Why nurses are a vital part of patient recovery

Imagine a patient discharged from the hospital after a serious procedure. Their recovery has only just started. A continuing care nurse is vital in guiding them through a maze of meds, appointments, and supporting their mental care. More often than not, a nurse in continuing care takes this role.

Nurses are ranked among the most ethical and honest professionals. People admire and trust nurses for what they do. A nurse’s role is highly important and essential for the recovery and wellbeing of patients.

This article discusses nurses' multifaceted role in continuing care, including their responsibilities, skills, and impact on patient outcomes. Whether you or a loved one needs continuing care or if you are a nurse looking to get into the field, find the answer to all of your questions regarding nursing in continuing care here.

What is continuing care?

Continuing care refers to a wide range of health and social care services provided to individuals who need ongoing care for different reasons, such as:

• Long-term medical conditions
• Disabilities
• Aging-related issues or illnesses

Unlike acute care, which addresses rapidly progressing and severe health issues, and long-term care, which mainly offers everyday living assistance to the elderly or disabled, continuing care bridges the gap by offering routine medical oversight in addition to supportive care.

The primary aim of continuing care is to preserve or improve a patient’s quality of life and prevent unnecessary hospitalization by providing structured, routine medical oversight.

Types of continuing care

Regardless of age or gender, many people need access to continuing care. These are the main branches of continuing care:

• Home care
• Long-term care
• Palliative care
• Hospice care
• Respite care

Palliative care and end-of-life support

Palliative care is a built-in part of ongoing care intended to secure comfort and support for individuals with life-threatening diseases. Nurses working in palliative care provide patients and families with:

• Pain relief
• Symptom control
• Psychosocial care

Palliative care nurses help ensure that patients' end-of-life wishes are met and that compassionate and holistic care continues. Integrating palliative care principles in continuing care settings allows for seamless support transitions as patient needs change, focusing on dignity and quality of life at all levels of care.

Key responsibilities of nurses in continuing care

When looking out for patients, nurses have plenty of responsibilities in continuing care. Let’s analyze what these responsibilities are:

Designing and executing care plans

One of the most basic yet essential roles nurses play in continuing care is designing and executing care plans.

Care plans play a critical role, as they provide a methodical approach to managing the health of an individual. Care plans help patients and nurses by:

• Establishing goals
• Looking into treatments
• Scheduling specific interventions

Nurses work in close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, including physicians, therapists, social workers, and dietitians, to ensure care plans remain holistic and incorporate the patient's changing needs.

Chronic illness management

Chronic illness management is an important part of continuing care nursing. Some chronic illnesses and ongoing conditions include:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Respiratory illnesses 
• Any other illness that requires constant observation and adjustment of treatment

Nurses constantly observe patients' conditions, administer medication, and catch emerging complications in their early stages.

Through cautious chronic disease management, nurses can stabilize conditions, reduce readmission, and improve patient outcomes in general.

Patient education and advocacy

Continuing care nurses have an important role in educating patients and their families through patient education. For example, nurses provide important information about:

• Disease prevention
• Medication management
• Lifestyle modification
• Symptom recognition

In these scenarios, a nurse’s goal is to empower patients to take active roles in their healthcare.

Continuing care nurses are also advocates within their teams to express the values and concerns of the patient. From their advocacy, care planning ensures a patient-focused environment in care.

Skills and qualities of nurses in continuing care

Effective nursing in continuing care requires a blend of high-level nursing skills and personal traits. 

What are some of the skills necessary for nurses working in continuing care?

Some of the most important nursing skills include:

• Clinical assessment
• Administering medications
• Wound management
• Interpreting diagnostic data

Nurses also require communication and coordination skills to operate efficiently as members of multidisciplinary teams.

Character strengths in continuing care

Nurses also need some character strengths that promote quality patient care. These include compassion, patience, flexibility, and emotional stability, which are prerequisites to thrive in the emotionally intense nature of extended care environments.

These character strengths enable nurses to build trusting relationships with patients and families, which is vital for optimal care outcomes.

Impact on patient outcomes

As you can see, a nurse can greatly impact patient outcomes in continuing care. Nurses directly influence patient outcomes through close monitoring, tailored care plans, and patient education. 

High-quality nursing care reduces hospitalization, more effectively manages symptoms, and improves patient satisfaction and quality of life. For example, patients with well-managed chronic conditions will have fewer complications and remain more independent.

Success stories of adequately organized continuing care units illustrate how nursing interventions can lead to greater mobility, pain management, and psychological wellbeing, highlighting the pivotal role nurses have.

Challenges for nurses working in continuing care

While their service is invaluable, nurses in continuing care face a range of challenges:

• Workload pressure
• Staffing shortages
• Emotional toll of dealing with terminal or chronic illnesses
• Compassion fatigue
• Burnout

How can we better support our nurses as our population ages and the need for continuing care grows?

To address these challenges, healthcare organizations must invest in adequate staffing and professional development and implement supportive services such as counseling and peer support groups.

Facilities and nurses can benefit from solving sudden staffing issues with per diem platforms, which help them connect with each other and fill staffing gaps.

Nurses can also benefit from training in time management techniques, stress-reducing practices, and effective communication skills to enhance their resilience and job satisfaction.

Nurses make patients' lives better

Nurses are vital to our health and wellbeing. Overall, nurses providing continuing care are the foundation of quality patient care. 

Their core nursing skills and compassionate nature enable them to effectively navigate complex healthcare demands while establishing collaboration in multidisciplinary teams. In spite of challenges surrounding their role, their role cannot be substituted, especially in providing palliative care and enhancing the quality of life of chronically and terminally ill patients.