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Five Ways Nurses Can Improve The Quality Of Patient Care

Being hospitalized with an injury or illness can be a challenging time. Health uncertainties can make a person feel very insecure, and being kept in an unfamiliar place makes most people extremely uncomfortable. 

Though it is for their own good, patients often have difficulty accepting their hospital admission and don’t take the process very well.
If it weren’t for the dedicated men and women in nursing who make it all possible, the medical industry as we know it would be very different. Doctors and physicians also play a very significant role; however, they sometimes overshadow their colleagues in nursing. 

In this article, we aim to highlight nurses’ role in medicine and demonstrate how they can improve the quality of patient care.

This article will discuss a few ways to improve your patients’ quality of care, help them feel a little bit better about their stay, and grow in your career too.

1. Understanding medicine better

There is no end in the medical field regarding learning and development. Neither doctors nor nurses ever stop learning till far into their careers. There are so many developments occurring almost every week that it’s hard to put a dead stop to education, especially in medicine. 

If not general knowledge and basic training, nurses should continuously pursue better credentials through higher education. An MSN in Nursing can open up better career options for you and make dealing with patients in your current roles easier. 

The more you know and the better trained you are, the easier it will be for you to handle many patients that come your way. 

Inexperience is one thing, but a lack of knowledge can be highly damaging in a profession like this. You need to know the ins and outs of nursing medicine to give patients the care they deserve. 

2. Learn proper bedside manner

One of the most important things about the medical field is how approachable you are as a practitioner. How you engage with your clients and patients must be in line with the oath taken when graduating from med school. Ensuring that you are polite, pleasant, and approachable is one of the key factors of the job. 

Moreover, Telling the patients what they need to know and holding back sometimes is a critical factor of bedside manner that you will learn with experience. A patient’s stay in a hospital may not be the nicest if they have a mean nurse who is rough with them and wants to get done with the day. 

We understand that nurses have some of the toughest jobs in society, but how you carry yourself in the workplace speaks volumes. Nurses and doctors must have impeccable bedside manners if they wish to grow successfully in their careers. 

3. Empathy

You may get irritated with some of your patients because they lack filters. Some patients may be dealing with a severe bout of health and lash out at just about anyone in the immediate vicinity. 

Please understand how confusing and complicated this time can be for some people and that they may not know how to convey their emotions appropriately.
As a nurse, you must take the high ground and remain calm when you have an angry patient or a patient’s loved one. 

Far too many professionals in this field have become emotionally detached from the job and simply go through the motions. If that’s the case, you aren’t honoring the pledge. Please understand how hard these people have it and share in their pain. 

If you don’t feel the patient’s pain and understand their emotions, you are doing something wrong. 

4. Be a friend

Other than sharing empathy and a positive bedside manner, just be a friend to the patients you’re dealing with. Talk to them as human beings, and not about their illness or injury. Address them as people, not patients. 

The feeling of normalcy is one of the most craved aspects of a patient’s stay in the hospital. Joke around, spend time with them, and help them feel normal again. Talk about sports, ask them about their lives, and share bits of detail about yours, too, if you are comfortable. 

Being normal to them and being a friend can go a long way in making them feel better and potentially giving them a positive mindset to help them cope with their current circumstance. 

If you have some free time, eat lunch with them, play a game of cards or spend a few minutes watching sports or the news with them. Put aside the patient and practitioner dynamic and engage with them person to person. 

Trust us; this will make a world of difference to them. 

5. Know your limitations

Another essential aspect of care is knowing your weaknesses. You need to be honest with yourself and your employer and draw a line when you think you can’t handle it anymore. Biting off more than you can chew and stepping into unfamiliar territory can cost you in ways you never imagined. 

Remember, this industry has no room for trial and error, and the ramifications of mistakes could spell life and death. If you aren’t equipped to deal with something, ask someone for help. Moreover, if you are stressed, tired, or mentally exhausted, please take some time off. 

And what do we mean when we ask you to take some time off? Go on a holiday, take up a new hobby, spend time with family and friends – if you feel you can’t take it anymore. These are critical signs of burnout that you must avoid. 

As mentioned earlier, there are no second chances in medicine, so make sure you’re getting back into your job with a clear, fresh mind and ready to take on the challenges that await. 

Moreover, send a clear message to the management by telling them you’ve had it and cannot handle it anymore. Fumbles in this industry are dire, and it would be best if you took some time off before potentially making a grave mistake that could cost a life. 

Conclusion

There we have it, some ways that nurses can improve the quality of patient care in their careers. From pursuing further education to knowing where to draw the line, the tips above can help you navigate your career as a nurse effectively. 

We thank you for your services and wish you the best in your career ahead!

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