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.