For this assessment, you will develop a 3 page paper that examines a safety quality issue in a healthcare setting. You will analyze the issue and examine potential evidence-based and best-practice solutions from the literature as well as the role of nurses and other stakeholders in addressing the issue.
The role of the baccalaureate nurse includes identifying and explaining specific patient risk factors, incorporating evidence-based solutions to improving patient safety and coordinating care. A solid foundation of knowledge and understanding of safety organizations such as Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and The Joint Commission and its National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) program is vital to practicing nurses with regard to providing and promoting safe and effective patient care.
You are encouraged to complete the Identifying Safety Risks and Solutions activity. This activity offers an opportunity to review a case study and practice identifying safety risks and possible solutions. We have found that learners who complete course activities and review resources are more successful with first submissions. Completing course activities is also a way to demonstrate course engagement.
References
Kohn, L. T., Corrigan, J., & Donaldson, M. S. (Eds.). (2000). To err is human: Building a safer health system. National Academy Press.
you will be responsible for implementing quality improvement (QI) and patient safety measures in healthcare settings. Effective quality improvement measures result in systemic and organizational change, ultimately leading to the development of a patient safety culture.
Consider the hospital-acquired conditions that are not reimbursed under Medicare/Medicaid, some of which are specific safety issues such as infections, falls, medication errors, and other concerns that could have been prevented or alleviated with the use of evidence-based guidelines.
The purpose of this assessment is to better understand the role of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse in enhancing quality improvement (QI) measures to address patient safety risk at a healthcare setting of your choice. You will do this by exploring the professional guidelines and best practices for improving and maintaining patient safety in healthcare settings from organizations such as QSEN (Quality and Safety Education for Nurses) and the IOM (Institute of Medicine). Looking through the lens of these professional best practices to examine the current policies and procedures in place at your chosen organization and the impact on safety measures for patients, you will consider the role of the nurse in driving quality and safety improvements. You will identify stakeholders in QI improvement and safety measures as well as consider evidence-based strategies to enhance quality of care and promote safety in your chosen healthcare setting.
Select one of the safety quality issues presented in the Assessment 01 Supplement: Enhancing Quality and Safety [PDF] Download Assessment 01 Supplement: Enhancing Quality and Safety [PDF]resource and incorporate evidence-based strategies to support communication and ensure safe and effective care.
For this assessment, be sure to focus on an organizational setting. This could be a primary care office, urgent care, mobile clinic, hospital ED, rural clinic, etc. Then use the literature to support the problem and solution in the organization. Reflect on costs to that organization/setting and what nurses can do to coordinate the care within the setting. Reflect on stakeholders who may be involved.
Be sure that your plan addresses the following, which corresponds to the grading criteria in the rubric. Please study the rubric carefully so you understand what is needed for a distinguished score.
- Explain factors leading to a specific patient safety risk.
- Explain evidence-based and best-practice solutions to improve patient safety related to a specific patient-safety risk and reduce costs.
- Explain how nurses can help coordinate care to increase patient safety and reduce costs.
- Identify stakeholders with whom nurses would need to coordinate to drive safety enhancements.
- Communicate using writing that is clear, logical, and professional, with correct grammar and spelling, using current APA style.
*******selected issue******** Patient Handoffs: Patient handoffs, or the transfer of patient care responsibility from one healthcare provider to another, are critical moments that can lead to communication breakdowns and errors. Nurses must have strong communication skills to ensure accurate and complete information transfer. Poor handoff’s can lead to misunderstandings and medical or nursing errors. o Standardized Protocols: Implementing standardized handoff protocols, such as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), can improve consistency. Standardized protocols reduce the risk of information loss and enhance patient safety o Time Management: Effective handoffs require adequate time, which can be challenging in busy environments. o Increased Complexity of Care: A patient who has deteriorated further due to a delayed response often requires more complex and aggressive treatments than if the issue had been addressed promptly. This can involve higher-risk procedures, more medications, and longer recovery times. Rushed handoffs increase the likelihood of errors and omissions. o Professional Implications: Misinformation and miscommunication can lead to delays in care and can have significant repercussions for healthcare professionals. These might include disciplinary actions, loss of licensure, legal consequences, and damage to one’s professional reputation. o Economic Costs: Poor handoffs can lead to extended hospital stays (misinformation), additional or missed treatments, which can lead to potential lawsuits, all of which result in increased costs for healthcare systems and patients. o Quality Metrics and Accreditation: Healthcare facilities often have quality metrics that track patient care and response times to various clinical scenarios. Poor performance in these metrics can lead to penalties, increased scrutiny, and challenges in maintaining accreditation
- Length of submission: 3 pages of content plus title and reference pages.
- Number of references: Cite a minimum of 4 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your findings and considerations. Resources should be no more than 5 years old.
- APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style. See the APA Module.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Analyze the elements of a successful quality improvement initiative.
- Explain evidence-based and best-practice solutions to improve patient safety related to a specific patient safety risk and reduce costs.
- Competency 2: Analyze factors that lead to patient safety risks.
- Explain factors leading to a specific patient-safety risk in a healthcare setting.
- Competency 4: Explain the nurse’s role in coordinating care to enhance quality and reduce costs.
- Explain how nurses can help coordinate care to increase patient safety and reduce costs.
- Identify stakeholders with whom nurses would coordinate to drive safety enhancements with a specific safety quality issue.
- Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly, evidence-based strategies to communicate in a manner that supports safe and effective patient care.
- Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contains few errors in grammar or punctuation, word choice, and spelling.
- Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.
Explains factors leading to a specific patient-safety risk in a healthcare setting. Refers to specific data, evidence, or standards to illustrate the safety risk.Explains evidence-based and best-practice solutions to improve patient safety related to a specific patient safety risk and reduce costs. Makes explicit reference to scholarly or professional resources to support explanation.Explains how nurses can help coordinate care to increase patient safety and reduce costs. Provides specific examples related to a patient safety risk.Identifies stakeholders with whom nurses would need to coordinate to drive quality and safety enhancements with a specific safety quality issue, noting the relevance and potential importance of the stakeholders.Organizes content with a clear purpose. Content flows logically with smooth transitions using coherent paragraphs, correct grammar or punctuation, and word choice, and is free of spelling errors.Exhibits strict and flawless adherence to APA formatting of headings, in-text citations, and references. Quotes and paraphrases correctly.