Today’s nurses enter a realm of opportunities and challenges for
providing high-quality, evidence-based care in traditional as well as
new and innovative health care settings. The rapid changes in
health care mandate that nurses be prepared to provide or plan care
across the continuum of settings—from hospital or clinic, to home,
to community agencies or hospice settings—and during all phases
of illness. Recent research has indicated that nurses make significant
contributions to the health care outcomes of patients who are hospitalized.
Therefore, today’s nurses must be prepared to identify
patients’ short- and long-term needs quickly and to collaborate effectively
with patients and families, other members of the health care
team, and community agencies to create a seamless system of care.
The continued emphasis on health promotion efforts to keep well
people healthy and to promote a higher level of well-being among
those with acute and chronic illnesses requires today’s nurses to assist
patients in adopting healthy lifestyles and strategies. Mapping
of the human genome and other advances in genetics have moved
the issue of genetics to the bedside and increased the need for nurses
to become knowledgeable about genetics-related issues.