This paper examines the anticipated transformations in nursing and healthcare delivery driven by the aging Baby Boom generation and advances in medical science. It discusses how the growing elderly population will increase demand for healthcare services, expand the scope of nursing practice, and necessitate greater reliance on nurse practitioners and other allied health providers. The paper also explores how breakthroughs such as the Human Genome Project, stem cell therapies, and genetic medicine will shift the focus from curative to preventative care. Finally, it identifies the core competencies — including patient-centered care, evidence-based practice, and leadership — that nurses must develop to meet these emerging challenges.
Over the next decade, and for years to come afterwards, the expected growth in the older adult population will have a significant impact on the healthcare system. The Baby Boom generation — individuals born between 1946 and 1964 — began turning 65 in 2011. By 2020, the number of Americans age 65 and older was expected to rise to 54 million. Furthermore, as a result of better nutrition, safety, and healthcare, the number of individuals who reach the age of 85 or older will grow even more dramatically (The Impact of Aging Population on the Health Workforce in the United States, 2006).
This will precipitate a greater demand for healthcare in general and will also affect the nature of the skills and services the healthcare workforce must be equipped to provide, as well as the settings in which this care is delivered. As a person ages, their immune system weakens, organs begin to deteriorate, and the body becomes susceptible to a variety of diseases. Common illnesses among the elderly include Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, Parkinson's disease, heart attack, pneumonia, cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
To meet the needs and demands of this expected increase in healthcare services, an expansion of the scope of practice for the nursing profession is inevitable. Shortages of physicians will mean greater reliance on others to deliver care — such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants for primary care, social workers and psychologists for mental health care, and optometrists for vision care. Physicians will need to change their attitudes toward these providers by involving them and embracing their value. Simultaneously, educational requirements can be expected to increase as well. Currently, there are more than 167,000 nurse practitioners in the United States, an increase from 141,209 in 2004 and 158,348 in 2008 (ACNP, 2010).
The Human Genome Project will give scientists new insights into how humans function and how their deficiencies can be treated. In the near future, stem cell and genetically engineered cures will become widespread. Cancers, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, corneal regeneration, immunodeficiencies, neurodegenerative diseases and injuries, anemias and other blood conditions, wounds and injuries, and other metabolic disorders will all be treated and understood in a new light.
These advances will bring new challenges. As people live longer lives they will consume more healthcare services, and as demand for healthcare services grows, more healthcare providers will be needed. By 2021, the emphasis will shift from curative measures to preventative measures that enhance quality of life. As these changes take place, the different roles of nursing will become increasingly specialized.
"Genomics and stem cells transform disease treatment approaches"
"Key competencies nurses must develop for future care"
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