Nursing care delivery patterns describe; what tasks are assigned to individual health care workers, who is responsible, and who has the authority to make decisions. Many models have been proposed and implemented, but the progressive patient care (PPC) pattern appears to be the most effective. This system places patients in units based on their care needs determined by the extent of illness. It emphasizes on the systematic classification of patients based on the degree of their illnesses and dependency on care providers. It assists in the planning of hospital facilities to meet the individual needs of a patient. These hospital facilities include the staff and clinical equipment.
Since patients are grouped based on their care needs, the key elements of this model include; intensive-care units, self-care units, intermediate-care units, and beds for out-patients. Each of these elements is intended to serve different severity of illnesses. One of the obvious reasons why this pattern of nursing care is essential is that it enables the provision of the best possible care for patients. Qualified nurses can be assigned to tasks that they are competent at. The relative nature of care provided in such instances is more superior (Fitzgerald, 2003, p. 27-9).
It also makes it easier for clinics to effectively allocate staff and equipment. This makes it an attractive model of nursing care.
However, it is not generally applicable to all hospitals. This pattern is only applicable in large hospitals where there is a large number of patients with varying severity of illnesses. Implementing it in a small facility may increase costs. It is nonetheless a very effective nursing care model in hospitals where it is applied suitably (Fitzgerald, 2003, p. 30).
Fitzgerald, M. (2003). Patterns of nursing: a review of nursing in a large metropolitan hospital. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 12(3), 326-32.