Impact on Nursing of the 2010 IOM Report on the Future of Nursing

Impact on Nursing of the 2010 IOM Report on the Future of Nursing

The Institute of Medicine's 2010 report on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health acknowledges the changing healthcare sector in the US and describes future vision of healthcare and the role of nurses to fulfill that vision. The United States always strives to provide affordable and quality healthcare to the entire population of the country. In order to achieve this goal an overall restructuring of the healthcare system was necessitated. Nurses are considered to be the central part of the healthcare system to provide high quality and safe patient care. Nursing in the US is the single largest segment of the healthcare workforce with almost 3 million nurses working in different areas across the county. The changing conditions in the healthcare system and new legislations to make the system more patients centered will place many demands on the healthcare professionals.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was enacted into law in 2010, is expected to add another 32 million people, who were hitherto uninsured, to the country's healthcare sector. The new law provides enhanced health care through extensive health insurance reforms making insurance providers accountable, reducing health care costs, and providing quality health care for all Americans. The report uses the terms Nurse, Nursing, and Nurse Practitioner (NP) to refer to the nursing profession. Since nursing is the most important and central core of the healthcare system, there is no doubt that the newly added 32 million people into the insurance sector will bring a tremendous impact on the nursing profession.

Acknowledging the fact that the health care system in the US is constantly changing, in2010 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) brought out a report on the future of nursing after two years of intense discussions and consultations. In order to overhaul the nursing profession, the IOM report made the following suggestions in its report:

1. Nurses should utilize their education and skills to transform the healthcare system in a way to provide quality patient care.

2. Total overhauling of the nursing education and training is necessary to re-conceptualize the roles of nurses in a reformed healthcare system.

3. Nurses should take up leadership positions along with physicians and other healthcare professionals to provide high quality healthcare.

4. Effective workforce planning and policy making require ...