Nurses Services

Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families and communities so they may attain, maintain or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health care providers by their approach to patient care, training and scope of practice. Many nurses provide care within the ordering scope of physicians and this traditional role has shaped the public image of nurses as care providers. Nurses develop a plan of care, working collaboratively with physicians, therapists, the patient and the patient’s family and other team members, that focuses on treating illness to improve quality of life.
Nursing service is the part of the total health organization which aims at satisfying the nursing needs of the patient/community. In nursing services, the nurse works with the members of allied disciples such as dietetics, medical service, pharmacy, etc. in applying a comprehensive program of patient care in the hospital.
WHO expert committee on nursing defines the nursing services as the part of the total health organization which aims to satisfy major objective of the nursing services is to provide prevention of disease and promotion of health.

Who provides nursing services in Cambodian hospitals?

In Cambodia, the number of nurses is insufficient and details of nursing services are unknown and undocumented. In performing more complex medical interventions, nurses shared the tasks with medical doctors. Conversely, simpler nursing tasks, including maintaining bedside environment/hygiene and supporting patient activities, tasks were shared by nurses with patients’ family. There are important implications for nursing legislation related to streamlining the production of nurses to provide an adequate and qualified nursing service in Cambodia.

It is widely demonstrated that the quality and quantity of health-care professional largely determines the performance of a health system in general. Among the health service providers, nurses constitute the single largest professional entity. Assurance of the quality and quantity of nurses positively impacts medical outputs.
However, the number of health service providers, particularly nurses, is insufficient around the world, especially in developing countries. Cambodia is one of the Southeast Asian counties that faces healthcare professionals’ shortage in addition to undocumented personnel and skill mixes.