Question

Nurse manager is preparing an educational session for nursing staff about how to provide cost-effective care. Which of the following methods should the nurse include in the teaching?

A) Ordering frequent diagnostic tests to ensure comprehensive patient evaluation.
B) Encouraging the use of expensive, brand-name medications over generic ones.
C) Reducing waste and using resources efficiently in patient care.
D) Prescribing multiple medications even if a single one can address the issue.

Answer 1

To provide cost-effective care, a nurse manager should teach nursing staff to focus on reducing waste and using resources efficiently in patient care, which includes choosing generic meds over brand-names when possible and streamlining processes with EMRs.

Step-by-step explanation:

When teaching nursing staff how to provide cost-effective care, a nurse manager should include methods that focus on the efficient use of resources. Thus, among the options presented, the correct method to include in the teaching would be C) Reducing waste and using resources efficiently in patient care. Cost-effective care emphasizes the importance of minimizing unnecessary expenses while maintaining high-quality patient outcomes. For instance, this could involve choosing generic medications over brand-name equivalents when appropriate, avoiding redundant diagnostic testing, emphasizing preventive care, and adopting Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) to streamline administrative processes as required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These practices not only save costs but also improve the overall healthcare delivery system by enhancing patient care and preserving privacy.