Nurses: A force for change – care effective, cost effective
THE cost of healthcare is rising worldwide, placing a heavy financial burden on health systems and populations globally, according to the International Council of Nurses (ICN).
The ICN says that nurses, as the single largest profession in the health workforce, are well positioned to drive efficiency and effectiveness improvements while providing quality care and attaining optimal patient and population outcomes.
“Nurses are concerned and understand the landscape of healthcare delivery including financing, cost effectiveness and resource management, cost of healthcare and access to care,” writes Judith Shamian, president of ICN in the introduction of a publication specially published for International Nurses Day (IND) 2015 called Nurses: A Force for Change: Care Effective, Cost Effective, which mirrors the theme for the day.
“The decisions that every nurse makes multiple times a day in everyday practice can make a vital difference in the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire system. Nurses are at the core of attaining the best quality/access/cost balance.
“It is therefore essential that nurses and policy makers focus on the nursing role in care effective and cost effective healthcare systems as a key priority and determinant for achieving equity, delivering universal health coverage and ultimately improving health outcomes globally,” adds Shamian.
She says the theme for IND 2015, Nurses: A Force for Change: Care, Effective, Cost Effective reflects ICN’s commitment for action to strengthen and improve health systems around the world.
“It leverages the contribution that nurses can make and acknowledges that as a profession we reach people that other practitioners never see both in urban and in rural and remote communities. In short, global health cannot be achieved without nurses and without our proactive contributions and participation at all levels of the healthcare system.”
Shamain says nurses, as those health care profes- sionals closest to people in all settings of society, can have an enormous impact in reducing health costs and increasing quality of care.
“Improving the quality of healthcare and access to health services depends on the extent to which the over 16 million nurses around the world are mobilised to be cost effective and care effective. It also depends on providing current knowledge and information to the nursing workforce on key issues such as financing, health policy and decision making process.
“As the largest healthcare profession, nurses are key to leading change from the frontline towards equity, universal health coverage and ultimately towards improved health outcomes globally.
“In order to strengthen health systems, nurses need to be adequately prepared to help shape policy, work effectively in interdisciplinary teams, plan and manage health services, involve communities and key stakeholders in healthcare planning and delivery, and lobby for increased resource flow to health systems,” says the ICN.