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The concepts of quality improvement in a health care organization
Paper on quality improvement in nursing
Paper on quality improvement in nursing
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Nurses play an important role in our health care system today. The demand for skilled, educated nurses is high since it affects patients’ outcome. Highly educated nurses are needed for designing and implementing care strategies for chronically ill patients with complex diagnosis. The health care delivery system has also become more complex today than ever before in order to accommodate the needs of these patients. Analysis conducted by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) reports that, baccalaureate prepared nurses are preferred in many health care organizations because they acquire skill in evidence- based practice, use of quality improvement data analysis, and know systematically application tools and methods necessary to improve performance
while providing excellent care(RWJF, 2013).
Many may argue that one is just as capable as the other in offering patient care. But recent studies conducted by Aiken et al. have shown nurses educated at higher levels are better prepared for delivering optimal patient care. One of the key eliminates is evidence-based practice. BSN programs provide the knowledge and preparation needed for evidence-based prac...
There is a shortage of all health care professions throughout the United States. One shortage in particular that society should be very concerned about is the shortage of Registered Nurses. Registered Nurses make up the single largest healthcare profession in the United States. A registered nurse is a vital healthcare professional that has earned a two or four year degree and has the upper-most responsibility in providing direct patient care and staff management in a hospital or other treatment facilities (Registered Nurse (RN) Degree and Career Overview., 2009). This shortage issue is imperative because RN's affect everyone sometime in their lifetime. Nurses serve groups, families and individuals to foster health and prevent disease.
Nursing, as a crucial part of the health care system, keeps evolving while dealing with an increasingly complex clinical situation that involves quality of patient care. Therefore, to successfully handle these scenarios, nursing needs to become more advanced, clinically and academically. A DNP degree is needed in this situation because according to Dunbar- Jacob, Navito & Khalil (2013), a DNP degree is considered to have more impact on nursing than a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree due to the advanced clinical education a DNP provides (p. 425). Hence, the DNP degree has an enormous impact in nursing practice especially in terms of improving clinical care, promoting leadership roles, and improving educational status.
In fact, Researchers had shown the results of outcomes having different degrees of level. According to AACN, Today 61% Nurses in the United States have a BSN degree who works in health settings. In fact, BSN nurses reduce death rate mortality, and readmission rate by using clinical practice knowledge (AACN) . Having advance level of knowledge involves nurses to manage the patient level of care and monitor for progress. American Organization of Nurses Executives states that nurses who have a higher education level promotes safe nursing care and improves patient safety. Higher educational nurses prepare herself for clinical challenging and complex roles (AACN, page 1). They develop more ideas, better intervention, and focus more on clinical
“Registered nurses treat patients and help prevent disease, educate patients and the public about various medical conditions and health issues, and provide advice and emotional support to patients’ family members both physically and mentally.”(Registered). It is important for the individual going into this occupation to search out the pros and cons of the different areas of nursing. Sometimes gender plays a part in choosing the specific area of an RN. For instance, the strength of males is needed in areas of physical therapy. While the gentle attributes of women are needed in the care of babies. “A nurse must like people and want to help them, and must also have self-reliance and good judgment, patience, honesty, responsibility, and ability to work easily with others.”(Jacobi). The occupation of a registered nurse includes many advantages such as having the ability to assist your family in medical needs, the salary is attractive and above the average scale, and it offers great job security.
Define Nursing Nursing is a knowledge-based profession within the health care sector that focuses on the overall care of individuals. According to The American College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP), “defines nurse practitioners as registered nurses who have received graduate-level nursing education and clinical training, which enables them to provide a wide range of preventative and acute health care services to individuals of all ages. They deliver high-quality, cost effective care, often performing physical examinations, ordering tests, making diagnoses, and prescribing and managing medication and therapies”. Nurse Practitioners are able to specialize in a particular area, such as family and adult practice, pediatrics, and women’s health; and refer patients to other specialists when necessary. Some nurse practitioners work under the supervision of a physician while others run their own practices.
The nursing shortage most likely does not mean a great deal to people until they are in the care of a nurse. The United States is in a severe nursing shortage with no relief in sight due to many factors compounding the problem and resulting in compromised patient care and nurse burnout. Nursing shortages have been experienced in the past by the United States and have been overcome with team effort. However, the current shortage is proving to be the most complex and great strides are being made to defeat the crisis before it becomes too difficult to change. Researchers anticipate that by 2010, the United States will need almost one million more registered nurses than will be available (Cherry & Jacob, 2005, p. 30).
Current literature continues to reiterate the indicators of a major shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The total RN population has been increasing since 1980, which means that we have more RNs in this country than ever before (Nursing Shortage). Even though the RN population is increasing, it is growing at a much slower rate then when compared to the rate of growth of the U.S. population (Nursing Shortage). We are seeing less skilled nurses “at a time of an increasingly aging population with complex care needs and an increasingly complex technological care environment” (Mion). According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of Health and Human Services, it is estimated that “more than a million new and replacement nurses will be needed over the next decade” (Diagnosis: Critical).
The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network state that every two minutes, someone is sexually assaulted in the United States. In 2007 there were 248,300 victims of sexual assault (US department of Justice).
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston as Health Science Center at Houston
Since the 1990’s, the interest in nursing and the profession as a whole has decreased dramatically and is still expected to do so over the next 10-15 years according to some researchers. With this nursing shortage, many factors are affected. Organizations have to face challenges of low staffing, higher costs for resources, recruiting and reserving of registered nurses, among liability issues as well. Some of the main issues arising from this nurse shortage are the impact of quality and continuity of care, organizational costs, the effect it has on nursing staff, and etc. However, this not only affects an organization and community, but affects the nurses the same. Nurses are becoming overwhelmed and are questioning the quality of care that each patient deserves. This shortage is not an issue that is to be taken lightly. The repercussions that are faced by both nurses and the organization are critical. Therefore, state funding should be implemented to private hospitals in order to resolve the shortage of nurses. State funds will therefore, relieve the overwhelming burdens on the staff, provide a safe and stress free environment for the patient, and allow appropriate funds needed to keep the facility and organization operational.
Implementing care plans within legal, ethical, and regulatory parameters is a competency that all registered nurses but abide by. As stated before as a baccalaureate nurse you must include not only patients and their families but also the community and population (The Texas Board of Nursing, 2011). Following the nursing process the next competency include evaluate the results of the implementations that have occurred. Once again the biggest difference between the two degree plans is baccalaureate nurses will also include the community and population as well as the patient and their family (The Texas Board of Nursing, 2011). Education is a vital piece of nursing and must be completed at every possible opportunity. Educated patients and their families on promoting health and marinating health is a very important concept. Expanding this education to the community and population is a vital step in helping reduce risk for our patients (The Texas Board of Nursing, 2011). The last competency is the nurse’s role in coordinating human information and material management resources for patients and their families as well as the expansion to include communities and populations as ones transition to a baccalaureate nurse (The Texas Board of Nursing, 2011).
Many people believe that nurses are overworked and it is true. Nurses that are overwork is no just in the United States but in serval other countries as well. They problem has been going on for several years and many wonder if there is any solution to fix it. OIverworked is defined as exhausted with too much work. Throughout the paper is a few reason that nurses are overworked.
There has been a drastic cut in both the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates. According to Robert (2012), “cuts of more than $360 billion to Medicare and Medicaid will be made over the next 10 years. The focus of nursing needs to emphasize more on wellness care and prevention rather than acute care” (McNeal, G., 2012). Nursing practice will need to shift more towards community and population focused nursing. Baccalaureate prepared nurses are provided with a curriculum that includes both community health and leadership skills that are not included in the associate program. By encouraging associate’s degree nurses to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing, an increase in the awareness of the needs of the community and population may be seen. The IOM report has outlined the anticipated obstacles that healthcare will face if changes are not made. By allowing nurses to provide care within their full scope of practice, quality care may be provided at an affordable cost to the population. The use of advanced practice nurses in primary care may provide quality, access, and cost efficient healthcare to high-risk populations and possibly decrease hospital admission rates, thus lowering the overall cost of healthcare. If nurses partner with doctors and other healthcare providers, it may improve healthcare by providing seamless transitions (Institute of Medicine,
It is very fascinating the most of the universities are having online courses for nurses to get their higher education, while nurses are struggling between the work and home. Currently most of the hospitals in the United Sates are moving towards magnet status which needed higher educated nurses. In this situation, it is blessing for nurses to attain their higher education through online course even for associate RNs to become BSN. The BSN program helps the nurses in many ways including to utilizing the process to the full scale and it will promote nurses to use their skills like educating the patient as we’ll as creating new nurses. Because of the new health care reform, the BSN program also will aid to fill the gap from the influx of patients. The baccalaureate degrees and BSN program helps and prepares for the significant part they going to play in reinforcing the new healthcare modification. At present, I utilize and develop nursing care plan in the nursing process even though it needs some corrections due to the nature of my work. The highest standards of nursing could be only done through better research and advanced training. All these process will not only aid to create a healthcare model based on the clinicians wants, but also based on better data from the research which will eventually help to direct them towards right direction.