Editorial Note

Dear Professionals,

Greeting from RGUHS Journal of Nursing Sciences. I take immense pleasure in presenting Vol-9, issue-2 of RJNS, December 2019. The RGUHS editorial board extends its gratitude to all the authors who have contributed articles for this issue. Nurses work 24 x 7 hours with patients and community, experiences creative and critical valuable information that needs to share. We encourage the nursing fraternity to contribute scientific and research papers to this journal and thus empower knowledge on nursing profession. The editorial of this issue focuses on upholding clinical competency in nursing.

Getting an article published in nursing journal may seems daunting to novice writers, but the rewards for outweigh the challenges. RN editors and authors offer these pointers to help aspiring authors convert good ideas into published work. Writing a clinical article is an important way of getting your message to frontline healthcare staff that is expected to implement evidence-based practice. Frontline healthcare staff is looking for many ways to improve their practice and if this can be found in well-written articles which explained clearly this is likely to have a positive impact on healthcare. In addition, research funders are also looking at the outputs from research that demonstrates is an impact on improving health, care such as policy changes. Therefore, taking into consideration the frontline users of research

It is important to discuss on publication strategy at the very beginning of research work for a master degree dissertation or doctoral thesis. supervisor(s) will play a major role in helping to develop ideas, carry out the work, and write up the thesis. Therefore, it is appropriate that issues such as co-authorship have been discussed and agreed. Journals are likely to have policy on who can be included as an author and who should be acknowledged as making a contribution, but not as an author. When supervisor(s) has participated in writing an article, then it is probably most appropriate that the first named author, followed by the name of the supervisor(s) in the order agreed. It is conventional that the first named author is recognized as doing the major part of the work, and the others are seen as making a lesser contribution. Authors should adhere to journal rules about authorship convention rather than those of individual universities. Empower nursing by contributing and publishing their thoughts, experience, innovative and creative research.

Nursing Trends That Will Shape Healthcare in 2020:

This year theme for International Nurses Day 2020 is “Nursing the World to Health”. The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as The Year of the Nurse and Midwife, to make the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 20.7 million nurses worldwide. Yet that number is still not high enough. 

There is a global shortage of nurses and 18 million more jobs are needed to be filled by 2030 in order to meet the requirements of universal healthcare for everyone. As the nurse shortage grows steeper and the health care landscape continues to change, nurses and their leaders should be attentive to the trends that are changing the industry.

Self-Care for Nurses: Nurses are trained caregivers, yet they sometimes forget about themselves. Self-care is a deliberate activity that we do to provide for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Lack of self-care can lead to errors, fatigue, and burnout, which comes at a high cost to patients, nurses and the healthcare organization. 2020 Is the year for nurses to make self-care a top priority. As more and more research and data come out about the physical and mental strain of nursing, healthcare leaders around the world are taking initiative to acknowledge and treat self-care as an actual responsibility.

Self-care can look different for every nurse. A self-care plan should be specific, measurable, achievable, action-oriented, and time-sensitive.

Increased Specialization and Career Path Options: Healthcare needs are becoming increasingly complex. As a result, the scope of specializations that nurses are able to practice is widening. A nurse who specializes is in higher demand than the lower ones. As the world continues to grow, and more research and technological advancements come out, nurse career path options become endless.

The rise of Telehealth and Chatbot Services: To aid with nurse task automation and easier access to patient care, new telehealth and chatbot technologies have become increasingly more popular. Telehealth technology allows patients to access their documents and doctors from home, giving them more control of their own health care. Online portals can be filled with test results, prescription refill requests, and appointments. Doctors or nurses can be accessed via virtual appointments, saving both patients and clinicians valuable time. Similarly, chatbot services have been introduced to give patients more ownership. Patients can schedule appointments, set reminders for medication administration and search for specialists in their area.

Online nursing education programs will become more popular: Because of the demand for nursing, there is high job security in the profession and a high need for further education. More colleges and universities are providing online education programs, specifically in nursing. An online education provides a way for nurses to obtain a degree while working full-time and provide a way for nurses to access higher education set at their own schedule.

Increasing need for nursing educators: Nurses are opting for career paths that promise higher paying salaries in hospitals, corporations and the military. Education programs will need to implement a strategic plan to incentivize nurses to teach the future generation of nurses.

Increasing need for doctoral education programs: With the physician shortage, there is a need for more direct providers. Nurses are entering the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs to fill some of that void and are expected to continue to grow in 2020.

Salaries and benefits will need to increase: Because of the global shortage of nurses, employers want to learn what nurses value and what keeps them satisfied. Salaries and benefits will continue to increase in order for employers to retain employees and attract potential candidates.

Holistic Care will become more popular: As patients become more educated, they become more in charge of their health. This has resulted in a growing demand for nurses who provide holistic services. Educated nurses who are trained in providing care and managing health procedures are an ideal candidate for providing holistic services to patients.

Nurses will need to be technology savvy: Every day new health care technologies enter the market. Nurses are required to adapt to these technologies in order to improve patient care. Technology is introduced to reduce administration time, increase accuracy all keeping clinician satisfaction and the patient experience in mind. Nurses are expected to use computer technology to document and obtain patient information, and even look up treatment options when necessary. Intuitive workstation on wheels is becoming increasingly more popular.

Value-based care is the new model: The goal of value-based care is to improve health outcomes at a lower cost. The patient experience and what they value is at the forefront. Because of this, facility resources are allocated to the health outcomes delivered by the system. Quality, safety, and patient experience will greatly be taken into consideration while making decisions.