Quality patient care: challenges and opportunities.

There are several interlocking elements integral to the delivery of safe patient care, including clinical governance, efficient communication, teamwork, risk assessment, inter-professional education and effective leadership. Each element can be challenging to understand, develop, or act on, but it is essential that nurses use these as opportunities to ensure their specialty or service delivers safe and high-quality care. This article discusses each of these elements and its relationship to quality patient care, with specific reference to the role of children's nurses. ©2012 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.