Nursing is a continuously evolving discipline. Consequently, there are many changes and advancements that are expected in this discipline over the next couple of years and indeed in the long term future. These changes and advancements are expected to make the overall process of delivering care to patients to be easier and more efficient. Being a relatively wide discipline, it would be virtually impossible to articulate all the changes expected to be experienced in the discipline in the future, but there are some few elements of the discipline whereby change and growth will be pronounced.
One of these elements relates to continuity and continuum of care. In general terms, continuity of care refers to the process through which the physician and the patient are collaboratively involved in continuous health care management with the ultimate goal being high quality, as well as cost-effective care. This is an element of nursing that is expected to exhibit massive growth and advancement in the future. Technology is expected to boost this element, and one of the ways through which this will come to fruition is through the linking of patient records (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Continuity of care is dependent on the availability and ease of access of complete health data and information on which both future and current care can be planned and then implemented. Technology will enable the harmonization of health related information that will lead to the improvement of continuity of care. This will pave the way for the achievement of the ultimate goal of continuity and continuum of care that is high quality and cost effective healthcare (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Since technological advancement is a continuous feature, the changes and growth in the concept of continuity of care is also expected to be continuous for the foreseeable future.
Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is another aspect of nursing that has been evolving and that is expected also to exhibit growth and changes in the future. These organizations that comprise of a set or a group of health providers who include specialists primary care physicians and even hospitals are expected to increase in size in the future. There will be more ACO’s as heath care providers become more linked via advanced communication an information systems. In addition, the populations served by these organizations are also likely to change and become more diverse (Institute of Medicine, 2011). For example, both undeserving as well swell as normal populations will be covered by an almost equal magnitude by these organizations.
Massive growth and changes are also expected when it comes to medical homes as well as nurse-managed health clinics. On a general scale, health care providers have realized that one of the most effective patient care delivery models is grouping together patients with similar needs and characteristics and then providing synchronized care to them (Aiken, 2011). Consequently, in the future, medical homes as well nurse-managed health clinics are expected to become more specialized as they attempt to provide the best of care to patients with similar needs. In addition, the number of medical homes as well nurse-managed health clinics are expected to rise as new diseases and ailments arise and as patterns of availing care change.
In conclusion, it is clear that the discipline of nursing and provision of care in general is expected to undergo massive growth and changes in the future. This growth as well as positive changes and advancements expected will make the delivery of care to be of higher quality, to be more cost effective and efficient.
References
Aiken, L. H. (2011). Nurses for the future. New England Journal of Medicine, 364(3), 196-198.
