Surviving redesign: basic concepts of patient-focused care and their application to WOC nursing

The concept of patient-focused care continues to gain popularity in health care delivery throughout the United States. In an effort to compete more effectively in today's market, health care institutions have adopted strategies from industry to control rising costs. WOC nurses in every practice setting are feeling the effects of one such strategy, patient-focused care. The purpose of this article is to describe basic concepts of patient-focused care, a redesign technique that was born out of continuous quality improvement, and to present strategies tailored to strengthen WOC nursing practice in this changing and challenging environment.