Reflections: Containing Costs: The Importance of Nurses
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Ellen Liston, MS, RN |
By Ellen Liston, MS, RN, program director of Nursing Practice Development, advisor to BWH Nursing Practice Committee
September's essay about the unique role nurses can play in containing health care costs. It is also about patient care and the characteristics of excellent practice that are embedded in the story.
The outcome for this exhausted patient was one less test, and fundamental to achieving this outcome was that September knew her patient. She knew his clinical situation and his specific responses. Her clinical reasoning, judgments and interventions are based on this knowledge. Caring practices are evident with her efforts to alleviate his discomfort. September acts on the patient's behalf when she interprets and clarifies the order. She provides leadership in her interactions with her physician colleague. Nurses know patients in ways that are not available to other disciplines, and this knowledge frequently guides the decisions of the inter-professional team.
Heeding September's call to utilize clinical nurses as active participants in the fight against rising health care costs makes good sense because the practical wisdom gained from nurses who know their patients can better foster more informed, effective and financially sound choices.