Patient-focused care: a response to the healthcare crisis.

During this time of major challenges and transitions in the healthcare industry, as both healthcare professionals and consumers, nurses are in a pivotal position to become active, informed advocates for reasonable, rational changes within a system in which we have a truly unique perspective. In this environment, it is critical that nurses understand the need for change so that we can critically analyze work redesign initiatives for their likelihood to positively or negatively impact the healthcare system at a global or local level. It will then be possible to explore the transformation of the healthcare delivery system, the concept of patient-focused care, and the impact on the healthcare workforce of the future with particular attention to the practice of intravenous nursing.