A patient complains to you that she has no idea who “her nurse” is on

QUESTION

A patient complains to you that she has no idea who “her nurse” is on any given day. “I ask one nurse for my pills and she says, ‘That’s not my job.’

I ask the pill nurse about my lab tests and she says that I should ask another nurse.” The nursing care delivery model most likely employed in this situation is:

a. Differentiated practice.
b. Team nursing.
c. Functional nursing.
d. Case management.

ANSWER:

ANS: C
Functional team nursing involves licensed and unlicensed personnel who perform specific tasks for a large number of patients. A disadvantage of functional team nursing is the fragmentation of care. The physical and technical aspects of care may be met, but the psychological and spiritual needs may be overlooked. Patients become confused with so many different care providers per shift. These different staff members may be so busy with their assigned tasks that they may not have time to communicate with each other about the patient’s progress.