Impact of IOM in Nursing, Article Review Example

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on nursing education has become one the most important recommendations for the future of the nursing profession.The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is a self-governing, nonprofit organization that addresses healthcare industries without governmental influences. In the last 40 years, IOM has consistently answered current healthcare issues including the future of the nursing industry. The opinion of the IOM is respected by policy makers as an unbiased piece of healthcare recommendations (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2014). The goal of this paper is to address IOM impact on APRN’s, primary care practices, practicing nurses and nurse’s roles as leaders.

IOM Impact

The impact of IOM report has address the primary care practices barriers concerning advance practice registered nurses (APRN). This report focus primarily are the necessary changes to address the necessary paradigm shift for primary care practices. The evolution of healthcare has put a greater demand on the industry to better improved delivery of healthcare to patients. This report points out the APRN barriers that need to be addressed at the legislative and state levels.  The APRN’s are already qualified to delivery this quality care to patients however, state law prevents the APRN from delivery of certain services directly to patients. The IOM has recommended an action proposal that allows the APRN the professional and legal rights to provide front-line care along with physicians.

These suggestions to barriers include allowing legislation that lifts the limitations of APRN in primary care setting. Secondly, the industry and physician need to recognize that the APRN’s already possess acute care training along with the ability assist the physician with healthcare delivery to the patient. The third recommendation by IOM is that nurses should receive additional educational and clinical training to prepare for the future demands of the healthcare system. In addition, the practicing nurse should obtain higher nursing degrees (BSN).

The IOM recommendations do not imply that all nurses need the BSN before entering the workforce. Conversely, the IOM is suggesting that the training should include more leadership skills, conflict resolution skills, and ethical decision making. This blueprint would ensure that practicing nurses enter the workforce well trained and confident to become the future leaders of the healthcare profession.

Impact Primary Care

The patients are living longer because of the baby boomers who have put more demands on the healthcare delivery system. This will require a collaborative effort on the part of the primary care delivery systems that must consider revamping their primary care initiatives. This transformation in the nursing industry should focus on the evolution of the primary care setting. The IOM is suggesting that the primary care needs to change the way the APRN’s and physicians delivery care from the primary care delivery to a specialty care delivery. The primary care physicians would need to provide a shared delivery system that includes the APRN providing some of the initial care of the patient in a primary care setting. This change would allow the physician to concentrate of a quality action plan based on the patients overall health.

The IOM report suggested using the Veterans Administration as an excellent prevention healthcare model of restructuring and transforming from primary care delivery to specialty delivery system. The Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) is focused on a prevention healthcare model that treats the patient assessment to better understand the specific path for quality healthcare using radiobiology (Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), 2014). The military specialized care model concentrates on a primary care delivery that specializes on initial diagnosis of severe and chronic disease management. This type of healthcare delivery requires the APRN’s become leaders and researchers in a specialized care setting. The IOM suggests that without the removal of the APRN’s barriers the healthcare delivery system will not be able to adjust to the future national healthcare needs.

Impact Nurses Role as Leaders

The primary care change recommended by the IOM focuses on the nursing practitioners, physicians, and physician’s assistants who deliver the healthcare directly to the patient. The nurses have an important leadership role in delivering and transforming quality care to the patients, including prevention of medical mistakes. The nurse’sleadership activities can reduce repeated inpatient visits and overall improve quality of care as the patient transitions from the hospital to home. The IOM suggest three primary points about nursing recommendation such as nurses practicing and using their education, nursing have a higher level of training and nurses should be viewed as full partners with physicians (Garner, 2010).

The surgeon in the operating room has to exhibit extreme confidence, experience and leadership skills while delivery quality healthcare. In comparison, the nursing roles as leaders must transition to the same type of confidence and leadership as the physicians. It is imperative for the nurses to provide strong leadership which is critical to transforming the primary care setting. The primary care industry has always seen the physician as the leader in diagnosing and planning the patients care. However, in order for the transformation to succeed, the nurses must be trained to immediately step into a leadership role. The accountability includes nurses taking a proactive stance in changing the delivery of national healthcare. The transformation from primary care delivery to specialty delivery must include the nursing’s leadership, participation and buy-in to the healthcare change. The strong leadership must come nursing industry as a whole to improve the level of quality care.

Impact of IOM Report

The impact of the IOM report on the nursing practice, particularly in primary care setting has changing the perception of direct care to include the collaboration of the physician and the practicing nurses. The expansion of the scope of care within the practice care setting has an significant impact because the practicing nurse can provide some of the primary care. There are some physicians that believe the nursing do not have the years of training to treat acute illnesses safely. There is evidence that  primary care services can be delivered by the nurse practitioners while the IOM emphasize the need to expand the scope of duties of the primary care practice nurses(Fairman,Rowe& Hassamiller,2011). The impact of the IOM report is not suggesting to replace the duties of a physician but for the primary care practice develop a fully collaborative and primary care workforce. The recommendations for the primary care practices isto embrace and support the practicing nurses. The financial benefits will be the physician’s ability to see more patients while spending more quality time with the patient’s conditions. A secondary change in the primary care setting would be physicians leading the way in changing state laws that limit practicing nurses.

References

Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI). (2014). Research on health effects of low-level ionizing radiation exposure: Opportunities for the Armed Forces Radiobiology research institute retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2014/Research-on-Health-Effects-of-Low-Level-Ionizing-Radiation-Exposure.aspx

Fairman,Rowe, &Hassmiller(2011).Broadening the scope of nursing practice. The New England Journal of Medicine.364,193-196

Garner, C. (2010 Dec).IOM issue recommendations for transforming nursing practice. Retrieved from http://www.americansentinel.edu/blog/2010/12/29/iom-issues-recommendations-for-transforming-nursing-practice/

Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. (, 2014).About the IOM. Retrieved from www.iom.edu