Introduction
Care coordination is an act of organizing care activities and sharing information about the patient amongst all partakers of the patient’s care to achieve effective and safe care. The primary goal of care coordination is to meet the preferences and needs of the patient. In essence, the core of care coordination entails prompt communication of the patient’s needs to the right people and at the right time, and this information is used in the provision of appropriate, safe, and effective care for the patient. The benefit of care coordination is that it enables the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of the healthcare system. Nurses play a central role in care coordination. In essence, nurses serve as patient advocates, generate various information, and act as a link between different medical professionals, hence facilitating prompt communication. The nurses assess the patient’s needs and preferences, after which they collaborate with the multidisciplinary team, thus enabling a patient-centered care plan. The nurse’s role in care coordination substantially affects the patient outcome.
Strategies for Collaborating with Patients and Families
Drug-Specific Educational Intervention
The nurses engage in drug-specific educational interventions with the patient and their families. It is necessary for the nurse to provide detailed medication information to the patients and their families concerning drug usage, adherence strategies, and potential side effects, thus improving compliance and the overall care outcome (Sutton & Pincock, 2020). The nurse can achieve this goal through clear communication. In essence, the nurse can utilize free jargon language to explain the medication details, purpose, administration schedule, dosage, and potential side effects. Notably, tailoring the detailed information at the audience’s comprehensive level ensures an optimum grasp of critical details. The nurse can also use visual aids and resources to supplement verbal information. The nurse can also schedule follow-up sessions, interactive sessions, and individualized plans that will ensure a deep understanding of the medication information. In contemporary society, the nurse can also utilize technology to relay critical information at the convenience of the patient. These strategies will enable the nurses to bridge the information gaps successfully, thus promoting informed decision-making.
Cultural Competence Strategies
It is necessary for nurses to be culturally competent for them to provide patient-centered medical care. The nurses can apply various strategies to achieve the optimum level of cultural competence. First, the nurse can undergo ongoing cultural awareness training that underscores cultural sensitivity, humility, and awareness. Adequate understanding of different cultural communication and traditions will promote trust and rapport with diverse client populations. The nurse also needs to acknowledge and respect different cultural beliefs and practices through patient engagement and shared decision-making (Sutton & Pincock, 2020). This strategy will promote the acknowledgment of patient’s autonomy while embracing their cultural values. Besides, it is necessary for the nurse to create a feedback system that allows the patients to express their experiences, which will guide the healthcare system in improving and adapting new cultural competence strategies. These strategies will successfully bridge the cultural gaps, thus promoting trust within the healthcare system.
Change Management and Patient Experience
Change management is a methodical tactic of dealing with transformation and transition or organized goals, technology, or processes within an organization. Change management in the healthcare system influences the patient’s experience by aligning communication and delivery of care services to the patient’s individualized needs and preferences (Nilsen et al., 2020). In that regard, change management in the healthcare setting is aimed at communication enhancement, patient-centered approach, adaptation and flexibility, staff engagement, and care continuity. These changes in management will enhance and foster a sense of involvement and trust, maintain patient confidence, improve patient care, and align the service delivery with individualized care needs, thus impacting the overall patient outcome and satisfaction.
Care Coordinated Plans and Ethical Decision Making
Rationale for Coordinated Care Plan
The care coordination plan acts as an ethical base in the medical service delivery. In essence, a care-coordinated plan upholds central ethical principles in healthcare, such as ensuring beneficence, prioritizing patient autonomy, and promoting justice (Haddad & Geiger, 2023). In essence, these care-coordinated plans are designed to support the best interest and well-being of the patients. Besides, these plans substantially uphold and respect patients’ autonomy as they involve their decision-making, thus honoring their right to free, informed choice. Moreover, the care-coordinated plans strive to achieve equity and fairness as they focus on individualized care needs and promote access to necessary resources, thus mitigating healthcare disparity. Thus, adopting a coordinated care plan is rationally right.
Ethical Implication
The ethical approach in a care coordination plan involves respecting the patient’s autonomy, and by integrating it into the process of decision-making, the medical providers can substantially impact the patient’s adherence to the care plan and satisfaction. Respect for patient’s autonomy entails engaging them in discussion concerning the medication option, considering their preference and values, and involving them in the process of decision-making (Haddad & Geiger, 2023). This strategy will empower the patient and facilitate a sense of control and ownership over their health. As a result, the strategy will improve trust, compliance, and the overall outcome. The approach will thus pave the way for a high level of satisfaction and quality outcome of the care plan.
Impact of Healthcare Policy Provision
Policy Provisions and Outcomes
One of the important policies that affect the outcome of the patient is the Medicare telehealth flexibility policies that were provided for in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. This policy permits Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics to provide medical services to the patients at their locations, which include homes. This expanded telehealth coverage substantially increases the accessibility of medical services, more so for people in underserved or remote areas. Therefore, the policy promotes convenience, as it enables patients to consult medical professionals from their homes, thus minimizing travel costs and time (Doraiswamy et al., 2021). Besides, the policy facilitates the continuity of care as it enables remote monitoring and follow-ups of many medication cases, especially chronic conditions.
Logical Implications and Evidence
The logical implication of the policy is that it improves the patient’s medical care experience since it increases convenience and accessibility. The patients will have shorter wait times for appointments, flexibility in scheduling appointments, and minimized exposure to infectious diseases. One piece of evidence showcasing the effectiveness of telehealth technology was during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, technology was essential in increasing the convenience of accessing care services and minimizing the risk of further infection (Doraiswamy et al., 2021). Therefore, expanding the telehealth coverage will boost the patient’s experience and outcome.
Role of Nurses in Care Coordination
The nurses play three major roles: resource management, ethical consideration, and policy implementation in care coordination. The nurses are entrusted with various resources, which include medical equipment, suppliers, and human resources. Nurses thus have to allocate resources efficiently, streamline workflow, and ensure maximum coordination between different departments, thus promoting the optimum utilization of resources. Consequently, the patient is responsible for navigating various ethical dilemmas, thus promoting dignity and respect within care. In essence, nurses advocate for patients ‘ rights and respect their confidentiality and autonomy, amongst other ethical requirements (Karam et al., 2021). In the event of a conflict of interest or ethical uncertainties, the nurses play a mediation role. Again, the nurses are the policy implementers. Therefore, nurses are responsible for the implementation of policies and ensuring that they align with the aspiration of accessible, quality, and efficient care. The role of nurses is thus substantial in care coordination.
Conclusion
Effective care coordination is necessary for enhancing the overall patient medication outcome within the healthcare setting. In the implementation of care coordination, the nurses have a responsibility to educate the patients and families concerning drug interventions while upholding cultural competence in the process. In the event of a change, there is a necessity for proper change management that will ensure effective navigation, thus promoting patient outcomes. Rationally, care coordination is appropriate as it acts as a bedrock of ethical principles in medical care and aligns with the aspiration of the provision of quality, accessible, and efficient healthcare services to all citizens, as promoted with some policies such as Medicaid telehealth flexibilities. The nurses play a central role in the care coordination plan as they are responsible for resource management, navigating ethical dilemmas, and actual implementation of the process. Thus, it is necessary to adopt care coordination in medical services to promote the patient’s experience.
References
Doraiswamy, S., Jithesh, A., Mamtani, R., Abraham, A., & Cheema, S. (2021). Telehealth Use in Geriatrics Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Scoping Review and Evidence Synthesis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041755
Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2023, August 14). Nursing ethical considerations. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/
Karam, M., Chouinard, M.-C., Poitras, M.-E., Couturier, Y., Vedel, I., Grgurevic, N., & Hudon, C. (2021). Nursing care coordination for patients with complex needs in primary healthcare: A scoping review. International Journal of Integrated Care, 21(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.5518
Nilsen, P., Seing, I., Ericsson, C., Birken, S. A., & Schildmeijer, K. (2020). Characteristics of successful changes in health care organizations: An interview study with physicians, registered nurses, and assistant nurses. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-4999-8
Sutton, R., & Pincock, D. (2020). An overview of clinical decision support systems: benefits, risks, and strategies for success. NPJ Digital Medicine, 3(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-020-0221-y
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