Where do nurses fit in?
Nurses assume responsibility for quality nursing care which includes attending to the biopsychosocial needs of the patients they care for (‘Infirmier’, 2018). Nurses roles include evaluating health, determining and ensuring the realization of a plan of care and treatment (‘Infirmier’, 2018). Nurses main goals include maintaining or restoring health, preventing illness, teaching and actively promoting health (‘Infirmier’, 2018).
Currently in Canada most nurse work in the hospital setting, although if nurses were to move their care to the community, health care costs can decrease significantly. In a study conducted by Browne et al. (2012), authors estimated that in 2010 the province of Ontario could have saved $273,750,000 simply by supporting patients at home in the community, as opposed to in acute care facilities such as hospitals (‘Registered nurses’, 2013). Registered nurses are the largest group of health professionals in the country, thus utilizing their full capacity may offer the best possibility for transforming the Canadian healthcare system (‘Registered nurses’, 2013). For example, nurse-led programs can enable patients with complex chronic conditions to be effectively and appropriately cared for in the community, can help optimize health, improve access to care, reduce pain and suffering, and save the health system millions of dollars annually (‘Registered nurses’, 2013).
FACT: Canada’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow much less than health cost drivers over the next ten years due to an aging population and inflation (‘Health funding’, 2017). The average annual increase in federal health funding from 2017-2018 to 2026-2017, estimated at 3.8%, is and will be insufficient to cover the rise in health costs (‘Health funding’, 2017). That being said, without the above changes in nursing care, the demand for costly acute care interventions will continue to exceed the system’s ability to provide service. Think about the large-scale implications these savings can have on the Canadian healthcare system.
Do you think moving nurses into the community could be a positive start to reducing healthcare spending in Canada and its provinces?
References:
Health funding: For a fair share of federal health funding. (2017, March 28). Retrieved January 29, 2018, from http://www.budget.finances.gouv.qc.ca/budget/2017-2018/en/documents/Budget1718_Health.pdf
Infirmier. (2018). Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://avenirensante.gouv.qc.ca/carrieres/infirmier
Registered nurses: Stepping up to transform healthcare. (2013). Canadian Nurses Association, 1-22. Retrieved January 27, 2018, from https://www.cna-aiic.ca/~/media/cna/files/en/registered_nurses_stepping_up_to_transform_health_care_e.pdf.
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