Quality Improvement Strategies III

I think that I was expecting to learn more about quality improvement strategies and how they apply specifically to patient satisfaction within a hospital.  I wanted to learn more about how patient satisfaction is measured and what Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) are and how they affect the overall quality of a hospital.  Also, I wanted to be able to differentiate between internal and external customers.  I was able to learn more about all of these topics.  I knew some things about the HCAHPS and patient satisfaction, but I have definitely improvement my knowledge in regards to these topics.

I really liked the discussion this week about evidence based practice or EBP.  This was a very thought provoking discussion about how as a new nurse we can impact and bring about change to an organization especially when we know that it is the best practice.  I also liked the thought stimulating case study this week about quality and patient satisfaction as it relates to a real life situation with the MRI safety.

I think that I have come to a new way to view things that I do day in and day out.  By looking for ways to continuously improve with CQI, the "small" things that I do everyday will become more evident about whether or not it is something that needs to be corrected or improved upon.  This was a great topic  that I will for sure use in the future, whether or not I go into management.  

Quality Improvement Strategies II

This week, I expected to learn more about using data as a means of being able to measure quality.  I also was wanting to learn more about the variation that exists within measuring quality and the data that exists and how to differentiate between common cause variation and special cause variation.  Lastly, I was expecting to learn about the tools that are used by quality improvement teams.  

I have come to find that there are a number of ways to actually do quality improvement strategies that gets to actual improvement in quality.  There are, and will always be, pros and cons to the types of strategies that are implemented and you just have to choose the best option for the specific situation and the specific entity that is trying to implement it, whether that is a specific industry, such as healthcare, or a specific hospital within healthcare.  

The discussion was a good way to look at the types of quality improvement strategies as we look at specifically helping patients and in particular a burn patient.  I like the critical thinking that took place to be able to not only know the types of things that go into the disease process or care for a burn patient, but also the ways that quality improvement strategies can be implemented for this patient and others.  I also liked looking at the critical thinking and case study assignments.  A fall is something that each and every nurse will have to deal with at some point or another while working at the hospital.  Hopefully, it isn't often, but it is nearly impossible to get away from it completely.  The case study was a real world situation that can be applied to myself and others and look at how I would really attempt to make a change in my working environment.  

This information is very important to me as a new nurse.  I am always looking for ways to move forward within nursing and to help the company that I am working for to find things that help to advance not only my company but also the role of nursing.  I am always looking for ways to move up in a company or structure and so having this as information for better quality will greatly influence me in this end. 

This class has really helped me to open up and look at things differently within the hospital.  I am currently part of the patient care council in my facility and specifically, the council over quality and safety.  I have been able to look at the information in a different light as I look to improve the quality improvement strategies in my hospital.  I really like the way that the material was presented to be learned, but also the material itself.

Quality Applications and Benchmarking

This week, I expected to learn more about using benchmarks in health care.  Benchmarks are interesting in the way that they get utilized.  I want to learn more about the way that they get utilized effectively and the benefits and limitations of benchmarking performance.  I would also like to learn more about the sources of benchmarking and what the best source is if there is just one. 

I have come to find that there are a number of ways to actually do benchmarking, and within health care, there are even more and other types of benchmarking that gets done as well.  There are pros and cons of benchmarking that gets done and the type of benchmarking that is available and used.  Each industry and company will need to find the best type of benchmarking for their individual situation and also there are individuals that may have preferences to their own mode of thinking.  Sometimes it is best to do just internal or just external benchmarking, but you can also do a variation of using benchmarks from both for the best results.  Again, the best method is the one that fits best with your specific company. 

The discussion was a good way to look at the types of benchmarks that get used within a specific system of health care (VTE usage and the different roles among the different providers).   I also looked at the different types of balanced scorecards that are used in hospitals and evaluate the type that I like the best.  It is good to see the way that I view things and the best way that I am able to see information, so that I am able to give my opinion if called upon to do so.  I really liked the “Critical Thinking” exercise from this week and the way that we looked at a specific problem and how we could use benchmarks to solve this issue and compare it to current practices and benchmarks. 

This information is very important to me as a newer grad in nursing.  I am always looking for ways to move forward within nursing and to help the company that I am working for to find things that help to advance not only my company but also the role of nursing.  I am always looking for ways to move up in a company or structure and so having this as information for better quality will greatly influence me in this end. 

I am a bit of a nerd in a lot of aspects.  I love looking at information and data and thinking about the best way to present it and to showcase it.  I also like spreadsheets and coming up with ways to better improve not only myself, but also the company for which I am working.  I really like the way that the material was presented to be learned, but also the material itself.

Roles of Health Professionals

This week I was expecting to learn more about the interdisciplinary team and the way that I, as the RN, fits into the team.  I also wanted to learn more about the roles of other health professionals within the interdisciplinary team and the characteristics of effective interdisciplinary teams.  Lastly, I was expecting to learn more about the benefits on patient outcomes as a result of collaborating within interdisciplinary teams.

I feel that I gained a new appreciation for all of the different members of the interdisciplinary team, and how we all work together for the betterment of our patients and their families.  The critical thinking assignment, case study, and discussion all helped to look at different aspects of the team and how they are intertwined.  I feel that I have a better understanding of what an interdisciplinary team is and what my role is within the team. 

As I said above, the activities this week were very beneficial, especially to get the thoughts from my team members in the discussion.  This was a good discussion about a family and their overall struggle with juvenile diabetes.  It was really good to hear other opinions on the topic and the way that they would go about dealing with the situation.

As I have switched from nights to days, the need to work more within an interdisciplinary team is significantly increased.  There are many more members of the team that I never knew existed or how they played a role in the team until now.  I will use this information to work more cohesively with them I as work for the best care for each and every patient. 

This was a very interesting and rewarding unit.  The information gained this week will be vital for me as I continue to grow as a young nurse and develop into a great caregiver for my patients.  

Legal and Ethical Issues

I was expecting to learn more about legal and ethical issues within quality improvement and how that affects the actual improvement of qualities.  I also wanted to learn more about the ways that these legal and ethical issues will affect the things that I am able to do as a RN.  Healthcare is such a scrutinized field, especially when it comes to privacy, so there are plenty of ethical and legal ramifications that revolve around healthcare. 

I was able to learn plenty from this unit.  There is so much to learn in relation to quality improvement and the legal and ethical realms that surround QI.  It was such a good unit to look at and seeing the different viewpoints in the discussion about a topic of fibromyalgia and suicide.  The activities were all very thought provoking and allowed me to look within myself about how I would handle certain situations.  This is such a good thing to do as a RN.  It is important to know how I would handle certain aspects of nursing prior to actually having to be in that type of situation.  

I will be able to use this information going forward to be a better nurse.  Like I stated above, as a nurse, it is important to look at the ways in which I would deal with certain situations, so that I can be level headed about it and also to know my limitations.  I need to be able to say that I can or cannot handle a certain situation, if it comes to that.  I worked for an attorney for a number of years, and it is fun to see the way that nursing and legal things cross.  Being on the right side of the law is always the best place to be.