• Point of Care: Information needed to support a clinical decision before, during or after a patient encounter
• Point of Reference: Often found in a journal article or summary report to help inform future clinical decisions while supporting research and quality improvement projects
• Point of Learning: Point of learning in practice focuses on professional development and may involve simulation or learning activities; point of learning in education relies more on information derived from textbooks, articles and simulation and real-life experiences

7. The changing culture is changing to improve the patient experience
Patient-centered care starts with a culture of safety and caring, and nurses are central to this mission. Workplace culture is the responsibility of every working professional in every institution to establish and maintain a culture of safety, query, learning, and innovation, as well as insuring patient-focused care remains at the forefront. Many hospital systems are undergoing renovations to improve the overall patient experience. Nurses need to have a voice in redesign of patient care units and departments since they are the primary care givers for the patients.


Being a nurse has never been and never will be an easy job. That’s especially true today, where nurses must keep up with the current trends while keeping pace with the constant changes in healthcare. In order to provide the highest quality care for patients, individual nurses need to maintain their lifelong quest for continuing professional development and be the voice of reason and experience in how care is delivered today and in the future.

About the author: Anne Dabrow Woods, DNP, RN, CRNP, ANP-BC, AGACNP-BC, FAAN is the chief nurse of Health, Learning, Research and Practice, a division of Wolters Kluwer. She is also a critical care nurse practitioner at Penn Medicine, Chester County Hospital and she is adjunct faculty for Drexel University, College of Nursing and Health Professions.

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