Which of the following is true about functional nursing?
A. Concentrates on tasks and activities.
B. Emphasizes the use of group collaboration.
C. One-to-one nurse-patient ratio.
D. Provides continuous, coordinated, and comprehensive nursing services.
Correct Answer: A. Concentrates on tasks and activities.
Functional nursing is focused on tasks and activities and not on the holistic care of the patients. Functional nursing is task-oriented in scope. Instead of one nurse performing many functions, several nurses are given one or two assignments. Functional nursing was designed around an efficacy model that seeks to get many tasks accomplished in a short period of time.
Option B: Team nursing involves the use of a team leader and team members to provide various aspects of nursing care to a group of patients. In team nursing, medications might be given by one nurse while baths and physical care are given by a nursing assistant under the supervision of a nurse team leader.
Option C: Primary care nursing is when a single nurse is identified as the point of contact and primary caregiver for a patient during his or her particular hospital stay or another episode of care.
Option D: Primary care nursing includes a set of attributes, as in the 1978 IOM definition—care that is accessible, comprehensive, coordinated, continuous, and accountable—or as defined by Starfield (1992)—care that is characterized by first contact, accessibility, longitudinally, and comprehensiveness