Poor Patient Care Outcome Because of Lack of Nursing Education

Poor Patient Care Outcome Because of Lack of Nursing Education
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Lecturer
Health
Date
Is lack of nursing education the key cause of poor patient care outcome?
Quality healthcare is a fundamental need for every citizen. The need for health providers to provide quality healthcare has dominated the list of demands by citizens for a while now. There is a growing need for quality healthcare and a better outcome for patients with the spotlight on nurses as primary caregivers. Registered nurses in the United States amount to about 2.5 million, over 80% of these individuals are in the nursing field. The nurses account for the biggest portion of health care specialists in the United States. (Paterson, 2011), and are responsible for primary health care in both hospitals and community-based care system. According to a poll conducted in 1999 by Harris an overwhelming 76 % believed nurses should be subjected to a four-year training after high school to perform their duties better. (Harris poll, 1999).
However, lack of proper nursing education has been linked to poor patient care outcome in many health facilities. By continuing to engage the services of poorly trained nurses, the national health sector remains to be exposed to higher mortality rate and failure to rescue rates. Various studies support the need for higher education for nursing personnel. Nursing Association, an institute of medicine, government agencies as well as military have come up with plans to entice working nurses into pursuing a baccalaureate degree. However, the question whether nursing education impact on quality of patient care outcome has not been answered exploitatively.
There is growing support for baccalaureate nursing degree, with various studies pointing proof of its importance. Though, the link is still unclear and unexhausted. While studies show baccalaureate degree is necessary for improved outcome, there is little evidence that nurses who underwent specialized training in a particular field were associated with improved outcome. Abroad study was conducted to determine how nurse’s specialty certification played a role in lowering the mortality rates of patients and inability to salvage rates in the healthcare environment. The study found that specialty accreditation had an interconnection with better patient outcomes only when holders were also holders of a baccalaureate level education. Thus, specialization without baccalaureate education had no impact on the positive outcome and lower mortality rates. (Kendall, 2011).
This paper attempts to pinpoint the connection between lack of nursing education and poor patient care outcome. It is, therefore, important, to note that previous studies have found a link between the two albeit not exhaustively.
It is evident that increasing the number of degree holders (BSN) by a 10-point within a hospital was related to a modest drop in over two deaths per every 1,000 patients. This is according to a study was done by Lee and colleagues(2013), to determine the relationship between the increase in practitioners with baccalaureate degrees and reduced post-surgery mortality rates in hospitals. When this is represented for a subcategory of patients suffering from complexities, there was a mean fall of around7 deaths per every 1,000 patients.
Another research done by Dr. Aiken and colleagues shows a link between nurses’ education and performance. The study results showed that surgical patients treated in hospitals that are highly staffed with nurses who are educated to the baccalaureate or higher, have a substantial possibility of survival.  In medical facilities, a quartile rise in the percentage of nurses holding BSN degrees reduced the mortality chance by patients to 5 percent (Aiken, Clarke, Cheung, Sloane, & Silber, 2003). This study however, was limited to surgical mortality rate, but it is believed that the findings can be generalized to other medical spheres.
By continuing to have nurses without degree qualification in health facilities, the health sector loses opportunity to reduce risk of patient mortality, and also post-surgery survival by 5% as indicated by the findings. As long as nurses in health facilities are not adequately educated, realization of reduction in preventable deaths would be unachievable.
There is Proof that nursing education level affects the quality of healthcare provision and patient safety. Also two different studies reveal that a high level of medical impropriety of the procedures were committed by nurses trained at diploma level and or associate degree level as compared with the baccalaureate level. (Fagin, 2001).To further support the findings by Fagin above, another study also shows that nurses prepared at lower educational levels make the majority of practice-related mistakes according to a study conducted in a number of states including Arizona and Colorado(Delgado, 2002).
Today’s roles of nurses require them to accomplish care on a broad scale; the RNs should operate as teammates in multidimensional duties in addition to the incorporation of clinical expertise with understanding of communal raw materials.  With the scope of practice becoming more and more complex for RNs, it is so desired that the workforce exhibit the flexibility to embrace change.  RNs must possess analytical skills; an all-inclusive understanding of scope of both professional as well as general knowledge (NACNEP. 1996). All these qualities equip the nurse to provide better healthcar...