Читать книгу Kelly Vana's Nursing Leadership and Management - Группа авторов - Страница 48

Good nursing leadership and management of patients includes getting to know the patients; spending time assessing normal behavior, physiological and psychological responses to illness and hospitalization; and using knowledge to recognize even subtle changes in the patients' conditions and further evaluate them. Another key aspect of using knowledge is developing the ability to anticipate patient care problems. When a nurse intervenes with a postoperative patient who is bleeding from his incision by applying pressure at the site, the nurse minimizes the amount of bleeding. Using knowledge and anticipating such complications assists a nurse to intervene correctly. Thinking in advance about what should be done if a particular complication should occur, and then monitoring the patient to assess and identify complications early or, when possible, to prevent them, is one way that nurses apply their knowledge. Another aspect of using knowledge for good leadership and management on the patient care unit is to have the right type of personnel and the right amount of personnel; in other words, having patient care unit staffing with enough registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, or nursing assistants on the unit, so that they all can fulfill their roles appropriately with enough people to adequately care for the patients.

Nurses develop their leadership and management skills with continuing education and by increasing their knowledge and expertise in caring for a group of patients by taking care of those patients regularly. The more experience a nurse gains in caring for a population of patients, the more opportunity the nurse has to learn to recognize patterns that occur with these patients. These patterns can include the type of symptoms that are common, possible complications or emergencies, and actions that can help prevent complications or negative outcomes. Planning in advance, prioritizing time and attention, determining actions needed and what can be delegated to others are ways that nurses manage a group of patients.

Knowledgeable nursing leadership and management on a nursing unit fosters good patient care by providing a supportive environment for nurses to deliver care. A supportive leadership and management environment is characterized by a clear chain of command, clear job descriptions, evidence‐based patient care standards, appropriate staffing, accessible Internet and library resources, and continuing education support. This allows the nurse to set goals, seek a mentor, and continue employment in a setting that is supportive of high quality, safe, patient‐centered care.