Primary nursing definition
Primary nursing means that each patient has a primary nurse, like a primary doctor. The primary nurse draws up a nursing plan for his or her patients; other nurses follow those plans when the primary nurse is off duty. If a patient is readmitted to the hospital, he or she is sent to the floor where the pri- mary nurse is working. In regular nursing, a nurse may or may not be assigned to the same patient from one day to the next, or from one hospital stay to the next. Primary nursing allows for a stronger relationship of trust to develop between nurses and patients, espe- cially with patients who have chronic illnesses.