Health Care Delivery Systems

Study Notes

Challenges Facing Nursing

Four challenges facing nursing: aging baby boomer generation, shortage and uneven distribution of physicians, rate of nurses' retirements, and uncertainty of health care reform

Traditional Levels of Health Care

Preventative care: focuses on preventing disease and promoting health
Primary care: provides basic health care services to individuals and families
Secondary care: provides specialized care to patients referred from primary care
Tertiary care: provides highly specialized care to patients referred from secondary care
Restorative care: focuses on restoring optimal health and function to individuals
Continuing health care: provides ongoing care and support to individuals with chronic conditions

Integrated Health Care Delivery

Primary and preventive health care services: focuses on improving health outcomes for entire populations
Primary health care: requires collaboration among health professionals, health care leaders, and community members
Health promotion programs: designed to reduce the incidence of disease
Preventive care: focused on reducing and controlling risk factors for disease
Secondary and tertiary care: includes hospitals, intensive care, mental health facilities, and rural hospitals
Restorative care: includes home care, rehabilitation, and extended care facilities
Continuing care: includes nursing centers, assisted living, respite care, adult day care centers, and palliative and hospice care

Issues in Health Care Delivery for Nurses

Health care costs and quality: affects patient satisfaction and nursing shortages
Patient-centered care: respects patient values, preferences, and expressed needs
Nursing shortage: affects health care delivery and quality of care
Competency: essential for quality care and patient safety
Patient-centered care: includes coordination and integration of care, information and education, physical comfort, emotional support, and involvement of family and friends

The Future of Health Care

Current system is in a constant state of change
Predictions: health care system will be consumer-centered, use of telehealth and digital care will increase, office visits will decrease, and artificial intelligence will be increasingly used to assist in early detection and better understanding of disease progression

Description

Explore the challenges facing nursing and the traditional levels of health care, including preventative, primary, secondary, tertiary, restorative, and continuing health care. Learn about integrated health care delivery and its focus on improved health outcomes.