PATTERNS OF NURSING CARE DELIVERY

Introduction: Nurses provide care to clients while working under a variety of care delivery
models. A care model is a philosophy of care delivery and a system for organizing the
relationship and roles of all nursing care personnel.

Types of Patient Care Delivery System:

Several types of patient care delivery systems have been used in acute care settings.

1. Functional Nursing:

The functional approach to care grew out of a need to provide care to large number of
patients. It focused on organizing and distributing the tasks, or functions, or care..

In functional nursing, personnel worked side by side, each performing the assigned task.
The goal of functional nursing was efficient management of time, tasks and energy.

Advantages:

Efficient – can complete many tasks in a reasonable time frame. Workers do only
tasks they are educated to do and become very efficient.

Promotes organizational skills – each worker must organize his own work

Promotes worker autonomy.

Disadvantage:

Lack of holistic view of patient –

emphasis on task, not person.

Lacks- continuity – patients often do not know who their nurse is.

Registered nurses have little time to talk with patients or render personal care.