Advanced Practice Registered Nurses: A Case Study

As a nurse we want to ensure that our patients receive a high quality of care. Patients should feel safe and satisfied while hospitalized. Many hospitals are continually looking for answers and implementation to significantly reduce the inpatient fall incidents. According to Bechdel et al (2014), the top priority of health care organizations nationwide is to reduce and eliminate falls within the clinical care settings. One of the serious problems in acute care hospital is the patient’s fall. The unfamiliar environment, acute and co-morbid illnesses, prolonged bedrest, polypharmacy, and the placement of tubes and catheters are common challenges that place patients at risk of falling. Most of the falls that I have encountered while working involves

This work has significance because staff and patient education can help prevent falls. Specific interventions decrease falls. Nurses have a responsibility to their patients and their facility to be competent and confident in their abilities to do all that they can to prevent falls. Facilities have the responsibility to provide the tools and the training that is required to carry out fall prevention

Patients are medicated, in an unknown environment, attached to lines, drains, and physiologically impaired in some manner. They are at a very high risk for falling. The American Hospital Association explains how participating hospitals have reduced falls by 27% by using the bundles and toolkits from Hospital Engagement Network (AHA HEN), this process requires the interdisciplinary team involvement. Each has their own role, nursing plays a critical role in fall prevention, they are with the patient for 12hours in a hospital setting and have direct care with assessing, creating a care plan, implementation of interventions, and evaluation. They can report any concerns or data to the

Nurses help to ensure patient safety, which includes preventing falls and fall-related injuries (Quigley, Neily, Watson, Wright, & Strobel, 2017). The general population is at risk for falls and fall-related injuries, more specifically the elderly, 65 and over (Quigley, Neily, Watson, Wright, & Strobel, 2017). Patient falls are one of the top events for hospitals and long-term care facilities due to loss of physical function or cognition (Quigley, Neily, Watson, Wright, & Strobel, 2017). Fall-related injuries are a serious health issue for the elderly population (Quigley, Neily, Watson, Wright, & Strobel, 2017). Nurses make a major contribution to patient safety by assessing fall risk and designing patient-specific fall prevention

There have been concerns regarding the identification and credentialing of advanced practiced registered nurses (APRNs). A APRN is a registered nurse who has successfully completed an accredited graduate-level education program, in which the individual is well prepared and successfully passed the nationwide certification examination (APRN Consensus Model, 2008). However, there are still debating issues of who would fall under the APRN category. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) has identified four APRNs who are deem fit to be called ARPNs; however, only two will be named. They would be certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and certified nurse practitioners (CNPs). Whereas, the nurse informatics and the nurse administrations are not considered to be APRNs; although, they are still license registered nurses but they do not provide direct patient care and are not required to take the national certification examination (ARPN Consensus Model, 2008).

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2015) the traditional roles of the advanced practice nurses include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists. Therefore, the impact of the research on the practice of the preparation of DNP nurse educator requires education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, leadership, policy advocacy, informatics, and systems theory. Furthermore, transitioning to the DNP as a nurse educator does not change the current scope of practice of the Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) for their current roles. The transition of the DNP better prepares APRNs by utilizing new models of the care delivery system and growing complexity of health

Before exploring the nurse’s role in fall prevention, one must first understand the risk factors for falls, the consequences of patient falls, and the organizations that influence how hospitals and long-term care facilities report falls. Although falls can occur to anyone at any time, a few factors increase the

Some practical obstacles that hinder the delivery of proficient and economical services include differences in language, cultural and knowledge of health issues. However, the prudent advanced practice nurse (APN) considers these obstacles to communication when providing patient-centered care. Nevertheless, when language barriers are not addressed, the provision of quality care to patient and families are undermined, which then transcends to both economic and ethical dilemmas. According to the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC, 2016), the gateway to healthcare is often hindered to a great extent by the lack of the ability to communicate medical necessities due to language barrier. In any clinical setting, efficient patient communication is essential in the delivery and accessibility of quality care and safety.

The four that I will address are the Nurse Anesthetist, the Clinical Nurse Specialist, the Nurse Practitioner and the Nurse Mid-wife.

Among older adults aged 65 years and older are found to have difficulty in reading and to comprehend discharge instructions. This has been found to be a concern regarding continuing care and re-admission concerns throughout urban and rural hospitals. Does the integration of Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) guiding discharge education, along with a follow-up contact with the patient after discharge effect compliance and readmission rates, more than not having an APN guiding discharge teaching to help decrease readmission rates?

Advance Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) is a broad term that is used to define the masters prepared nurse that participates directly in patient care. This definition includes four different facets of nursing: certified nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners (Joel, 2009). Of these four professions that are included in the APRN definition, Western Carolina University offers two: nurse anesthetist and nurse practitioner. Nurse educator and nurse leader, which are also offered at Western Carolina University, are not currently included in this definition.

Texas has a rapidly growing population with complex healthcare needs, but has limited resources in terms of healthcare provider workforce. There is an expanding need for healthcare in Texas even without taking federal reform into account. Currently, more than forty percent of states have adopted full practice authority licensure and practice laws for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN). Texas is not one of them. Currently, APRN’s are regulated by both the Texas Board of Nursing and the Texas Medical Board. Passage of Senate Bill 681 would grant full practice authority to APRN’s, and therefore be regulated exclusively by the state nursing board.

As the young and rapidly-aging population continues to increase, the demands of primary, acute and chronic disease management will also increase. As a result, more health care professionals who provide primary care will be needed to meet these demands. Thus, the emergence of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) evolve. APRN is a nurse who has completed a graduate degree and has acquired advanced knowledge and skills. APRNs are grounded with theory, concepts and principles that enable them to assess, diagnose, treat and manage their patients. APRNs can work in conjunction with other health care professionals or independently. APRNs improve access to health care by providing care in the rural and underserved areas. APRNs also reduce the cost to health care (Joel, 2013).

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine if registered nurses are utilizing evidence-based practice fall-preventative strategies, such as modification of patient-specific risk factors and implementation of a proper physical training program, to reduce and prevent falls and injuries in the elderly population.

Nurses are the first health care professionals that patients meet in a health care setting. The nurses have a major impact on the patients. A condition like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has a major stigma with it. In the past, the stigma of HIV/AIDS was higher among people due to the cultural, social, and religious reasons. The AIDS certified registered nurses and other nurses can help reduce the stigma towards the patients. Organizations like the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), promote the health and welfare of the people affected by this condition (Association of Nurses in AIDS care [ANAC], 2015). This global organization is, of nurses who are in the AIDS care and aim to study more about AIDS. They conduct community events such as promoting social awareness concerning issues related to HIV/AIDS. These nurses have the training to help the patients cope with and manage the different emotional and physical symptoms. They administer treatments to help the patient’s suffering through the different stages of this condition (Association of Nurses in AIDS care [ANAC], 2015). The Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) play a critical role in maximizing the effectiveness of the care team. Their care outcomes in the patients with HIV/AIDS are comparable to the patients managed by the physicians (HIV Medicine Association [HIVMA], 2014).