Nursing expertise at Zollikerberg Hospital: Towards greater quality, safety and innovation in patient care – An interview with Kathrin Hillewerth

Ms Hillewerth, what exactly does nursing expertise mean at Zollikerberg Hospital – and what difference does it make to patients’ day-to-day lives?

For me, nursing expertise means putting scientific findings to effective use where they are of greatest benefit – directly with our patients and their relatives. Nursing experts combine the latest scientific knowledge with many years of clinical experience and provide direct support to the treatment teams in their day-to-day care.

This is particularly evident in the case of people with complex clinical conditions – for example, delirium, dementia, chronic wounds or in palliative care. Nursing experts advise the teams directly at the patient’s bedside, work together to develop individualised solutions and support staff in challenging care situations.

For our patients, this means greater safety, personalised care and a high standard of treatment. Complications can be identified early or prevented, patients’ independence is enhanced, and the success of treatment is supported in the long term.

You are committed to ensuring that scientific findings are incorporated into practice. How can research be integrated into everyday nursing practice in such a way that it creates tangible added value for patient care?

Research only realises its value when it improves patients’ day-to-day lives. That is why we see nursing expertise as a bridge between science and clinical practice.

New scientific findings are evaluated together with interprofessional teams and translated into concrete recommendations for action. This could, for example, be a new standard for delirium prevention or optimised pain management. Nursing experts support the implementation, train staff and use quality indicators to check whether treatment has actually improved.

Good care is achieved where scientific evidence, clinical experience and patients’ needs come together.

Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) is becoming increasingly important in the healthcare sector. What role do nursing experts play in the further development of patient care at Zollikerberg Hospital?

Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) hold a master’s degree and play a key role in the care of patients with complex clinical conditions. The role of the APN has evolved significantly in Switzerland over the last 20 years and is shaped by the needs of the healthcare system. They often support patients throughout their entire treatment journey – from admission to discharge and beyond – and ensure that medical, nursing and therapeutic measures are optimally coordinated.

The greatest added value of APNs lies in the continuity of care. They maintain an overview of the entire treatment process and act as a vital link between nursing, medicine, therapies and external partners. At the same time, they develop new treatment approaches, support quality improvement projects and promote the transfer of knowledge within teams.

Within the APN roles, a distinction is made between two profiles: Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). Whilst Nurse Practitioners focus on direct clinical care as well as specialised diagnostics and counselling, Clinical Nurse Specialists combine clinical practice with practice development. They support change processes, further develop nursing standards and promote the transfer of knowledge within teams. In this way, APNs make an important contribution to the continuous development of patient-centred, high-quality care.

The demands on healthcare are becoming increasingly complex. Which innovations or new treatment models do you consider particularly important for successfully meeting the challenges of the future?

The healthcare landscape is changing rapidly. Patients are living longer, are more likely to have multiple chronic conditions, and increasingly require personalised and coordinated care.

That is why, in my view, we need integrated care models in which medicine, nursing, therapies and social counselling work together even more closely. Interprofessional care pathways and coordinated case management will become increasingly important. I am convinced that good health is achieved through co-creation – through partnership-based collaboration between patients, their relatives and all the healthcare professionals involved.

At the same time, digitalisation and artificial intelligence open up great opportunities. When routine tasks are supported effectively and health data is used in a targeted manner, healthcare professionals gain more time for what really matters – personal support and a direct relationship with people.

For me, however, innovation is not an end in itself. It must offer patients genuine added value, strengthen collaboration and contribute to high-quality, safe and sustainable healthcare.

Looking to the future: Which developments in the field of nursing expertise at Zollikerberg Hospital would you particularly like to drive forward in the coming years – and why?

I hope that, in future, nursing expertise will be seen as a natural part of modern healthcare – not just within nursing, but across the entire healthcare system.

The fact that the National Council endorsed the statutory enshrinement of the APN role in the Healthcare Professions Act on 28 April 2026 is, for me, an important signal. It shows that the importance of nursing expertise is also recognised at a political level and that its role in the healthcare system of the future is to be further strengthened.

Nursing experts should continue to apply their clinical expertise directly to the care of patients and their relatives, whilst at the same time playing an active role in shaping innovations, new treatment models and quality development.

It is particularly important to me that we learn from one another and link our areas of expertise even more closely. We can only overcome the challenges of the future by working together. If we succeed in translating scientific findings into practice more quickly, whilst consistently prioritising the needs of our patients, we will create lasting added value – for the people we care for, for our staff and for Zollikerberg Hospital as a whole.