Sample Answer for NRS 415 Topic 5 DQ 1 Included After Question
Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is the responsibility of all nurses and is vital when addressing the challenges of the health care industry. Provide an example of how you would apply CQI in your current or past position. If you are new to health care, select a nurse practice issue and discuss how you would apply CQI to address the issue. Discuss a quality improvement method that could be used to support CQI in your example.
Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN Discussion Question Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education
This assignment aligns to AACN Core Competency 5.1.
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NRS 415 Topic 5 DQ 1
Title: NRS 415 Topic 5 DQ 1
CQI is vital in healthcare, and it is the responsibility of all nurses to ensure that they are doing their best to improve patient outcomes. By monitoring patient outcomes regularly and implementing a system for reporting incidents, I would be able to identify areas where improvement is necessary and work towards making improvements (Harkness, T. & Pullen, R. 2019). Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is a process that enables healthcare facilities to maintain and improve their services while enhancing patient outcomes. In healthcare, the goal of CQI is to enhance the quality of care provided to patients through various methods such as the implementation of new procedures or policies. The CQI process involves setting goals, monitoring progress, and making improvements as necessary. CQI is vital when addressing the challenges of the healthcare industry, and it is the responsibility of all nurses to ensure that they are doing their best to improve patient outcomes (Harkness, T. & Pullen, R. 2019).
An instance of how I would implement continuous quality improvement (CQI) in my present role is through continuous monitoring of patient outcomes. By monitoring patient outcomes, I can identify areas requiring improvement and subsequently implement new policies or procedures to enhance the quality of patient care. Furthermore, I would make certain that I am well-informed on the most current research and optimal methodologies in nursing, so as to guarantee that I am delivering the utmost quality of care to my patients. An additional illustration would involve the implementation of a system for reporting occurrences. By instituting a mechanism for reporting events, I would be capable of pinpointing areas that require enhancement and striving towards effecting those enhancements. Additionally, this would facilitate the early detection of any potential concerns, allowing me to promptly resolve them before they escalate into more significant challenges.
Getting involved in the QI process is part of our professional role. Nurses at every level of practice should be aware of key factors in the QI process, promote a culture of QI, and communicate to their supervisor a desire to serve on QI teams ( www.IHI.org ).
References
Harkness, T. & Pullen, R. (2019). Quality improvement tools for nursing practice. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 17 (3), 47-51. doi: 10.1097/01.NME.0000554602.68360.ed.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Science of improvement: how to improve. 2018. www.IHI.org
A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NRS 415 Topic 5 DQ 1
Title: NRS 415 Topic 5 DQ 1
Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is an approach to improving clinical care and health outcomes. This enables adherence to best practice clinical guidelines and improved patient outcomes. Some key elements in implementing CQI in healthcare are utilizing data to identify areas for improvement, defining key performance indicators and benchmarks to measure and compare, understanding underlying factors contributing to issues, seeking feedback and perspectives on quality improvement, and providing ongoing training and education. One example that implements CQI in healthcare is infection prevention of intravascular Catheters. The goal of an effective prevention program should be the elimination of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI). Guidelines in CRBSI based on the article, “Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-related Infections.” are as follows: hand hygiene, aseptic technique, maximal sterile barrier precautions, skin preparation, catheter site dressing regimens, patient cleansing, and staff education and training. (O’Grady et al. 2011) To successfully support the CQI in this example is to continuous staff training and education. Ensures training on the proper procedures for insertion and demonstrates appropriate infection control measures to prevent infections. Designate trained personnel who demonstrate competence in inserting and maintaining peripheral and central intravascular catheters.
If I were new to healthcare and tasked with addressing a nurse practice issue, I would choose the nurse-to-patient ratio. Nurses play a critical role in ensuring patient safety while providing patient care, therefore, increasing the number of patients per nurse eventually compromises a nurse’s ability to provide safe care. A PSNet classic 2011 study showed that increased patient turnover was associated with increased mortality risk. (Phillips, 2021) To implement CQI on this issue is to develop a plan to outline the intervention, which would be to establish coordination of adequate nurse staffing on a unit-by-unit and shift-by-shit basis.
References:
O’Grady, N., Alexander, A., Burns, L., Dellinger, E., Garland, J., Heard, S., Lipsett, P., Masur, H., Mermel, L., Pearson, M., Raad, I., Randolph, A., Rupp, M., Saint, S. (May 5, 2011) Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections. Clin Infection Dis. doi: 10.1093/cid/cir257
Phillips, J., Malliaris, A, Bakerjan, D. (April 21, 2021). Nursing and Patient Safety. PSNET Primers. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/nursing-and-patient-safety