What are the trends influencing nursing practice?

Subject: Healthcare

Soln:
Some of the trends that are expected to influence and that are influencing nursing practice are:

1. An aging population requires nurses to be well-versed in caring for older patients. That is, geriatric and palliative care are receiving more attention.

2. With the focus on preventive healthcare increasing, nurses need to become familiar with services in that area and coordinate with other healthcare professionals. Collaborative healthcare is an area that is getting a lot of attention.

3. The Affordable Care Act will require nurses to handle patients who had avoided healthcare before getting insurance.

4. Nurses will need to keep pace with technological advances in the field especially those that aid their work.

5. Nurses may be able to practice as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. There are more opportunities for specialization.

6. There is an increase in the number of male nurses, and gender pay gap is said to be reducing.

7. The focus in nursing is more on patient-centered care. Patient safety has grown in importance.