EDITORIAL


10.5005/pjn-12-1-iv
Pondicherry Journal of Nursing
Volume 12 | Issue 1 | Year 2019

 


Nursing Sciences: An Ever-expanding Domain in Health Profession

Presently, the domain of nursing sciences is expanding at a rapid pace and increasingly being recognized as an essential part of an integrative approach aimed at holistic health care. As nursing sciences continue growing at an above-average rate, the healthcare industry is constantly changing to help, adapt to the current needs of the society. Trends in nursing are closely in touch with those happening in the realms of health care in general. Trends are fascinating phenomena, but they do not exist in vacuum or isolation. In addition, with more number of nursing professionals coming from variegated backgrounds and walks of life, nurses are poised to reach out to and serve the diverse communities in which they live. The highlights of the changing trends of nursing professionals for the betterment of tomorrow's healthcare delivery are enumerated below.

Embracing of technology: Technology has a huge influence on nursing from remote monitoring to robotic surgery and genomics. Targeted therapeutic modalities are on the rise in cancer, and patients have shorter stay in hospital due to improved surgical and radiology techniques. Nurses are aware of the best and latest apps to advise patients on their conditions. There are lots of opportunities for nurses to work differently due to technology. The majority of medical facilities are starting to embrace these technologies in order to reduce administration time and to enhance accuracy in treatment and medical record-keeping.1

Today, nurse practitioners have proven their efficiency in delivering high-quality, cost-effective healthcare services. Healthcare consumers, recognizing the value of a good service, flock to nurse practitioners for numerous healthcare needs. It is abundantly clear that nurse practitioners are the vital component of future healthcare services.2

E-ICUs (Electronic intensive care units) were established, mostly in rural areas, to enable out-of-state nurses to monitor patients remotely through video camera. That is when hospitals and other healthcare facilities started to look forward to robotics and machines for a few nursing tasks, such as stocking rooms and even monitoring patients.3

Evidence-based practice: In terms of patient outcomes, the nursing profession has witnessed an increased emphasis on integration of evidence-based practice. Most importantly, this responsibility has led to a paradigm shift in the way nursing is viewed. Nursing can now be considered as a comprehensive science contributing to the research and discovery of novel and innovative approaches to improving health outcomes. Nurses also find opportunities in outpatient settings such as ambulatory care clinics, rehabilitation centers, clinics attached to assisted-living facilities, and even telehealth providers.4

Rise of nurse informatics: Nurse informatics supports evidence-based nursing practice and improves patient care through better data collection, information analysis, easier and rapid collaboration between healthcare professionals and identification of both large- and small-scale health and patient trends. Nurse informatics is ideally suited for playing a greater role in healthcare planning and decisionmaking, thus providing a harmonious ambience that could play a vital role in shaping the future of innumerable nurses.5

An enormous amount of work has already gone into the development of this journal and, I believe, you will perceive those efforts inherently reflected in this edition and also in the impact it could make in the domain of nursing sciences.

I convey my best wishes and sincere greetings that would serve as an impetus to a fulfilling life and successful career.

Best of luck!

Subhash Chandra Parija

Vice Chancellor

Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Puducherry

References

1. McCarthy C, Eastman D. Change management strategies for an effective EMR implementation. Chicago, IL: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society 2010.

2. Institute of Medicine (IOM): Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. (accessed on 12th june 2018); 2010 available online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2493041.

3. Goran SF. A second set of eyes: an introduction to tele- ICU. Crit Care Nurse 2010 Aug;30(4):46‒55.

4. Thompson C, Mc Caughan D, Cullum N, Shedon TA, Mulhall A, Thompson DR. Research information in nurses, clinical decision making: what is useful. Journal of Advanced Nursing 2001; 36(3):376‒388.

5. Choi J, Bakken S. Validation of the self-assessment of nursing informatics competencies scale among undergraduate and graduate nursing students. The Journal of Nursing Education 2013;52:275‒282.

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