Nursing Education and Positive Patient Outcomes

Nursing Education and Positive Patient Outcomes

Nursing education can be described as formal training in nursing as a discipline. The discipline also includes the functions revolving around both the care of patients and a set of practices that serve to accelerate the patient’s healing and overall wellbeing. Positive patient outcomes and nursing education are inseparable variables since, like any other profession, the more knowledge an individual possesses in their line of specialty, the higher their level of mastery (Ervin, 2006). Research findings from a study conducted by Lancet indicate that patients who have post-surgery complications are more likely to survive when taken care of by experienced nursing practitioners (Aiken et al., 2008). Also, according to the statistics, baccalaureate nursing practitioners are associated with a significantly lower risk of death with an accuracy of approximately sixty percent.

I agree with the research findings generated from the above Lancet study because the level of knowledge in any particular field increases with the level of education. Nurses who have advanced in their studies have not only the experience but also the knowledge about the best care. Through the skills obtained from their education, they are also able to incorporate evidence-based practices that can serve to improve the quality of health care significantly. Such nurses also have a wealth of knowledge in the various medications and are therefore able to mitigate incidents of misdiagnosis or wrong medication. It can thus be asserted that nursing education is an imperative aspect of the nursing profession, and every nurse should be encouraged to advance further in their study so that they can best serve their role as custodians of health in society.

References

Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Lake, E. T., & Cheney, T. (2008). Effects of hospital care environment on patient mortality and nurse outcomes. The Journal of nursing administration, 38(5), 223.

Ervin, N. E., Chen, S. P., & Upshaw, H. S. (2006). Nursing care quality: Process and outcome relationships. CJNR (Canadian Journal of Nursing Research), 38(4), 174-190.