title: Veterans Health Administration Office of Nursing Services exploration of positive patient care synergies fueled by consumer demand: care coordination, advanced clinic access, and patient self-management.
abstract: The consumers who utilize the Veterans Health Administration healthcare system are older, and most are learning to live with chronic diseases. Their desires and needs have driven changes within the Veterans Health Administration. Through patient satisfaction initiatives and other feedback sources, consumers have made it clear that they do not want to wait for their care, they want a say in what care is provided to them, and they want to remain as independent as possible. Two interdisciplinary processes/models of healthcare are being implemented on the national level to address these issues: advanced clinic access and care coordination. These programs have a synergistic relationship and are integrated with patient self-management initiatives. Positive outcomes of these programs also meet the needs of our staff. As these new processes and programs are implemented nationwide, skills of both patients and nursing staff who provide their care need to be enhanced to meet the challenges of providing nursing care now and into the 21st century. Veterans Health Administration Office of Nursing Services Strategic Planning Work Group is defining and implementing processes/programs to ensure nurses have the knowledge, information, and skills to meet these patient care demands at all levels within the organization.
authors.affiliation: John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901, USA. Sydney.Wertenberger@med.va.gov
authors.forename: Sydney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wertenberger
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yerardi
authors.forename: Audrey C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parlier
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration; D009739:Nursing Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs / Q000458:organization & administration