Team Leadership and Nursing Care, Coursework Example

 Introduction

Team leadership requires an effective understanding of evidence-based practice objectives and other considerations that will support team-based collaboration and success. One of the critical components of this process is gathering resources to form a literature review, which plays an important role in providing evidence to support different aspects of patient care and treatment. Therefore, literature searches must be smart, objective, and specific in order to target the appropriate key terms and concepts for review. The literature that is derived should provide substantial supporting evidence and knowledge of the chosen topic under consideration. These elements will contribute to the effectiveness of the literature review and the ability to generate effective supporting evidence. The following discussion will address the objectives of the literature view in order to evaluate and utilize care plans with supporting evidence. This process will ensure that evidence-based support is obtained and provides value to the care plans in question.

Analysis

In order to perform a comprehensive literature review, critical thinking skills are necessary to determine how to best approach specific patient care situations (Bittner and Gravlin, 2009). Critical thinking skills must demonstrate that nurses are able to lead with confidence and success, while also considering methods to support existing care and treatment scenarios by exploring existing evidence (Bittner and Gravlin, 2009). These contributions will play an important role in shaping outcomes for patients and in demonstrating that nurses are capable of performing literature reviews in an effort to provide specific and effective patient care (Bittner and Gravlin, 2009). Therefore, nurses must possess strong critical thinking skills so that they are able to provide their patients with much-needed support based upon existing strategic evidence (Bittner and Gravlin, 2009). This is a challenging process because it requires nurses to be effective critical thinkers and evaluators in order to accomplish the desired patient care and treatment objectives (Bittner and Gravlin, 2009).

Specific plans of care must be evaluated in the context of existing evidence that supports unique strategies to accommodate patient needs. This includes the ability to provide continuity of care to patients by demonstrating leadership qualities that are indicative of successful patient outcomes (Gulliford et.al, 2006). These contributions are essential to the discovery of new approaches to patient care that are based upon evidence-based practice scenarios derived from literature sources (Gulliford et.al, 2006). The ability to provide successful care and treatment must be considerate of existing methods, particularly those which have been successful in the past (Gulliford et.al, 2006). In the role of team leader, a nurse must be effective in supporting care and treatment for patients that is not only consistent, but is also continuous throughout the duration of the treatment plan (Gulliford et.al, 2006). These contributions to nursing practice will convey the importance of evidence-based research and practice as a driving force in nursing care plans (Gulliford et.al, 2006).

The adoption of evidence-based practice objectives also supports positive and meaningful nurse leaders (Sandstrom et.al, 2011). Leadership’s role in evidence-based practice is not always clearly defined; however, it plays an important role in addressing how existing research and literature is indicative of successful care plans across nursing units (Sandstrom et.al, 2011). Therefore, it is important to address the role of leadership in enhancing evidence-based practice and in determining how to adopt these principles to current patient care needs and objectives (Sandstrom et.al, 2011). These contributions will enable nurse leaders to recognize the importance of evidence-based practice in supporting positive patient outcomes and also in enhancing the ability of nurses to be successful communicators in these important roles (Sandstrom et.al, 2011).

With the continued efforts to utilize evidence-based practice, nurse leaders have been effective in translating many of these objectives and applying them to specific patient situations. Furthermore, evidence-based practice has been increasingly relevant as a developmental tool to educate nurses and provide them with the means that are necessary to support patient care needs (Aitken et.al, 2011). Therefore, evidence-based practice in the nursing leadership role is unique because it supports the ability to adapt to specific patient care situations and to be effective in treating patients with the latest strategies and tools (Aitken et.al, 2011). These efforts must continue to evolve and support nurse leaders in their efforts to lead by example and to provide staff members with a variety of tools and resources to perform their duties effectively, including evidence-based practice tools (Aitken et.al, 2011).

Conclusion

A successful nurse leader must embody the skills and attributes of a professional nurse in a consistent and thoughtful manner. At the same time, nurse leaders must also explore literature-based options from which their practice objectives might be achieved. Evidence-based practice guidelines demonstrate the importance of specific factors and circumstances that support and enhance patient care objectives. When evidence-based practice resources are utilized, it is likely that patient care will improve and will be consistent with existing approaches that have been deemed effective. Therefore, evidence-based practice must continue to be explored throughout nursing literature in order to provide patients with the best possible scenarios to promote recovery and optimal wellbeing.

References

Aitken, L.M., Hackwood, B., Crouch, S., Clayton, S., West, N., Carney, D., and Jack, L. (2011). Creating an environment to implement and sustain evidence based practice: a developmental process. Australian Critical Care, 24(4), 244-254.

Bittner, N.P., and Gravlin, G. (2009). Critical thinking, delegation, and missed care in nursing practice. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 39(3), 142-146.

Gulliford, M., Naithani, S., and Morgan, M. (2006). What is ‘continuity of care’? Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 11(4), 248-250.

Sandstrom, B., Borglin, G., Nilsson, R., and Willman, A. (2011). Promoting the implementation of evidence-based practice: a literature review focusing on the role of nursing leadership. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 8(4), 212-223.