Case-management roles and employment are affected by health-care costs on every level. Although the cost of health care is still on the rise, its total economic effect is still unknown, due to the increased disparity between covered and non-covered patient populations. Furthermore, advanced technology, diagnostic and therapeutic breakthroughs, and violence and drug-addiction costs take a toll on total health-care costs. As a consequence, academic medical centers and educational institutions must address these issues, because they are heavily linked to managed-care options. Even with federalized Medicare, health-care economics continues to affect managed-care procedures and issues as taught to nursing students.
Consumers today are seeking complementary/alternative or low-tech options to enhance progression of health and healing. This extreme demand has led to a greater need for alternative-therapy-education classes for nursing students. Advances in quality measurements and information technology are now provided on a public basis. Consumers have wide-open access to medical knowledge, and they understand the different implications of health-care practices and procedures they choose to undergo. The increase in patient knowledge has facilitated the need for ethics-based education and disease-prevention classes. As a consequence, these dynamic changes increase educational responsibility to teach nursing students how to facilitate a symbiotic relationship with patients requiring maximum health-care options.
Health-care education models are always changing because of new federal laws and policies. Three specific trends effecting nurse education include: the increase of federal and state regulation over managed-care cost; any implemented plans to downsize health-care settings; and any enforced regulations using the economic marketplace to pay for medical costs. Because of the shift in managed care, states have taken increased responsibility over regulation, including quality access to health care, health-care corporate contracting and organizational management over managed care. As a result, nursing students and educators must respond by contributing to ethical issues and make active stances regarding health-care politics.
Cultural transfer of knowledge within the health-care industry has led to the globalization of health-care practices and education. Although rapid disease transmission is still likely between countries, the increased exchange of health-care communication also increases the likelihood of major victories against global outbreaks. Educators must prepare nursing students to combat reemerging diseases and internationally-based infections. As a result, these changing dynamics have encouraged nursing schools to provide international-study programs for nursing students.