Education

How DNP-prepared nurses use their skills to support an efficient healthcare system

Summary

The US healthcare system is continuing to undergo a series of sweeping changes as care becomes more widely available, people live longer, and health disparities are tackled. It’s a complex environment with the nursing profession at its heart. Those who […]

The US healthcare system is continuing to undergo a series of sweeping changes as care becomes more widely available, people live longer, and health disparities are tackled. It’s a complex environment with the nursing profession at its heart. Those who choose to obtain a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree will have a significant role in transforming care provision and take on senior roles in various settings.

Why take a doctorate in nursing practice?

Developed to produce nursing leaders, the Doctorate of Nursing Practice is a qualification that can only be taken by experienced healthcare professionals. On graduation, these nurses have a substantial influence on the healthcare outcomes in their facility and beyond. This can be achieved in various ways, from direct patient care to health policy enactments and organizational leadership. To make DNPs more accessible to the average practitioner, institutions such as Wilkes University have developed online study programs. By offering a more flexible way of learning, their Doctor of Nursing Practice online program offers an accelerated degree that can open career paths in various areas of advanced practice and can be completed in two years. With courses in ethical practices, environmental health, and leadership theories and practices, this program prepares nurses with advanced skills in healthcare.

DNPs are hugely valuable to patients and employers

Although all registered nurses are engaged in driving the profession forward and supporting excellent patient care, DNPs have a more developed and complex skillset. In addition to having exceptional clinical competency, they can lead diverse interdisciplinary teams, bring about transformative levels of change, and organize more efficient practices in their workplace. Here’s a closer look at why the US healthcare system needs the leadership skills and comprehension that DNPs have to offer.

Leading from the front with progressive initiatives

The people who lead the US healthcare system have to take responsibility for a wide range of key issues, from safety to cost management and patient satisfaction; there is much to balance. It’s a complex role that is often undertaken by DNP executives for several reasons. Primarily, they understand how to interpret evidence and can turn their findings into an actionable plan. They do this by carrying out various types of research, identifying problems or areas that need improvement, and then working to find solutions. The goal will often involve improving patient care and safety.

DNP-qualified nurses are so capable in this area of work, in part because they are trained to understand the importance of information technology and its function in supporting evidence-based practice. This ensures they are ready to adopt innovations quickly, promote valuable technologies in their facility, and educate colleagues in their use. Telemedicine is one example, as is remote monitoring, both of which have proven beneficial to reaching more patients and solving health disparities.

Although DNPs often become leaders in clinical settings, a range of career paths are open to them. Therefore, many use their managerial skills to influence health policy on a local or national scale. They know how to advocate both for the staff on their teams, as well as in a more public role, to affect change on a state or federal level. This might involve collaborating with regional or global organizations to promote healthier living initiatives and also seeking funding for future programs.

In part, DNPs are so effective as leaders because they have a broader outlook than other healthcare workers, who tend to concentrate on their individual specialties. That means DNPs understand what happens in each department of a hospital and know why a multidisciplinary approach is frequently the best way forward. The DNP-prepared nurse is therefore proficient at bringing together stakeholders from across the facility to work for the betterment of patient care. However, they can also strive to improve the nursing profession, delivering better working conditions, opportunities for professional development, and ensuring everyone on the primary care team feels heard.

Organizing new models of care

Nursing care models of delivery are the methods health professionals use to provide care to patients. One model will encompass the physical location of care, the type of care (whether it involves a team or one person, for example), and the skills required to deliver it. Often it falls to practitioners with a DNP to redesign an existing model of care or develop something completely new.

During the COVID crisis, this was a key concern, as it became difficult and unsafe to offer care through the traditional routes. As a result, hybrid models of care that included both virtual and in-person visits, as well as remote care models, were established. This type of care involves offering remote monitoring to patients as an alternative to bringing them into a facility regularly. The nurses who are charged with caring for remote patients can use real-time clinical data that is collected through devices worn by patients or kept in the patient’s home. Combined with the power of AI and predictive analysis, this information can help practitioners identify patients who are managing their condition successfully and those who may be at risk of complications.

Another model of delivering care is navigation, and this is managed by nurse navigators. Using their extensive knowledge of the care system, DNPs can help to establish this model and in doing so blend primary care with team-based treatments. Nurse navigators act as advocates for individual patients, assisting them as they work their way through the healthcare system and receive treatment for more complex conditions such as cancer. They can offer financial advice, emotional support, and practical tips to people who are in a vulnerable state. Moreover, they are on hand when treatments take place and can educate patients on procedures as well as encourage them to stick with care plans once they have been discharged. DNPs will promote a multidisciplinary approach when setting up navigation roles, as this enables the nurse in charge to offer a comprehensive service that includes monitoring a patient’s progress, scheduling appointments, arranging tests, and more.

Another way in which DNPs are working toward cutting waiting lists is through their involvement with acute care in the home models. This form of care tackles the problem of staffing shortages and a lack of beds, as well as enabling patients to gain optimal health outcomes from the comfort of their homes, even for those who might usually be taken to the emergency ward. With skilled professionals carrying out the work, patients can receive excellent quality care at an acute level without any risk to their safety. This includes a diagnosis, the establishment of a treatment plan, and additional nursing assistance for aftercare that’s required.

By supporting new models of care delivery, DNPs enable the health system to provide a service that improves access to care for all Americans. Moreover, people can get help when they need it more quickly and can communicate with their healthcare providers as required.

Boosting efficiency with better resource allocation

Resource management is a topic that all nurses are taught at university, but at the DNP level, practitioners have a firmer grasp of its importance. Resource management relates to how materials, staff, equipment, and time are coordinated within a facility to deliver the best care most efficiently. Resource management ensures that all the elements needed to help patients get well are in place as and when they are required. As DNPs have practical, hands-on experience in managing resources on a ward, they can often provide insight into how medicines, equipment, and people can be coordinated effectively.

Resource management is such a crucial aspect of a DNP practitioner’s work because when handled well, it can save a facility huge amounts of money, as well as cut back on waste and improve patient outcomes. Moreover, if a clinic or hospital does not invest in best practices when it comes to allocating its resources, the results can be harmful and lead to wastage, supply chain issues, and a fall in staff morale. Therefore, effective resource management has a direct impact on the quality of care a patient receives in a hospital. It keeps a nurse’s workflow moving smoothly and allows them to meet each patient’s needs whilst providing a good quality of care. That’s because, with everything they need to hand and enough support from colleagues, nurses can respond quickly when they are needed, spend time with patients, provide information, individualize their care, and administer medicines in a timely way.

DNPs understand that resource allocation is essential to the planning, managing, and directing of nursing care. Their advanced knowledge allows them to make decisions based on the skills staff need on a particular ward, which resources are currently available, and what the patient’s needs are. DNPs will organize their approach to allocate where the current resources will be allocated for optimal outcomes in health, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability.

Needs assessments in this process primarily involve looking at what patients require, but the team and the organization will also be taken into account. Next, a DNP will consider the available resources and put together a list of assets that can be leveraged. Once this part of the process is complete, they can make decisions about whether the available resources have been allocated well, or if there needs to be a different pattern or method of distribution.

In terms of policy implementation, the DNP will work as part of a team to ensure that supplies are available where they are needed and staffing levels are appropriate. However, resource management is not a one-off task.; rather, it is an ongoing process that involves monitoring how effective the current strategy is, spotting areas that need improvement, and redirecting resources to solve the problem. An example of this could be in an emergency room setting where the team currently has access to three ventilators, all of which are in use. Should another patient arrive, a DNP nurse may be expected to assess the needs of each person who is currently using a ventilator to see if one of the patients can manage independently. They may also consider what additional resources they have available, such as manual resuscitation bags. Finally, with the support of other healthcare workers on the ward, they may have to make a difficult decision on which patients need the ventilators the most, then carry out their decision but evaluate it regularly in case the situation changes.

DNP-qualified nurses who are involved with resource management will use various skills and competencies to get the job done. Many of these skills are simply more advanced versions of those employed daily by any nurse, but others are more complex. Primarily, critical thinking and good judgment drawn from years of experience in the healthcare system are vital for making informed decisions. They will weigh up different ideas and approaches before trying to make an ethical, yet practical choice about resource allocation. Part of this will involve prioritizing the tasks that are most urgent on a ward or will have the most significant impact on patient care. As new ways of working are rolled out, the DNP will keep the lines of communication open with each team involved and encourage group decision-making. This should pave the way for a process of continual improvement, as teams grow accustomed to staying aware of what resources they have and whether any procedures can be streamlined.

Why are DNPs agents of change?

DNPs are medical professionals who influence the healthcare system and support other nurses, as well as provide patient care. They have reached a level of expertise that enables them to educate colleagues, promote better practices in the workplace, and oversee the roll-out of health innovations. As such, they practice in various capacities and work to minimize the gap between the leadership team and primary care staff at their facility. This work ensures that positive change can take place, optimizes the performance of a hospital, and results in higher levels of patient satisfaction.