Nurses: a force for change
May 12 is Florence Nightingale’s birth anniversary and also International Nurses Day.
International Nurses Day on May 12 highlights the impact of nurses on quality care
Director of nursing and nursing education at Netcare, Shannon Nell said, “Throughout history, nurses have played an invaluable role in the health and wellbeing of communities, forming the mainstay of every nation’s healthcare system. Nurses impact the lives of people when they are most vulnerable, not only through clinical care, but also through the compassion they demonstrate when it is most needed.”
“As the largest profession in the health workforce, nurses are well positioned to deliver on this year’s global theme, ‘Nurses: a force for change’. Nurses use their expertise to drive improvements in efficiency and quality of care to attain optimal patient outcomes. The expertise that every nurse applies in their work daily can make an important difference, which is why they are a pivotal force for change,” asserts Nell.
“Quality improvement skills are necessary to identify gaps between current care and best practice and to design, implement, test and evaluate changes. Netcare has adopted a range of evidence-based international best practices as part of our efforts to enhance patient clinical outcomes on an ongoing basis,” states Nell.
“Nurses are playing a key role in the implementation of these practices which have been proven to benefit patients. They are at the centre of patient care and therefore are essential drivers of quality improvement,” notes Nell.
This was evident in the 2014 Netcare Quality Leadership Awards, where nursing teams were responsible for 62 of the 166 entries. Lecturers and administration teams at Netcare Education submitted 18 entries, while nursing staff members also participated in various initiatives as part of multidisciplinary teams.
