Implementing Your Patient Centered Care

We're excited to be sharing more of what makes nursing great! This week we are continuing to discuss the Nursing Process and how it impacts patient care. This week's focus: Implementation!

This is where the rubber glove meets the patient, so to speak. We are working with the healthcare team and the patient/client to help them meet the goals we have already laid out previously. During this time make sure you are always focusing on the patient. The goals and everything are great, but if you patient begins to show signs of decline or distress immediately discontinue the planning and meet the patient's immediate needs to maintain patient safety.

During Planning, we have already set reasonable time frames for this care. Just to reiterate: Implementing care can be over a shift; a period of months with home health; during a clinic visit; or, dare we say lengthy, hospital stay.

This is an observation of the patient for signs and symptoms of improvement or decline. Continue to gather data to be used later in the final phase of the Nursing Process. Always make sure you focus on a plan and implement it over an achievable time frame.

It is expected that a patient and his/her support system is educated on the plan of care in an effort to maintain compliance. The patient and family will most likely have questions about certain aspects of the plan and we have an obligation to meet those needs and make sure the patient understands why they are doing something. Some of the biggest reasons for failure of implementation are lack of knowledge from the family or patient. If someone does not understand the "Why" for doing something they won't do it. For example: You always get that old veteran who likes things his way (you know the patient; love him to pieces, but he sometimes drives you crazy). This fella will agree on the surface to do whatever you want, but as soon as he goes home, he won't do a thing. He will continue his care though if you let him know how his plan works and how he can directly affect his future health and care.

Next week we'll be talking about Evaluation. Follow this link here to read that post now!

The time frame will constantly be changing based on a patient's need and progress so be sure to continue to monitor...