Outcomes are used to evaluate care within the realm of healthcare. Advances in the quality of care are related to quality improvement (QI). According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2011), “quality improvement consists of systematic and continuous actions that lead to measurable improvement in health care services and the health status of targeted patient groups” (p. 1). With the desire for excellence, QI is an essential component to the advances in quality healthcare. QI is versatile, for it can be applied to various scenarios, such as a plan of care for ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a hospital-acquired condition that is currently not on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) list of non-payment hospital-acquired infections (CMS, 2015). However, the thought of adding VAP to the list occurred in past discussions by CMS (CMS, 2008). This may change when there is an improved definition with clearer inclusion criteria that is currently being constructed by the CDC (Klompas et al., 2014). Nonetheless, the goal is to prevent hospital-acquired illnesses like VAP. After performing a review of care interventions for the prevention of VAP, a collaborative team between the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Hospital Association, the Association for Professionals in
The prevention of VAP through standardized care can reduce mortality rates, reduce mechanical ventilation days, and decrease costs and improve patient outcome.
NHS quality improvement programs main purpose is to collect and review data entered in order to recognize the opportunities to improve business operations in healthcare. To bring changes in quality, it is necessary to respond to patient’s ideas and implement them for the better results. The key issues that are to be considered for quality-improvement NHS program, as it moves forward are the needs for the patients, necessity of the funds for quality improvements, needs of the service providers and expectations of the community. Outcomes for people and also change expertise. And to improve business operations in healthcare and also recognize opportunities.
The purpose of this document is a critical study and analysis of the oral care provided by nursing staff as part of the Ventilator Care Bundle (VCB) and to assess whether the frequency of mouth care performed is related to the prevention of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) in patients mechanically ventilated (Zilberberg et al. 2009).
To encourage physicians, ICU nurses, and respiratory therapist to use the ventilator associated pneumonia bundle in all ventilated patients in an intensive care unit.
McLaughlin, C.P., & Kaluzny, A.D. (2006). Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Care, Third Edition, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA.
Ventilator - associated pneumonia (VAP) is the second most common hospital acquired infection (HAI) and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates for ventilated patients in intensive care units (Bingham, Ashley, Jong, & Swift, 2010). The VAP increases patients’ mortality rates, length of stay and hospital costs (Hiner, Kasuya, Cottingham, & Whitney, 2010). The VAP is the leading causes of death due to nosocomial infections and the
Quality Improvement (QI) is an organizational approach leading to the quality of patient care and patient services through use of specific guidelines, principles, and methods to ensure quality of care for every patient and health care facility throughout the world. Quality outcomes focus on the principles of quality management. These measurements investigate the quality of care, patient outcomes and consumer needs, through being part of the participant group. This quality improvement discussion will review the foundational frameworks of QI and explanation of each framework in detail. Included in this QI report will be
Before any quality improvement plan (QIP) can be developed, the overall aim of the project must be determined to ensure the QIP stays on track. This includes deciding what is going to be measured, what the current baseline is, what the target will be and a timeline for accomplishing the goal (Health Quality Ontario, n.d.). Thus, the aim for this QIP is to reduce the rate of worsened pain in the VC from the current value of 20.2% of residents with worsened pain by 1% by the next quarter by educating nurses on the correct way to assess and document pain in the electronic system.
A quality improvement (QI) project involves data-guided activities with short timelines to improve health care delivery systems (Arndt & Netsch, 2012). The setting of QI projects take place in a single setting and are monitored in the institution where the QI project is conducted. The purpose of a QI project is to change practice outcomes and apply known solutions to a known problem in that institution (Arndt & Netsch, 2012). Data obtained from the activities is disseminated through newsletters, flyers, through staff meetings, or submitted for publication and presented in
This article offers 10 suggestions on how to improve the overall quality of your health care without increasing your costs. These suggestions certainly are not a substitute for meaningful health care reform, but following these useful tips will enhance communication with your health care provider and help you get the most out of your medical coverage. 1. Read the fine print on your medical insurance policy to avoid unnecessary costs. Some health insurance policies cover preventative care, such as routine physicals and screenings, at 100% with no deductible per 12-month time period. Be aware that a 12-month time period is not the same thing as a calendar year, and keep careful track of when you had your last office visit for preventative care.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a bacterial infection that occurs in the lower respiratory system within the first 48 hours of endotrachal intubation (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher, & Camera, 2011). Although any hospital patient is susceptible to pneumonia, ventilator dependent patients are at the highest risk of acquiring pneumonia. The purpose of this paper is to identify the risk factors, incidences, and preventions of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) using a quantitative research study performed in Malaysia. “The aim of this
The purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of oral care on ventilator-associated pneumonia for inpatient
In the ICU, an area of practice that has seen improved patient outcomes is through the use of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) bundles. VAP is a pneumonia that affects patients who are on ventilation. It occurs when pathogens enter the patient’s lungs through the mouth, nose or throat. A ventilator strategy bundle was developed. In 1994, the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) revised the CDC Guideline for Prevention of Nosocomial Pneumonia to address VAP, as there was growing concern regarding the mortality and morbidity associated with healthcare related pneumonia. In the report, the VAP strategy bundle was developed and included in the bundle are: elevation head of bed to help prevent aspiration, oral
increases the risk of death of critically ill patients and also increa ses patients‟ length
Safe, effective, patient-centered care delivered in a timely and efficient manner is the goal of quality healthcare. Unfortunately, the delivery of such quality faces serious concerns. The Institute of Medicine (2001) describes the quality gap in healthcare as having three types of problems, “overuse, underuse, and misuse” (p. 23). In recent years, emphasis on improving the quality of care has increased (IOM, 2001). Quality improvement methods, such as plan-do-study-act (PDSA), have successfully enabled health care providers to address the quality gap. The purpose of this paper is to identify a quality healthcare problem, discuss the quality improvement plan, and describe the strategy for implementing effective change using the PDSA method.