Opinion/NEWS 19
Enhanced practice nurses and midwives are well equipped to deliver healthcare in the digital age , writes Dave Hughes
World news
Enhanced practitioners set for the digital challenge
Nurses and midwives in action around the world Australia • Nurses plan industrial action over pay and staffing • Nurses’ union urges Labor to block free trade deals that hurt working conditions Canada • Super nurses: salary must climb with responsibilities, according to FIQ India • AIIMS nurses’ strike emerges victorious Philippines • Government nurses must get higher basic pay, Supreme Court rules Portugal • Group questions government over “lost time in nurses’ service” Spain • SATSE denounces delays in job offers for nurses • The Balearic Islands need 3,500 nurses to reach the European ratio, according to the SATSE UK • Number of registered nurses on ward linked to safety of staff • Royal College of Nursing begins strike action ballot in NI • Bill seeking accountability for nurse staffing put before Parliament US • Arizona’s registered nurses fight for patients in 24-hour strike • After University of Chicago strike, nurses at affiliated hospital vote for unionisation
It is 13 years since an honours degree became a mandatory requirement for nurses and midwives to register for the professions. Even prior to that Irish trained nurses and mid- wives were recognised and sought after worldwide as expert and compassionate professionals. Those values have not been lost in the transition and the combination of third level education with ethical values, enriched by the value of inter- national recruitment, equips our caring professions for the digital challenge. The title enhanced practice staff nurse/midwife provides recognition for the profes- sionalism of our nurses and midwives. The INMO policy for equal recognition with all other grad- uate healthcare professionals and a determination that it be recognised that caring is essen- tial to the recovery of patients has equipped our professional nurses and midwives well for the digital age. The future of healthcare delivery and hospital care may look very different in 10 years’ time. A growing number of inpatient and ambulatory ser- vices are now being delivered at home, however acute, med- ically ill patients will always require acute hospital care. Emerging features like dig- ital centres to enable clinical decision-making and targeted treatments such as 3D print- ing will characterise acute hospitals. Digital and artifi- cial intelligence can help to enhance patient interaction.
Robotic process automation and artificial intelligence can allow care givers to spend more time with their patients and less time documenting it. Digital supply chains, auto- mation, robotics and next generation interoperability can drive efficient management and administration. In a timely intervention the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) in the HSE has now launched the Digital Roadmap for Nursing and Midwifery. Credit must be given to Mary Wynne and Loretta Grogan for launching this important rec- ognition of the role of nursing and midwifery leadership in meeting the challenges of the digital workplace. It demon- strates the crucial role for the enhanced nurse and midwife in making the Digital Roadmap work for patients and the staff who care for them. Mary previously sat on the INMO Executive Council and is soon to retire from her role as HSE nursing and midwifery ser- vices director. Loretta is the ONMSD national clinical infor- mation officer for nursing and midwifery. The road map identifies how the HSE goals can only be
achieved with the full endorse- men t o f t he nu rs i ng and midwifery workforce. Ms Grogan has agreed to contribute to WIN in the future outlining the ideal match between the development of the professions and HSE goals. The INMO will continue to ensure recognition of the status of nurses and midwives and secure that the safety, health and welfare concerns and dan- gers are addressed in the rapidly advancing revolution that is dig- italisation in healthcare. As part of the European Public Services Union, the European Federation of Nurses and the European Midwives Federation, the INMO will par- ticipate in the EU Commission research programme on the safety, health and welfare risks involved in digitalisation for health service workers. The pro- ject is designed to shape future EU Directives for the protection of nurses and midwives in the rapid deployment of digitalisa- tion for financial imperatives. Nurses and midwives by being part of INMO can ensure that digitalisation can work for patients, the workforce and society. Dave Hughes is INMO deputy general secretary
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