The nursing profession should participate in the creation of any future health-care system (original) (raw)

2021, Nursing Practice Today

Nursing science has seen a remarkable development in terms of scientific publications in which nurses are the lead authors. There has also been an impressive change in nurse education. Nowadays, it is mostly academic, in the form of a bachelor's degree, and the number of nurses gaining a master's degree or a Ph.D. has increased dramatically in many countries. This change is manifested, for instance, in scientific publications showing the participation of nurses in developing the knowledge base for health-care practice (1,2). Further, there are good examples of research that has led to innovations that may change practice. For instance, a group of researchers has, with a new technique, investigated individual blood flow responses to physical pressure in frail older people, for instance, bedridden people. The aim has been to deepen the knowledge about mechanisms in developing pressure ulcers (3). This research line has now contributed to the development of an objective sensor (PUsensor) that identifies pressure-induced blood flow, allowing identification if a local area under pressure is responding to pressure with increased blood flow and thereby a decreased risk of developing pressure ulcer (4). Behind this invention lies years of research attempting to understand the process leading to pressure ulcers in severely ill or bedridden patients (5). I am sure there are many more examples like this with successful, sustainable, and innovative research. Having said this,