The Full Scope of Nurses’ Work in Hospitals

Acute and critical care nurses often occupy an intimate space with patients and their families, providing care during some of the most vulnerable periods of their lives. This unique position allows nurses to offer not only physical support but also emotional and psychological comfort. Although nursing care is complex and nuanced, traditional hospital-based outcome measures have failed to fully capture the depth and breadth of what nurses really do in clinical practice and what really matters to patients and families. In fact, publicly reported patient/family outcome measures of care highlight only failures in our care (eg, falls, pressure injury, infections) rather than offering a reflection of good care.¹ 

In our recent article “Call to Action: Blueprint for Change in Acute and Critical Care Nursing,”²  we advocate for recognition of the full scope of a nurse’s work in hospitals that is essential for optimal patient outcomes. The blueprint emphasizes...