The future of helthcare depends on the role of nurses Research Paper

The future of helthcare depends on the role of nurses - Research Paper Example The United Nation targets to have a transformed health system by 2015. Nurses contribute to the emotional, psychological, physical, and social being of people seeking medical attention and the society. Strategies in the health sector run in hierarchy from the policy makers, to the practitioners and then to the public. Nurses and midwives are the last practitioners in the hierarchy and next to the patients. This position makes their role very critical. Whether health care will improve in society is dependent on the responsibility of all individuals in the hierarchy. However, nurses and midwives, being the majority and considering their position in the hierarchy, are the main determinants of the effects of change felt on the ground (Ogilvie and Sare, 2010). An analysis of the contribution of nurses to the future of health care is necessary. According to the global development goals set for achievement by 2015, there is a target to reduce child mortality, which is rampant in some region s of the world. Many of the strategies in place touch on the responsibility of nurses in provision of primary health care. The UN summit stipulated that the cause of most of these deaths was malaria, diarrhea, and malnutrition. The public needs education on how to handle these key causes of death of children under then age of five. In the hospital setting, the nurses play the most crucial role in prevention of child mortality (Barclay, 2010). Nurses offering pediatric care should be more aware and offer relevant advice to mothers on proper nutrition and basic hygiene. Nurses also partake in the distribution of nets in the prevention of malaria and offer advice on frequent treatment of the nets to the public (Sines, Saunders, and Janice, 2009). Without the efficiency of nurses, it is difficult to achieve this millennium goal. In order to achieve the development goal of ensuring maternal health care in all societies, it is the responsibility of nurses and midwives to provide the prima ry care to ensure that mothers no longer die from hemorrhage, infection, obstructed labor, and hypertensive pregnancies. Nurses specializing in midwifery are of key contribution to promoting maternal health. It is essential to ensure that they are qualified and are competitive for improved maternal health to become a reality. Nurses should provide quality prenatal and postnatal care comprehensively in the societies they are working in realizing that their roles are very important (Ball, 2000). HIV effects have increased in the recent past. This increase has forced leaders in the health sector to work tirelessly to reduce cases of new infections. Further, they aim at maximizing the care of people living with HIV to lengthen their lives. There are several fields in addressing the HIV epidemic. The first is prevention of the disease, which involves educating the public on modes of transmission and potential strategies in prevention. This is a responsibility of nurses assigned to volunt ary counseling and testing centers. In addition, nurses are involved in the testing process and the crucial responsibility of post testing counseling. Scholars denote that nurses go a mile further to motivate and encourage HIV patients for them to undergo behavioral and attitude change. They also administer advanced care to patients who are in the final stages of the disease. Additionally, nurses do not relent as they advise relatives of patients on home based care to HIV patients.