Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

A nurse is an essential partner to patient care

Manoj Jain, MD, MPH
Physician
May 24, 2015
1K Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

shutterstock_141622243

Some years ago when my father underwent bypass surgery, he was anxious, depressed and in pain as he lay in the hospital bed tied to IV catheters and tubes. Each day, his surgeon, his hospitalist, and other consultant doctors whisked in and out, asking how he was feeling and then ordering a treatment plan. A few years after his full recovery, I asked my father what he remembered about his hospital stay. He told me, “The nurses were good, very caring and compassionate. ”

I remembered Joann, his nurse in the recovery room who placed a pillow on his chest so that he would not hurt when he coughed. And another nurse, who encouraged him every 30 minutes to breathe deeply into a plastic device that looked like a miniature bagpipe. When he needed help, he pressed a red button on his monitor, and if the nurse was delayed he or she would first apologize for the delay and my father would also apologize for disturbing them.

As my father recovered, another nurse helped him from the bed to the bathroom, another helped him understand his medicines when he was discharged. And when he did not completely understand his medication instructions he called the nurse at his doctor’s clinic, at time bypassing my recommendations.

While much of health care is focused on physician quality measures, data show that good nursing care significantly impacts quality of care. For example, when administrators are forced to cut nursing staff to save money, it increases the workload for nurses and impacts quality. One 2007 study found that a “10 percent increase in number of patients assigned to a nurse leads to a 28 percent increase in adverse events such as infections, medication errors, and other injuries.”

As patients we are often unaware of the quality of nursing care at various hospitals.Medicare’s website provides detailed data for each hospital. For example, 80 percent of patients at Tennessee hospitals reported “that their nurses always communicated well,” while 68 percent reported that they “received help as soon as they wanted” and 72 percent reported their pain was always well controlled. Such data is also available for comparison between hospitals in a city.

On one measure, Tennessee hospital nurses performed poorly. Only 50 percent of the patients “strongly agreed” that they understood their care plan when they left the hospital. What the data tells us is that we can measure quality of nursing care and that these measures can lead to interventions to improve the quality of care.

To encourage improvement, Medicare has taken quality data to another level. It has created penalties and incentives to hospitals based on the various quality measures, including the quality of nursing care, under a program called “value-based purchasing.” This provides a powerful incentive for administrators to improve nursing care.

To me as a doctor, a nurse is an essential partner in providing the best care for my patient. Often as an intern in Boston, I remember looking to a trusted nurse for his or her opinion. And even today, I second guess myself when a nurse questions my treatment plan.

Manoj Jain is an infectious disease physician and contributor to the Washington Post and the Commercial Appeal.  He can be reached at his self-titled site, Dr. Manoj Jain.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Fixing health care really depends on the economy

May 24, 2015 Kevin 3
…
Next

The taboo nature of miscarriage must end

May 24, 2015 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Nursing

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Fixing health care really depends on the economy
Next Post >
The taboo nature of miscarriage must end

More by Manoj Jain, MD, MPH

  • 3 steps to a better health care system

    Manoj Jain, MD, MPH
  • How this physician transitions to becoming an empty nester

    Manoj Jain, MD, MPH
  • Health care in American is on life support, and the future is uncharted

    Manoj Jain, MD, MPH

More in Physician

  • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

    Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD
  • Practicing medicine with conviction

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • The power of memory in shaping human identity

    Emily F. Peters and Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD
  • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • The erosion of patient care

    Laura de la Torre, MD
  • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

    Eleanor Menzin, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How to facilitate caregiver learning and support to improve clinical care outcomes

      Kerri Milyko, PhD | Tech
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 7 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Lab Tests That Escape FDA Oversight May Come Under Agency Review
  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Low Tidal Volume Compliance Still Lacking in Mechanical Ventilation
  • IV Immunoglobulin May Cut Infection Risk of Anti-BCMA Agents for Myeloma
  • When's the Best Time to Get the Updated COVID Shot?

Meeting Coverage

  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Plant-Based Estrogen Improves Lipids in Postmenopausal Women
  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How to facilitate caregiver learning and support to improve clinical care outcomes

      Kerri Milyko, PhD | Tech
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

A nurse is an essential partner to patient care
7 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...