Future Development Trends in Nursing / Smer razvoja zdravstvene nege u budućnosti

Abstract

In the future, nursing will have to be characterized by transparency in self-regulation, it will have to be implemented and presented as a discipline solidly based on scientific evidence. The key elements of achieving these goals include having relevant knowledge, being informed, following the latest research evidence, the ability to appear in front of nursing professionals and the lay public, own research work, inclusion in EU researches and international collaboration with recognized EU decision-makers. Above all, nursing professionals will have to define their work, critically evaluate the competences of nursing as a profession and allocate existing resources. Nurses are expected to assume responsibility for new roles in health care provision, but the guidelines for doing so must be laid out by the state, professional associations and senior management of health care institutions and educational institutions. Managers should insist on and create conditions for reflection of professional work, critical thinking, gathering of information on similar issues in professional and scientific publications, as well as clearly define nursing issues and solve them in cooperation with the research settings. A National Research Center should be established and the responsibility of doing this lies with the Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia. Finally, managers of health care institutions should start planning research and development departments.