NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 1 Discussion
Applying Quality Improvement to Nursing Practice
Describe one patient care scenario where a safety or quality issue is apparent. This can be something you have experienced in your current practice or one you develop for this discussion. Explain the details surrounding the scenario and the impact of the problem.
Select either the DMAIC or PDSA model, and describe how the model could be applied to address the specific issue in your case scenario. Explain how this process would improve patient-related and organizational outcomes.
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 2 Discussion
Data Collection and Risk Management
Saleema had total hip replacement in March 2015. One week later, the stitches started to bleed. She was concerned and went to the doctor's office and was told it was a superficial hematoma. The bleeding continued on for three weeks and involved two doctor's appointments and one trip to the emergency room. She was sent home each time with a diagnosis of a superficial hematoma.
Finally, Saleema's visiting nurse saw her on a home care visit and called an ambulance, concerned about the amount of blood loss. Upon further investigation at the ER, a terrible infection was discovered that had spread into the bone. Saleema went in for emergency surgery and a PICC line was placed in order to administer the medication vancomycin. On this medication, she developed Steven's Johnson's syndrome, which was not diagnosed right away as the skin peeled off her hands. She ultimately went into acute renal failure and had to go back to the hospital. Two days post-admission, she developed C-diff and several vancomycin-resistant infections. She died in the hospital, two months after the original surgery. The cause of death was determined to be septicemia. Saleema lost her life over what was supposed to be a routine hip replacement.
As a future risk management nurse, please discuss the following points and questions.
Discuss your interview plan with Saleema's family to collect data around her incident.
Which method of interview do you prefer to use, and why?
The goal of the interview is to provide accurate answers to questions of interest. Please provide two relevant questions and discuss which measurement levels you would use with your question. Explain your choices.
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 3 Discussion
Medical Errors and Patient Safety
Welcome to the Collaboration Café. In specific weeks of the course, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with your classmates in the Collaboration Café for a graded assignment (50 points). The Collaboration Café is an interactive process between the students. Faculty involvement in the Café will be minimal, however, faculty will monitor this section for compliance and clarification. There are no scholarly references required in this discussion format. The idea is for you to share and learn from your classmates about real-life experiences. Pleaser refer to the guidelines and grading rubric below for more information on the Collboration Café.
Please watch the following video, Transparency, Compassion, and Truth in Medical Errors: Leilani Schweitzer at TEDxUniversityofNevada, (Links to an external site.) and address the following prompt:
As you look back over your career as a nurse or even as a nursing student, can you think of a time when you were either involved in or aware of an adverse medical error with a patient that compromised patient safety? What did you learn from this experience? What did the organization learn from this experience?
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your instructor will be monitoring the Collaboration Café but not participating as this is your opportunity to give and receive feedback from your peers. The Collaboration Café is graded this week (50 points). There are no scholarly references required in this discussion format. Please see the guidelines and grading rubric below.
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 4 Discussion
Risk Management and Patient Safety
Please review the case scenario and answer the questions below.
Diane was an 80-year-old resident who was returning to the nursing home from the hospital following a left hip fracture on Friday evening. She has a history of congestive heart failure with frequent exacerbations. Her hospital discharge medication list was different than the prior medication list at the nursing home, specifically relating to her Lasix prescription. Diane was already taking Lasix at the nursing home before her hip fracture. All of her medication orders were transcribed by hand onto a new medication administration record (MAR). The old MAR, prior to the hospital stay, was not removed. The nurse checked Diane's new orders and wrote "repeat" next to the new Lasix order and yellowed out the line. She was interrupted and was not able to finish reviewing the orders so she asked another nurse to review it for her. The second nurse reviewed the order and saw that the old MAR was still there. She removed the old MAR and finished reviewing the new MAR.
On Sunday, the medication nurse passed meds for Diane, as she had done for the past three days. She saw the yellowed line through the Lasix order and thought that the medication had been discontinued. She sent the medication back to pharmacy. Pharmacy picked up the medication on Monday. On Monday, it was noted that Diane weighed three pounds more since being discharged from the hospital. The nurse recorded the weight and placed a call to the physician, who failed to respond. At 2:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, Diane began to have difficulty breathing. Assessment findings included +4 pitting edema, a BP of 190/110, a HR of 120, and respirations at 28. Crackles were heard through her lungs. The on-call physician was consulted and an order was placed to transfer Diane back to the hospital. She went into cardiac arrest while waiting for the ambulance and was not able to be resuscitated.
Provide your risk analysis for this event. Develop an action plan for the prevention of events like this one in the future. Which theory or model would you apply in developing your action plan?
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 5 Discussion
QSEN and Patient Safety
In reviewing the QSEN competencies, which competency do you feel is most important? (There is no right or wrong answer here.) Give specific examples of how you have applied this competency to your current nursing practice with respect to patient safety. How will you apply this competency to your nursing practice as a graduate nurse?
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your instructor will be monitoring the Collaboration Café but not participating as this is your opportunity to give and receive feedback from your peers. The Collaboration Café is graded this week (50 points). There are no scholarly references required in this discussion format. Please see the guidelines and grading rubric.
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 6 Discussion
Accrediting Agencies and Hospital Quality
Sunny Valley Medical Center is accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC). The last survey was in 2016. Consistent with TJC tracer methodology approach to surveying, the survey was unannounced. The hospital worked diligently and continuously to prepare for this survey. Sunny Valley Medical Center and The Joint Commission are interested in customers' concerns, problems, and any feedback at all times. If you have any problems, The Joint Commission encourages you to call the hospital. Sunny Valley Medical Center is committed to working out any concerns or problems that any customer may have.
During an official survey visit, Sunny Valley Medical Center demonstrated compliance with The Joint Commission's national dimming status for the CMS standard for quality and safety. "The official survey visit was an intense three days, with extensive data review for most of their clinical processes, but the staff was ready," the quality manger said.
Please use the case above to reflect on the following questions.
Briefly describe and differentiate between the TJC accreditation and CMS guidelines. Evaluate how these guidelines might influence the survey preparation.
Medicare.gov's Hospital Compare has information about the quality of care at over 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals: https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html (Links to an external site.). Please reflect on the performance of one of your community hospitals using Hospital Compare's quality matrix.
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 7 Discussion
Patient Safety and Cost
Lisa Anderson is a 74-year-old female with a history of osteoporosis. She is a widow and lives alone in a two-story home. Mrs. Anderson is retired and depends on her Social Security income. She takes pride in making all her own food from scratch. While she is walking at the hospital today, Mrs. Anderson falls and fractures her left hip. She is transported to the OR for immediate surgery.
Patient falls are a serious problem in hospitals, resulting in substantial morbidity, mortality, increased length of stay, and higher costs. It is estimated that high hospitalization rates in healthcare organizations result from patient falls. Fall rates in acute-care hospitals have been measured between 2.2 and 7 falls per 1,000 admissions. Injuries occur in approximately 30% of falls, and severe injuries occur in 4% to 6% of falls. Patient falls increase the cost of patient care. It was found that patients who fell and were injured as a result of a fall had $4,233 higher charges and a length of stay (LOS) of 12.3 days.
Provide an example of something in your current facility that is increasing the cost of care in your organization. How is it being controlled, or how could it be controlled? Make sure to provide some ideas of what could be done better to improve care and outcomes.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your instructor will be monitoring the Collaboration Café but not participating as this is your opportunity to give and receive feedback from your peers. The Collaboration Café is graded this week (50 points). There are no scholarly references required in this discussion format. Please see the guidelines and grading rubric.
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 8 Discussion
Ethical Position Versus Standards Violation
Two nurses, Vicki, RN, and Cindy, RN, say they were just trying to protect patients when they anonymously reported their concerns last November to the Department of Health and to the Joint commission. The RNs believed that the 140-bed hospital that they work for was not living up to ethical practice standards. The report given by the RN's indicated Ms. Anderson, one of three quality review coordinators working for the quality department in the hospital, improperly encouraged clinical mangers to change patient safety data at the Sunny Valley Medical Center.
By encouraging the data changes to misrepresent what was truly happening, Ms. Anderson actions affected an important decision regarding a patient safety issue. Moreover, the county attorney's office indicted Ms. Anderson on "misuse of official information," a third-degree felony that carries potential penalties of 2-10 years' in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.
Vicki and Cindy, both long-time nurses at the facility, were fired from their positions and were subsequently arrested last December, just five days past the 60-day window that could have been part of the defense to prove retaliation. The two nurses are free on bond of $5,000 each.
The Department of Health attorney sent a letter to the hospital attorneys stating that it is improper to criminally prosecute people for raising complaints with the board; that the complaints were confidential and not subject to subpoena; that the Department of Health is exempt from federal HIPAA law; and that, on the contrary, the board depends on reporting from healthcare professionals to carry out its duty of protecting the public from improper practitioners.
Please discuss ethical considerations in Vicki's and Cindy's behavior. Justify your answer.
Describe the various ethical, legal, and interpersonal conflicts that exist in this case.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your instructor will be monitoring the Collaboration Café but not participating as this is your opportunity to give and receive feedback from your peers. The Collaboration Café is graded this week (50 points). There are no scholarly references required in this discussion format. Please see the guidelines and grading rubric.
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 3 Assignment
Quality Improvement Model Application
This assignment is due at the end of Week 3, Sunday at 11:59 p.m. MT. The guidelines and rubric for this assignment are located and listed below.
Week 3: Quality Improvement Model Application (Links to an external site.)
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to (a) provide examples of a quality improvement initiative or patient safety issue in any healthcare delivery setting, (b) explore the contributing factors for this adverse medical outcome, (c) apply quality improvement theories and philosophies to a healthcare management project, (d) demonstrate an understanding of quality improvement tools by correctly choosing and using them in specific cases, and (e) recognize the extent of problems of patient safety in medical care.
Course Outcomes
Through this assignment, the student will demonstrate the ability to do the following.
Apply frameworks and theories for improving quality of care in various healthcare systems. (CO 1)
Use critical inquiry to evaluate the design, implementation, and outcomes of quality and safety improvement strategies. (CO 3)
Advance knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the continuous improvement of quality and safety in healthcare. (CO 5)
Requirements
Assignment Criteria for the Paper
1. Identify any existing quality concern or an existing patient safety issue and provide the rationale for choosing this issue.
2. Explain the background and scope of the problem.
3. Analyze the issue based on the appropriate quality philosophy.
4. Identify the regulatory guidelines, internal and/or external benchmarks, or evidence-based practice standards surrounding the issue—explain what that expectation is and why.
5. Use the appropriate quality improvement tools to improve the quality outcome.
6. Describe how you could or will get involved in this initiative to make a difference and move it forward to enactment.
7. Summarize the content in concluding statements.
8. The body of the scholarly paper is to be 3–5 pages in length, excluding title and reference pages.
9. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, references, and citations are consistent with formal academic writing and APA format as expressed in the current edition.
10. Include a minimum of four references published within the past 5 years, not including your textbook. References may include scholarly websites of organizations or government agencies and must be presented using APA current edition format for electronic media.
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 5 Assignment
Risk Evaluation and Patient Safety
The Week 3 assignment looked at an existing problem or issue related to quality and patient safety and strategies to improve the outcome related to that issue. This week's assignment will focus on assessing a potential risk to the organization and developing a strategy to reduce this risk.
Those who are affected by the risk include staff, patients, and the organization as a whole. Not only do organizations need to protect patients and staff, they also need to strive for excellence so that risks are reduced. When conducting the risk assessment, it is important to understand the population that the organization is serving. Not all states, cities, or even neighborhoods are alike. Keep these helpful tips in mind while beginning this assignment and reach out to your instructor if you have questions on your topic.
The Week 5 Assignment is due at the end of Week 5, Sunday at 11:59 p.m. MT. The rubric and guidelines for this assignment are located and listed below.
Week 5: Risk Evaluation and Patient Safety (Links to an external site.)
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to (a) provide examples of a potential risk concern in your organization, (b) apply basic principles of risk management and risk reporting to a healthcare risk management concern, (c) demonstrate an understanding of risk management tools by correctly choosing and using them in specific cases, (d) recognize the extent of problems in patient safety in medical care, and (e) explore the contributing factors for this adverse medical outcome.
Course Outcomes
Through this assessment, the student will demonstrate the ability to do the following.
Analyze the effects of regulation, legislation, and accreditation on healthcare quality improvement. (CO 2)
Use critical inquiry to evaluate the design, implementation, and outcomes of quality and safety improvement strategies. (CO 3)
Advance knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the continuous improvement of quality and safety in healthcare. (CO 5)
Requirements
Assignment Criteria for the Paper
1. Identify a potential risk within a healthcare organization and provide the rationale for choosing this issue.
2. Discuss the risk management elements and patient safety strategies in this issue.
3. Complete a literature review related to this issue.
4. Discuss the risk assessment measures related to internal and external environmental factors, and mechanism.
5. Discuss use of human factors, engineering, and other factors to improve patient safety.
6. Use a risk theory and apply it to the patient safety issue.
7. Integrate two QSEN competencies within your plan to mitigate this risk-related issue.
8. The body of the scholarly paper is to be 3–5 pages in length, excluding title and reference pages.
9. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, references, and citations are consistent with formal academic writing and APA format as expressed in the current edition.
10. Include a minimum of four references published within the past 5 years, not including your textbook. References may include scholarly websites of organizations or government agencies and must be presented using APA current edition format for electronic media.
NR544 Quality and Safety Core Elective
Week 7 Assignment
Project Presentation of a Patient Safety Issue and Resolution
The Week 7 Assignment is due at the end of Week 7, Sunday 11:59 p.m. MT. You must use Kaltura to complete this assignment. The guidelines and rubric for this assignment are located and listed below.
Week 7: Project Presentation (Links to an external site.)
Kaltura Instructions are located in Resources
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to prepare a short presentation on your patient safety initiative discussed and identified in your Week 3 or Week 5 assignment. A video presentation with a focus on the healthcare quality concern and its proposed resolution will be prepared and presented.
Course Outcomes
Through this assessment, the student will demonstrate the ability to do the following.
Apply frameworks and theories for improving quality of care in various healthcare systems. (CO 1)
Use critical inquiry to evaluate the design, implementation, and outcomes of quality and safety improvement strategies. (CO 3)
Design evidence-based solutions to improve patient safety. (CO 4)
Advance knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the continuous improvement of quality and safety in healthcare. (CO 5)
Video Presentation
Content: The video presentation is to include the following elements.
Content
Introduction of self
Presentation of healthcare quality concern
Presentation of student-identified solution to the healthcare quality concern
Summary
Information is relevant to healthcare concern and its solution
Method of Delivery
Effective opening
Stayed connected to audience
Grammar was correct
Style of Delivery
Eye contact
Voice clarity
Gestures
Appearance
Preparing the Assignment
Criteria for Format and Special Instructions
The video presentation will be recorded via the use of Kaltura. Review the Kaltura instructional videos located in Resources prior to recording your assignment.
The video presentation will last a minimum of 4-5 minutes and no longer than 5 minutes.
Using a different method of recording will be subject to a 20-point deduction of the total grade.
