Individualised, comprehensive and consistent care provided by one nurse for the total period of care (24/7) is known as?

Appeared in: DSSSB -28 August 2019 (Shift-2)

Explanation

Primary nursing is a care delivery model where one Registered Nurse (RN) has 24-hour accountability for a patient's care.
This responsibility extends from the patient's admission to their discharge, ensuring a high level of continuity.
The primary nurse develops and updates the plan of care, which associate nurses follow when the primary nurse is not on duty.
This model promotes individualized, comprehensive, and consistent care, directly matching the question's description.

Option A: The Case Method (or Total Patient Care) involves a nurse providing all care for a patient, but only for the duration of a single shift. It lacks the 24/7 accountability for the entire period of care.
Option B: Team nursing involves a group of nursing staff, led by an RN, sharing the responsibility for a group of patients. Care is delivered by a team, not by one primary nurse.
Option C: Functional nursing is a task-oriented model where different nurses are assigned specific tasks (e.g., medication administration, wound care) for all patients on a unit. This leads to fragmented, not comprehensive or individualized, care.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Nursing Care Delivery Models helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Primary nursing is associated with higher patient and nurse satisfaction due to the strong therapeutic relationship that can develop.
This model enhances continuity of care and improves communication among the healthcare team, patient, and family, which can lead to better patient outcomes.
A key challenge is the requirement for a higher proportion of RNs on staff, which can increase labor costs and be difficult to implement during nursing shortages.

How to Approach the Question

First, dissect the question to identify the core components of the described care model.
Note the key phrases: 'individualised, comprehensive and consistent care', 'one nurse', and 'total period of care (24/7)'.
The phrase 'total period of care (24/7)' is the most critical differentiator. It implies accountability that extends beyond a single shift.
Evaluate each option against these key phrases.
Case method is per-shift. Team nursing involves a team, not one nurse. Functional nursing is task-based. Only Primary nursing involves one nurse with 24/7 accountability for the total period of care.
This systematic elimination based on the defining characteristics leads to the correct answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Nursing Care Delivery Models
Stem keywords: Individualised care, comprehensive care, consistent care, one nurse, total period of care, 24/7
Lead-in keywords: known as

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Practise the full DSSSB -28 August 2019 (Shift-2)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.