By Day 3
Respond to the following:
- How has the emphasis on quality of care, patient safety, and clinical care outcomes been impacted by specific standards emanating from TJC and/or CMS? Cite your selected core measure or Never Event in your response.
- What is the impact of the nurse’s role in clinical outcomes for the organization?
- Discuss nurse-specific challenges in influencing change in quality improvement.
- How does this influence the ability of the organization to achieve its strategic agenda?
Support your response with references from the professional nursing literature.
Note Initial Post: A 3-paragraph (at least 350 words) response. Be sure to use evidence from the readings and include in-text citations. Utilize essay-level writing practice and skills, including the use of transitional material and organizational frames. Avoid quotes; paraphrase to incorporate evidence into your own writing. A reference list is required. Use the most current evidence (usually ≤ 5 years old).
The healthcare sector comprises multiple entities that work together to deliver high-quality healthcare services to the vast majority. The healthcare sector comprises different entities that have to work together in order to deliver high-quality care that majors on patient safety (Thornlow & Merwin, 2009). The standards from TJC and CMS are essential in the healthcare setting as they help in the creation of policies that would help the nurses and any other medical professional from making Never Events (Thornlow & Merwin, 2009). The role of the healthcare setting is to improve patient care and ensure they recover on time. However, in-hospital mistakes can undermine these attempts making it a challenge for the patient. The concept of Never Events addresses the different serious incidents occurring in the healthcare sector but are easily and entirely preventable through provided safety recommendations and guidance.
Through the Never Events guidelines, there have been numerous emphases on issues such as quality of care, clinical care outcomes, and patient safety (Thornlow & Merwin, 2009). The safety recommendations advocate how medical professionals need to work together to ensure that the required quality of care is attained. The healthcare sector has also focused on ensuring the creation of measures that would help prevent issues that might undermine patient safety (Thornlow & Merwin, 2009). These interventions are in line with the guidelines by the TJC and CMS regarding the prevention of Never Events.
Impact of Nurse in Clinical Outcomes
Nurses play a crucial role in the attainment of proper outcomes in organizations. A nurse spends a high amount of time with patients and can be essential in understanding patient needs (Woo et al., 2017). The nurse also acts as a link between the patient and the organization, making them ideal for advocating for the needs of the patient. The role of a nurse as an advocate for the patient’s needs can help improve the performance of the patient (Woo et al., 2017). Through these roles and interventions, nurses have the capacity to impact the clinical outcomes in their organization.
Challenges in Influencing Change
Quality improvement requires that change is implemented within an organization. There are various challenges that nurses can encounter when dealing with change. One of the challenges is the limited scope of practice that makes nurses practice to a certain degree. These limitations prohibit certain functions for nurses (Smith, 2018). The other challenges include resistance from stakeholders and a lack of support from other professions. These barriers have a negative influence on the ability of the organization the achievement of its strategic agenda as it prevents quality improvement from the nurses. Similarly, the nurses cannot be able to practice to the best of their education, which undermines their potential.
References
Smith, J. G. (2018). The nurse work environment: Current and future challenges. Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, 23(1), e12126.
Thornlow, D. K., & Merwin, E. (2009). Managing to improve quality: the relationship between accreditation standards, safety practices, and patient outcomes. Health care management review, 34(3), 262-272.
Woo, B. F. Y., Lee, J. X. Y., & San Tam, W. W. (2017). The impact of the advanced practice nursing role on quality of care, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost in the emergency and critical care settings: a systematic review. Human resources for health, 15(1), 1-22.