Nursing Care Delivery Models

There is a movement across Canada’s health-care system to be more patient focused. That requires smart decisions by nurse leaders, health-care administrators and policy-makers about delivery models and staff mix based on reliable evidence. To establish delivery models that work means we need to understand what affects client care. Staff mix, consumerism, human development, diverse populations, economics, politics, technology and client acuity – all these elements need to be considered.

Effective interprofessional teamwork that includes organizational and educational supports for nurses and other health-care professionals must also be developed and shared. For nurses, major challenges include knowing what they each bring to the care process as individuals and how to work collaboratively.

The invitational round table hosted by CNA in October 2010 resulted in Invitational Round Table Nursing Care Delivery Models and Staff Mix: Using Evidence in Decision-Making, a report that summarizes the event’s objectives. The complex tasks of designing nursing care delivery models and making the right decisions for staff mix have a long-term impact on clients, staff, systems and organizations – and they are pivotal to the future of nursing and health care in Canada.