NURS 8302 Applying Project Management Approaches for a Quality Improvement Practice Gap

NURS 8302 Applying Project Management Approaches for a Quality Improvement Practice Gap

Sample Answer for NURS 8302 Applying Project Management Approaches for a Quality Improvement Practice Gap Included After Question

Project management allows for a clear and focused workflow to approach an issue or task. These approaches streamline a process, allow for checks and balances, and ensure all stakeholders are active participants in the process. Project management approaches often utilize SMART objectives to define and set the objectives for the project.

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Each letter of the acronym SMART defines a different criterion for the objective. A SMART objective is specific, measurable, assignable, realistic, and timely. These objectives help to steer the work and direct the stakeholders to the completion of the project.

For this Assignment, you will reflect on project management approaches that could be used to address a quality improvement practice gap. You will develop SMART objectives for the planning and execution of a quality improvement project, and will consider potential project management approaches or activities that could be used in executing this project.

To Prepare:

• Review the Learning Resources for this week, and consider the approaches of project management.
• Refer to the Week 3 Discussion, and reflect on the quality improvement practice gap you identified.
• Consider how you might apply the project management approaches examined this week to address the quality improvement practice gap you identified.
• Think about how you might develop SMART objectives for the planning and execution of a project to address the quality improvement practice gap you identified.
• Consider any other project management approaches or activities you might recommend using for your project that will address the quality improvement practice gap you identified.

The Assignment: (2–3 pages)

• Briefly describe the quality improvement practice gap you identified in your nursing practice or organization. Be specific.
• Develop at least two SMART objectives you might apply in the project planning phase or execution phase to address the quality improvement practice gap you identified.
• Recommend at least two project management activities you would use for your project, addressing the quality improvement practice gap you identified. Explain your justification for why these activities would provide the best support. Be specific and provide examples.

Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Sample Paper provided at the Walden Writing Center provides an example of those required elements (available at https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general#s-lg-box-20293632). All papers submitted must use this formatting.

By Day 7

Submit your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 4.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK4Assgn1+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Week 4 Assignment 1 Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Week 4 Assignment 1 link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK4Assgn1+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

NURS 8302 Applying Project Management Approaches for a Quality Improvement Practice Gap Grading Criteria

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A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 8302 Applying Project Management Approaches for a Quality Improvement Practice Gap

Title: NURS 8302 Applying Project Management Approaches for a Quality Improvement Practice Gap

Chronic heart failure annually impacts approximately 5.7 million individuals in the United States, resulting in a financial burden of over $30.7 billion due to healthcare expenses and treatment costs (Taklalsingh et al., 2020). According to Driscoll et al. (2020), the annual survival rate for hospital admissions is only 30-40%, suggesting a potential impact on morale. The projected readmission rate within 30 days is 23% for patients. The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program was initiated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2012. It aims to reduce avoidable readmissions for heart failure patients by imposing financial penalties on institutions with higher readmission rates following heart failure hospitalizations. These penalties result in lower monthly payments or reimbursements for these institutions. This paper aims to elucidate the identified gap in quality improvement practice.

Identification of the Gap for Quality Improvement

During this practicum, I observed a deficiency in my practice regarding the 30-day hospitalization rates for congestive cardiac failure. The inclusion of the 30-day readmission rate as a metric for evaluating hospital quality aims to reduce healthcare expenses and prevent inadequate treatment for individuals with heart failure. This study utilized multiple communities to evaluate various metrics, including hospital rating and payment rate, to promote improved care for individuals with congestive heart failure. Healthcare institutions have recognized the importance of maintaining a low 30-day readmission rate to achieve high-quality assessments and receive high reimbursement rates. As a result, they have enhanced their ability to monitor and provide appropriate treatment to patients with congestive heart failure (Roshanghalb et al., 2019). This research investigates how project execution and root-cause analysis can improve outcomes for individuals with congestive heart failure. This research seeks to utilize the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice and the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Translation Tool to identify effective measures or strategies for significantly reducing the 30-day readmission rate among patients with heart problems. Lewin’s theory of managing change is a component of the change management process.

SMART Objectives for Quality Improvement

This research evaluates interventions hospitals and healthcare providers can implement to reduce the 30-day readmission rate for cardiac conditions. The proposed intervention seeks to achieve two main objectives.

1. This study aims to evaluate the quality of available information regarding effective strategies and interventions for reducing the 30-day readmission rate for heart-related issues in hospitals within a 12-month.
2. The objective is to reduce the hospital’s 30-day readmission rate for heart conditions to be lower than the national average or to be ranked within the top five hospitals in the country.

To meet these goals, the hospital should conduct a root-cause analysis to determine the primary risk factors associated with heart failure readmission rates. Subsequently, intervention recommendations can be made based on this data (Delgado et al., 2019). The objectives of reducing the rate of heart disease readmissions are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely), making them feasible to implement within a medical setting.

Recommended Project Management Activities

To fulfill its goals, the facility has to consider two main tactics. Finding the best evidence-based therapies is crucial to lowering the hospital’s readmission rate for heart disease. To accomplish these changes further, change management techniques must be implemented. Project management strategies are needed for both processes (Taklalsingh et al., 2020). Comprehensive home healthcare programs that include round-the-clock phone support for up to 25–30 days after discharge, personalized education on self-care techniques during hospitalization, frequent check-in visits, and encouragement of in-home follow-up are beneficial to patients with heart failure (Cholack et al., 2021).

Through root-cause analysis, a team may use project management tools to evaluate hospitals’ readiness and current procedures to reduce 30-day hospitalization rates linked to cardiac problems. According to the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), root-cause analysis is a valuable method employed by interdisciplinary development teams to identify the underlying causes and explanations for readmissions (Blumer et al., 2021). To reduce cardiovascular disease readmissions, the development team will incorporate change management strategies to implement evidence-based practice improvements (Khan et al., 2021).

Conclusion

One month post-hospital discharge. Engaging in these activities can reduce the readmission rate for heart failure by providing a meaningful approach to identifying and addressing underlying issues or causes and linking them to appropriate therapeutic interventions. Applying change management principles can be advantageous for organizations as it reduces employee resistance, enhances internal support, and optimizes the effectiveness of proposed policy changes. Therefore, by implementing project management, organizational transformation, and evidence-based practice methods, an organization may lower its 30-day readmission rate for cardiac issues.

References

 Blumer, V., Mentz, R. J., Sun, J., Butler, J., Metra, M., Voors, A. A., Hernandez, A. F., O’Connor, C. M., & Greene, S. J. (2021). Prognostic role of prior heart failure hospitalization among patients hospitalized for worsening chronic heart failure. Circulation: Heart Failure, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1161/circheartfailure.120.007871

Bonilla-Palomas, J. L., Anguita‐Sánchez, M., Elola-Somoza, F. J., Bernal, J. L., Fernández-Pérez, C., Ruiz‐Ortiz, M., Jiménez‐Navarro, M., Bueno, H., Cequier, Á., & Marín-Ortuño, F. (2021). Thirteen‐year trends in hospitalization and outcomes of patients with heart failure in Spain. European Journal of Clinical Investigation, 51(11). https://doi.org/10.1111/eci.13606

Cholack, G., Garfein, J., Errickson, J., Krallman, R., Montgomery, D., Kline–Rogers, E., Eagle, K. A., Rubenfire, M., Bumpus, S. M., & Barnes, G. D. (2021). Early (0-7 days) and late (8-30 days) readmission predictors in acute coronary syndrome, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure patients. Hospital Practice, 49(5), 364–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548331.2021.1976558

Delgado, J., Gregori, A. F., Fernández, L. N., Claret, R. B., Sepúlveda, A. G., Fernández‐Avilés, F., González-Juanatey, J. R., García, R. V., Otero, M. R., Cubero, J. S., Figal, D. P., Crespo-Leiro, M. G., Álvarez‐García, J., Cinca, J., & Ynsaurriaga, F. A. (2019). Patient-associated predictors of 15- and 30-day readmission after hospitalization for acute heart failure. Current Heart Failure Reports, 16(6), 304–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11897-019-00442-1

Driscoll, A., Dinh, D., Prior, D., Kaye, D. M., Hare, D. L., Neil, C., Lockwood, S., Brennan, A., Lefkovits, J., Carruthers, H., Amerena, J., Cooke, J., Vaddadi, G., Nadurata, V., & Reid, C. M. (2020). The effect of transitional care on 30-day outcomes in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 29(9), 1347–1355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2020.03.004

Khan, M. S., Sreenivasan, J., Lateef, N., Abougergi, M. S., Greene, S. J., Ahmad, T., Anker, S. D., Fonarow, G. C., & Butler, J. (2021). Trends in 30- and 90-day readmission rates for heart failure. Circulation: Heart Failure, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1161/circheartfailure.121.008335

Roshanghalb, A., Mazzali, C., & Lettieri, E. (2019). Multi-level models for heart failure patients’ 30-day mortality and readmission rates: the relation between patient and hospital factors in administrative data. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4818-2

Taklalsingh, N., Wengrofsky, P., & Levitt, H. (2020). The Heart Failure Clinic: Improving 30-Day All-Cause Hospital Readmissions. Journal for Healthcare Quality, 42(4), 215–223. https://doi.org/10.1097/jhq.0000000000000221

NURS 8302 Applying Project Management Approaches for a Quality Improvement Practice Gap Rubric Detail

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Content

Name: NURS_8302_Week4_Assignment1_Rubric

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		Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Briefly describe the quality improvement practice gap you identified in your nursing practice or organization. Be specific.		Points Range: 23 (23%) – 25 (25%) The response accurately and clearly describes in detail the quality improvement practice gap identified in their nursing practice or organization. The response provides accurate and specific details that fully support the selection of the quality improvement practice gap identified.	Points Range: 20 (20%) – 22 (22%) The response accurately describes the quality improvement practice gap identified in their nursing practice or organization. The response provides accurate details that support the selection of the quality improvement practice gap identified.	Points Range: 18 (18%) – 19 (19%) The response inaccurately or vaguely describes the quality improvement practice gap identified in their nursing practice or organization. The response provides inaccurate or vague details that may support the selection of the quality improvement practice gap identified.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 17 (17%) The response inaccurately and vaguely describes the quality improvement practice gap identified in their nursing practice or organization, or it is missing. The response provides inaccurate and vague details that do not support the selection of the quality improvement practice gap identified, or it is missing.
Develop at least two SMART objectives you might apply in the project planning phase or execution phase to address the quality improvement practice gap you identified.		Points Range: 32 (32%) – 35 (35%) The response accurately and completely develops two SMART objectives that comprehensively address the quality improvement gap identified.	Points Range: 28 (28%) – 31 (31%) The response accurately develops two SMART objectives to address the quality improvement gap identified.	Points Range: 25 (25%) – 27 (27%) The response inaccurately or vaguely develops two SMART objectives to address the quality improvement gap identified. OR The response develops less than two SMART objectives.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 24 (24%) The response inaccurately and vaguely develops two SMART objectives to address the quality improvement gap identified, or it is missing.
Recommend at least two project management activities you would use for your project addressing the quality improvement practice gap you identified, and explain your justification for why these activities would provide the best support. Be specific, and provide examples.		Points Range: 23 (23%) – 25 (25%) The response accurately and clearly describes in detail two project management activities to address the quality improvement practice gap identified. The response includes relevant, specific, and appropriate examples that fully support the justification for the use of project management activities to address the quality improvement practice gap identified.	Points Range: 20 (20%) – 22 (22%) The response accurately describes two project management activities to address the quality improvement practice gap identified. The response includes relevant, specific, and accurate examples that support the justification for the use of project management activities to address the quality improvement practice gap identified.	Points Range: 18 (18%) – 19 (19%) The response inaccurately or vaguely describes two project management activities to address the quality improvement practice gap identified. OR The response recommends less than two project management activities. The response includes inaccurate and irrelevant examples that may support the justification for the use of project management activities to address the quality improvement practice gap identified.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 17 (17%) The response inaccurately and vaguely describes two project management activities to address the quality improvement practice gap identified, or it is missing. The response includes inaccurate and vague examples that do not support the justification for the use of project management activities to address the quality improvement practice gap identified, or it is missing.
Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization: Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria.		Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria.	Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time. Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is stated, yet is brief and not descriptive.	Points Range: 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%–79% of the time. Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity < 60% of the time. No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion was provided.
Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation		Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors.	Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Contains a few (1 or 2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.	Points Range: 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Contains several (3 or 4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding.
Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list.		Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Uses correct APA format with no errors.	Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Contains a few (1 or 2) APA format errors.	Points Range: 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Contains several (3 or 4) APA format errors.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Contains many (≥ 5) APA format errors.
Total Points: 100

Lopes Write Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to Lopes Write, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.

Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.

Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?

Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.

Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.

If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.

I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.

As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:

Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.

Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• Student paper example
• Citing Sources
• The Writing Center is a great resource