatives that target specific communities and demographic groups to improve access to healthcare in society (Gates & Mark, 2012, p. 269). They need to have specific health drives targeting youth, women, the elderly, and other segments of the population that do not have proper access to healthcare.

Information technology competence as an outcome is the ability of nurses to utilize various technological tools to improve the quality of care offered to patients. Nurses need to improve their knowledge on how to use different technological tools to ensure that they achieve positive results in their practice. Healthcare institutions are using technology more as an intervention tool to improve medical results which they offer to patients. Nurses should be equipped with I.T. skills to enable them to use technology resources to improve treatment outcomes in different health settings (Perry & King, 2009, p. 7).

Interdisciplinary collaboration as an outcome can be described as networks that nursing professionals have with professionals in other disciplines. This collaboration helps nurses to expand their knowledge and skills. This knowledge makes nurses well equipped to handle different issues which affect patients in different communities. It also helps them to understand the causes of specific health issues which affect particular communities and how they can be solved. Nurses need to share information with other professionals to get comprehensive solutions to health problems that are prevalent in specific areas (Orchard, Curran & Kabene, 2005, p. 6).

Nursing therapeutic outcomes can be described as the usage of effective therapies to improve clinical results. This enables nurses to think critically to rely on evidence-based practices to solve critical health problems which their patients are facing. Nurses need to be knowledgeable in different therapies which improve the quality of results achieved in their health facilities. This approach enables nurses to offer patients the desired level of comfort while they are undergoing treatment in the health facility of their choice (Day, 2000, p. 41).

Professional development as an outcome is the ability of nurses to improve their skills and knowledge to enable them to handle different emerging healthcare needs effectively. This allows nursing professionals to learn new processes and techniques quickly to help them deal with patient needs effectively. Nurses who seek constant professional development opportunities are more competent in their duties compared to nurses who do not. Therefore, a nurse who reads new literature on best practices can deliver on patients’ expectations effectively (Masters, 2013, p. 78).

Theory-based practice as an outcome helps nurses to rely on different sources of knowledge to make good decisions regarding their practice in different health settings. This helps nurses to predict different health patterns and their impacts at the community level. Theory-based practice gives a nurse the necessary skills needed to meet and satisfy patients’ expectations in different health settings. Nurses rely on ideas gathered from various research studies to make effective decisions regarding the quality of healthcare they offer to patients (George, 2002, p. 67). This helps nurses to apply critical thinking to come up with effective solutions for different healthcare issues.

References

Chapman, K.B. (2009). Improving communication among nurses, patients and physicians. American Journal of Nursing, 109 (11), 21-25.

Davidson, A.W., Ray, M.A. &Turkel, M.C. (2011). Nursing, caring, and complexity science: For human–environment well-being. New York, NY: Springer.

Day, W. (2000). Relaxation: A nursing therapy to help relieve cardiac chest pain. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 18 (1), 40-44.

Fesler-Birch, D.M. (2005). Critical thinking and patient outcomes: a review. Nursing Outlook, 53 (2), 59-65.

Gates, M.G., & Mark, B.A. (2012). Demographic diversity, value congruence, and workplace outcomes in acute care. Research in Nursing and Health, 35 (3), 265- 276.

George, J.B. (2002). Nursing theories: The base for professional nursing practice.New York, NY: Prentice Hall.

Masters, K. (2013). Role development in professional nursing practice. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

Orchard, C.A., Curran, V. & Kabene, S. (2005). Creating a culture for interdisciplinary collaborative professional practice. Med Educ Online10 (11), 1-13.

Perry, P. & King, M. (2009). Course development: Nursing informatics. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics, 13 (2), 1-20.