NR 506NP Week 3: Open Forum

Sample Answer for NR 506NP Week 3: Open Forum Included After Question

This is a required but not graded open forum. Your post should add further clarity to the assignment and content of the readings and lessons for the week. Please feel free to post questions related to content or assignments.

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NR 506NP Week 3: Open Forum

Title: NR 506NP Week 3: Open Forum

Manage Discussion Entry

After starting my research for this assignment, I now realize the importance of NP performance measurements. One of the most important things to myself, and I’m sure to all of you as well, as a NP is to have positive patient outcomes. Providing necessary interventions is essential to providing high quality care and improving our patient’s health outcomes. One organization that assesses performance and identifies areas that need development is The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA, 2020).

I feel that this assignment is going to give me a greater insight into the relationships between healthcare interventions, patient outcomes, and financial healthcare savings. Furthermore, possessing knowledge about NCQA and HEDIS empowers NPs to navigate the healthcare landscape and grasp the broader context of quality improvement initiatives, performance measurement, and value-based care models. This understanding enhances their ability to collaborate effectively with other healthcare professionals, engage in quality improvement initiatives, and deliver patient-centered care.

 
References

National Committee for Quality Assurance. (2020). About NCQA.  https://www.ncqa.org/about-ncqa/ (https://www.ncqa.org/about-ncqa/)Links to an external site.

 Manage Discussion Entry

Hey.

I believe positive patient outcomes is the best indicator of NP performance. As a future psych NP some of my patient outcomes would include compliancy of aftercare programs, compliancy with medications and required lab draws, and low rehospitalization numbers. It is very important for an NP to consider these outcomes when developing an Individualized Plan of Care. Depending on the likelihood of compliancy, an NP may have to address and tweak the typical way they would treat their patients. For instance, a homeless patient will have a difficult time remaining compliant on a medication that requires regular blood work to rule out drug toxicity such as lithium toxicity. A different mood stabilizer should be considered for treatment in this scenario if possible. Being cognizant of patients socioeconomic conditions is an integral aspect in reaching positive patient outcomes. 

Manage Discussion Entry

I could not agree more, after reading about the different ways of measuring outcomes it was interesting that they are compared to physician outcomes. Researchers look for a few measures such as if a good history was taken by the NP and appropriate treatments for their specific symptoms. They also look at the amount of follow-up care given to a patient. If lab values are off, did the NP follow up and address it? 

A few primary care areas that are evaluated by the NP are chronic disease management, cancer screenings,  and hospitalizations. One study found that primary care NP patients had lower admission rates to hospitals, readmissions, and fewer unnecessary ED visits than primary care MDs (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2020).

What the NP does and how it is followed up on are all very important pieces of the health care program. 

American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2020). Quality of nurse practitioner practice. American Association of Nurse Practitioners; AANP Website. https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/advocacy-resource/position-statements/quality-of-nurse-practitioner-practice

Manage Discussion Entry

I found the NCQA and HEDIS faciniating.  It is interesting to see the changes in personal experience with various hospital experiences throughout the years.  Whether I was the patient, my husband, or children, I have seen more often than not substantial improvement.  I had no idea there were these measures and that patient satisfaction was important to hospital reimbursement.  It makes sense that holding hospitals, clinicians, and staff accountable for improved patient support and healthy outcomes would in fact improve the care we receive. 

It also allows us to investigate and be proactive in the care we receive.  This can be done by being aware of the rating facilities receive.  I do understand there are still gaps that need to met, that not everyone receives impeccable care, and there are certainly areas that need much improvement.  However, I have learned through this educational experience that as a future NP,  I can assist in this process and make meaningful change.  

Manage Discussion Entry

As this week’s course content explores different diseases; especially chronic non-communicable diseases like hypertension, obesity and diabetes, it is important for advanced nursing students to understand the epidemiology of these conditions and local factors leading to their increasing prevalence. Epidemiology extends beyond the research in laboratories and providers, especially nurses, have a critical role in creating awareness about interventions to help different patients and health populations from negative effects of these conditions (Ogbeiwi, 2021).

Again, the course is emphatic that nurses play a critical role in policy development and determining policy priorities for different populations with health issues. Policies and their implementation are at the core of developing interventions and implementing them in different healthcare settings to reduce the prevalence of diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Research and its application are fundamental to the nursing process in efforts to enhance health awareness and improvement to healthcare services by different patients and health populations. 

As the course this week reveals, determination of priorities is essential because of the limited resources available in the sector. The core aspect of this consideration is the cost and benefit analysis to help providers, policy makers and government officials, particularly public health practitioners determine the areas for priority allocation like during health emergencies like at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health equity focuses on addressing the inherent health disparities that exist in the healthcare sector that limit accessibility by certain health populations and groups. Addressing disparities is one of the most practical ways to attain health equity for groups like those experiencing systemic racism and from low-income households Artiga, S. (2018. The implication is that through this week’s content, different players can enhance efforts to deal with diverse healthcare issues to attain quality care outcomes. 

Cost-effective, quality and democracy as well as consumer influence are all essential aspects covered during the week. As observed, both individuals and coalitions have critical role in all these areas based on the choices and actions that they make and take, respectively. The content demonstrates that as advanced practice nurses, one must consider the patient in a holistic matter and the influence of their social determinants of health on access to health care services.

For instance, homeless individual may present with an infected wound due to poor hygiene, lack of access to basic resources like housing and water or sharing space with several other people. While the treatment may only be an antibiotic, the patient requires more than the prescription. They may not have access to medical care all the time because of not having a medical insurance. If not treated, the wound may result in sepsis and become life-threatening. Therefore, nurses must consider all the challenges that patients encounter to implement evidence-based practice interventions with the aim of improving their overall outcomes. 

Another core consideration based on this week’s content in the course is the need for cultural awareness and cultural competent care to improve the healthcare conditions of patients. Cultural competent care is essential for nurses to deliver patient-centered and holistic care (Ogbeiwi, 2021). Cultural tolerance, understanding, and respect should be integrated into professional situations to improve overall outcomes and interactions between patients and healthcare providers in diverse settings. For instance, the cultural assessment tool is critical in collecting information on social determinants of health like the income and educational levels of patients presenting to the healthcare settings with diverse conditions. 

The questions that I may pose concerning the content and assignment is; What role do nurses play in improving a collaborative approach to healthcare delivery among the low-income populations and patients?

References

Artiga, S. (2018). Beyond health care: the role of social determinants in promoting health and 

Health equity. https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/beyond-health-care-the-role-of-social-determinants-in-promoting-health-and-health-equity

Ogbeiwi, O. (2021). General concepts of goals and goal-setting in healthcare: A narrative 

 review. Journal of Management & Organization, 27(2), 324-341. 

https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2018.11