ABSTRACT
Introduction The aim of this chapter is to explore factors that are important to the quality of nursing care.The nurse-patient relationship is central to this and may take many forms, require a range of skills and be a profound experience for everyone involved. People often need nurses when they are at their most vulnerable, and so the way care is conducted, organised, resourced and evaluated will impact on the quality of any outcomes. Meeting the individual needs of patients within the context of a complex health care system will always be a challenge for those with care delivery responsibilities. Effective, skilled, well-managed care relies on well-prepared practitioners.They need the abilities to meet the increasing health needs of, for example, an ageing population and for those with a long-term condition within a society that is becoming more complex as social, racial and cultural diversity increase. Nurses need to draw on a range of resources to meet these demands Frameworks for practice can contribute to this process as they inform decision-making and problem-solving, both of which are central to the effective management of care delivery.
