Description Of The Program Or Service

The ultimate goal for myself, and the initial reason for studying with the Distance Learning Centre, is to become an Operating Department Practitioner(ODP). The role will involve working within operating theatres inside hospitals to support patients throughout their time during certain operations, or ‘periopertive journey’ (Health Education England, 2014b). I came to the decision to focus on making this my chosen career in November 2012 through word of mouth and a significant amount of research. The profession carries an extensive list of positives and negatives, along with how well it fits my personality and previous experiences; despite never working within the health sector previously.

Mulloy, D. F., & Hughes, R. G. (2008). Patient safety & quality: an evidence-based handbook for nurses. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2678/

This outcome is based on the MSN essentials III, IV, and VIII. MSN essential III focuses on quality improvement and safety. A master’s prepared nurse must be skilled in the methods, tools, performance measures, and standards associated to quality, as well as prepared to apply quality principles within an organization. Improvement in the patient safety along with diminishing and eliminating patients harm is the fundamental of quality care. Masters prepared nurses should analyze the information about quality initiatives to improve health outcomes across the continuum of care. They also need to implement evidence-based plans to improve quality and safety as well as compare and contrast several appropriate quality improvement models. MSN IV focuses on applying research outcomes within the practice setting to resolve practice problems. Professional practice in all levels should be grounded in the ethical translation of current evidence into practice. Master’s-prepared nurses are expected to lead continuous improvement processes based on translational research skills (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2017). Based on the chamberlain program outcome, I have learned how to provide quality and safest patient care by making an appropriate diagnosis and treating the patient by utilizing the research

The key learning points and insights learned is that in nursing, learning never ends. As the health care system continues to change, it is the nurse’s obligation to do the same. By reflecting on previous clinical feedback I realized that entering my first year of practice, I will be a novice nurse that will have a lot of personal and professional development to gain. The CNO style-learning plan will aid me in my first year of practice on a medicine floor.

The overall goal through all phases of The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) is to address the challenge of preparing future nurses with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to continuously improve the quality and safety of the healthcare systems in which they work. In order to accomplish this goal, six competencies were defined. These competencies from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are patient centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, informatics and safety. Over a decade has passed since the Institute of Medicine’s reports on the need to improve the American healthcare system. The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses

Over time the health care industry has become more complex. Health care is rapidly evolving and continuing to complicate our delivery of care, which in turn has the same effect on quality of care. This steady evolution and change results in nursing shortages and an increase in the prevalence of errors being made. In hopes of preventing these errors and creating safe and high quality patient care, with the focus on new and improved ways of thinking, The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) initiative was developed. The QSEN focuses on the following competencies: patient-centered care, quality improvement, safety, and teamwork and collaboration. Their initiatives work to prepare and develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are necessary to make improvements in the quality and safety of health care systems (Qsen.org, 2014).

VASNHS Surgical Specialty Outpatient department has a designated pre-operative management unit that oversees the patients undergoing surgery. The predicaments stem from various guidelines or protocol originating from numerous surgeons and clinics. At present, the pre-operative nurses abide simple pre-op instructions (NPO protocol, medications, what to bring, during the surgery, transportation, cancellation instructions) for the entire Surgical Specialty Outpatient department. Surgical procedures are being canceled due to lack of communications and cancelations of patients prior to surgery date.

The term “safety comes first” or more simply put, “safety first,” is a message that patients not only want to hear, but also want to know is the focus of the professionals that are caring for them; in particular, when they are under anesthesia and have limited or no ability to speak up or lookout for themselves. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has implemented two initiatives; Rocognising and Responding Appropriately to Early Signs of Deterioration in Hospitalised Patients (NPSA, 2007) and How to Guide: Five Steps to Safer Surgery (NPSA, 2010). Understanding that human beings make up the healthcare professional workforce, it is evident that tools and checklist can and will only be as good as the how people utilize and follow

healthcare organization accrediting bodies, and to maintain credibility with patients and peers alike, must adhere to the National Patient Safety Goals. As stated by Ulrich and Kear (2014), "Not only are nurses responsible for providing safe patient care, we are also responsible for creating an environment in which others can provide safe patient care, and for being the last line of defense when needed between the patient and potential harm. Having a deep understanding of patient safety and patient safety culture allows nurses to be the leaders we need to be in ensuring that our patients are always

Learning about patient safety is a quality that all nurses and future nurses need to have instilled in them before they

In 1999, expert surgical nurse authors at the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) developed a comprehensive curriculum to assist in the education and transition of nurses entering perioperative clinical specialty for the first time (Beyea, 2002). In 2007, Periop 101: A Core Curriculum (AORN, n.d.) was created which moved the instructor-based program into an online format of modules designed to assist with mastering core perioperative competencies. The program provides instruction with videos, assigned readings, and quizzes at the end of each module. The learning focuses on patient safety and the program is best utilized when combined with preceptorships and skills labs.

“Back to Basics: Implementing Evidence-Based Practice” written by Lisa Spruce is an article that touched on the importance of implementing EBP to engage patients better in their care. Spruce discusses how to implement EBP in a perioperative nurse setting can improve patient outcomes and save money. She goes on to describe the steps to take to implement this strategy and describes how the implementation of EBP positively impacts the entire facility. Physicians and other medical professionals, such as nurses, have the obligation to inform patients about the best options for their care. After all, the goal of seeking medical care is a positive outcome; EBP requires highlights this.

Every health care organization is struggling to address the mandated Centers for Medicare (CMS) core measures, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction scores, in addition to the reportable events requirements. Given the reimbursement tied to outcomes, the organization is taking a serious stance in addressing the quality and safety initiatives, in addition to patient satisfaction scores. Furthermore, the organization has a patient safety counsel that focuses on nursing professional practice through the utilization of evidence based initiatives, assuring that nursing is deeply entrenched in working towards quality and safety goals.

Hinkle, J., Cheever, K., & Kerry, H. (2014). Medical surgical Nursing. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

This section makes it very clear that the purpose of this article is to evaluate perioperative safety standards and the quality of inter-professional cooperation before and after the implementation of a safety checklist.