| [ Summary ] |
The specialty of nephrology nursing has evolved over the last 30 years in response to continuing developments and forces in society, technology, health care, politics, the economy, and the nursing and medical professions. These forces have created an accompanying need for nurses to acquire an increasingly complex level of knowledge related to the care of renal patients. While nephrology nursing continues to focus on meeting the needs of individuals and their families affected by diseases of the kidney, the manner in which nephrology nurses address these needs (nephrology nursing practice) has significantly changed over time and is driven by changes in the broader health care arena. Nephrology nurses have transitioned through three distinct roles: from assistants, to providers, and on to managers of the delivery of care. "Advanced practice" is anticipated to be an alternative role for nephrology nurses in the future. The role of the specialty organization has been vital to the progression of nephrology nursing and will be even more important as the health care industry continues to address the certainty of discontinuous change in the future. |