What is Continuity of Care in Nursing?
Continuity of care is a distinct concept which remains intangible in the literature, and other terms such as case management, coordination of care, and discharge planning. It is provided by a registered nurse. At present, continuity of care is described by two main elements such as “focus on the client’s health needs” and “care over time that means past, present, and future”.
Role of Registered Nurse in Continuity of Care:
The registered nurse plays a principal role in the continuity of care using the nursing process of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Registered nurses provide holistic nursing care to individuals, families, communities, or populations by using critical thinking, skill, professional competence, and evidence based knowledge.
The nursing process in the continuity of care is complex due to the number and variety of settings and the involving people. Registered nurses are leaders in implementing the collaborative practice.
Activities of the registered nurse in the continuity of care include the following:
- Conducting a comprehensive assessment including verification of the client’s health status.
- Considering formal and informal support systems, environmental live styles, cultural values, believes, and community resources.
- Promoting and facilitating continuity of care across care settings and between health care providers by sharing information on the client’s current situation.
- Facilitating the coordination of care from all the health care providers.
- Registered nurses directly helped in assessment, planning and implementation, monitoring, advocacy, coordination, reassessment, evaluation of outcomes and discharge planning for the clients.
- Defining nursing responsibility and the contribution of nursing to the overall plan of care.
- Providing direct client care.
- Helping the client in navigating the health care system through understanding its system, structure, and process, and also provides them with strategies to work within that process.
- Educating the client or family to other informed and knowledgeable choices.
- Understanding the respective roles and clearly defined responsibilities of other care providers.
- Advocating for workplace policies that support continuity of care.
- Participating in the evaluation of continuity of care.
- Educating self and others regarding best practices in the continuity of care.
- By maintaining proper continuity of care process nurses help the client to reduce cost, reduce resource use, and also improve the quality of health care and achieve desired outcomes.
Maria Khatun Mona is a Founder and Editor of Nursing Exercise Blog. She is a Nursing and Midwifery Expert. Currently she is working as a Registered Nurse at Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has great passion in writing different articles on Nursing and Midwifery. Mail her at “maria.mona023@gmail.com”