Practice Setting Observation: A Patient-Centered Nursing Care Model

Patient-centered care (PCC) is one of the evolving nursing care models. It developed during recent decades as a response to the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations about healthcare improvement (Lusk & Fater, 2013). However, patient care is not limited to nursing care but is a result of interprofessional team cooperation. The research by Lusk and Fater (2013) investigates the PCC model. The authors relate it to Watson’s theory that defined nursing as a holistic practice in which “human caring involves values, a will, a commitment to care, knowledge, caring action and consequence” (Lusk & Fater, 2013, p. 90). The research aims to examine the notion of PCC in scholarly literature and develop a nursing definition of this concept. The authors suggest the following implications to nursing practice. First of all, foundational behavior is important for PCC, and it includes “communicating and listening, treating the patient as a unique individual” (Lusk & Fater, 2013, p. 96). Moreover, it comprises patient learning, respect for patients’ values, and attention to needs.

Rathert, Wyrwich, and Boren (2013) investigated the outcomes of patient-centered care. Their systematic review of literature about PCC summarizes evidence from the most recent studies and makes conclusions about the application of PCC in contemporary care. This systematic review resulted in the development of a conceptual model that includes the PCC process, moderators, and mediators, as well as outcomes. The process comprises aspects that were already mentioned in the previous studies, such as respect for patients’ preferences, coordination of care, emotional support, family involvement, etc. (Rathert et al., 2013). As a result of these processes, three major outcomes are identified. They include patient satisfaction, patient clinical outcomes, and organizational outcomes. The authors come to the conclusion that further PCC efforts should be made to assess the effectiveness of this care model in different settings and with different types of patients.

Review of Team Nursing Care Model

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Another nursing care model is team nursing. It is a traditional care model that was developed to address the need for professional care in conditions of registered nurses’ shortage. The research by King, Long, and Lisy (2014) investigates the effectiveness of team nursing. The authors claim that the team nursing model of care includes “a group of nurses who work as a team to deliver the care” (King et al., 2014, p. 60). This model makes use of different skills and qualifications that every team member has. The essence of the model is that the team works in collaboration and shares responsibility for patient outcomes. Moreover, the team nursing care model depends on a team leader. In this model, a leader is a registered nurse. To manage the team and care process, the team leader needs good communication and leadership skills (King et al., 2014).

Another research by Bowers and Nolet (2014) studies the application of a team nursing model in developing a Green House nursing home. The project of a Green House nursing home is concentrated on the issue of staff empowerment, which can provide both qualities of life to residents of a nursing home and quality of work life to its employees. In this nursing home, work is provided in self-managed teams and each of these teams is responsible for a certain part of work. While the research revealed different nursing care models in Green House nursing homes, the authors come to a conclusion that the use of these models is effective at different periods of time.

Discussion and Recommendations

In the observed care setting, the patient-centered care model is implemented successfully. However, this facility is well-staffed and equipped while other facilities may lack nursing staff or equipment to apply the PCC model. In the current setting, the PCC model comprises all the necessary components. It encourages patient autonomy and supports individualized patient care, creating a general caring attitude. Respect for values and response to patient needs make it perfect for patient satisfaction. Nevertheless, the model can be not effective in case of poor equipment and lack of financial supply of a healthcare facility. Thus, the self-care model can be applied to facilitate treatment and improve patient outcomes. While it is mainly executed by a patient, it demands much preparation and education from nurses. The major task of this model is to teach patients to take care of themselves to provide continuous care even after discharge from hospital. It enables