Summary: Quality Steering Committee Meeting

This prospective, pre-post quality improvement (QI) project was conducted at the University of Pittsburg Medial Center, Presbyterian Hospital, a tertiary academic medical center in Medical Intensive care unit (MICU). A multidisciplinary team consisted of physicians, pharmacists, and nurses, assessed in detail twenty-seven possible non-pharmacologic interventions that display positive impact on delirium. The remaining nine non-pharmacological interventions were combined into a protocol entitled “Give your patient M.O.R.E.” This acronym can be defined as music, opening of blinds, reorientation and cognitive stimulation, and eye/ear protocols. The purpose was to determine if the implementation of the evidence-based non-pharmacological protocol

In the United States alone there are 98,000 deaths per year caused by low quality health care (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013, pg. 2). This statistic is disturbing because the errors that resulted in death were errors that were preventable. The intent of this chapter is to bring awareness to health care providers that are able to make a change in the quality of health care. In current practice patients are subjected to medication errors, preventable hospitalizations, premature death, and poor care provided due to racial, ethical, or low-income factors.

The WGU nursing program helped me in developing my professional definition of quality and safety by enlightening my understanding of root cause analysis, and system failures. The IHI course was an eye opener in my understanding of quality improvement, and the processes required to enhance safety and quality improvement. The courses that really assisted me in my definition include, the Organizational Systems and Quality Leadership, the Leadership and Professional Image, and Professional Roles and Values; and the Evidence-Based Practice and Applied Nursing Research.

Our recruitment chair is helping others envision our chapter with new women that are smart, want to be active and engaged, and that are fun people. By realigning the women we want to represent our chapter, we have been able to get our members to be more optimistic towards next fall. We are also having more workshops and retreats that discuss what we, as a chapter need to improve and how we can get there. Those conversations have been so helpful in encouraging everyone and in showing them that the executive board does not make all of the decisions. We need their help because technically we serve their best interests.

The meeting is set up to go for two days and the agenda is set up to go through each person at a fast pace but allowing for a thorough discussion on each matter. I watched the meeting on Thursday September 17, 2015 from 12pm-4pm and was able to understand the importance of the actions as a nurse and

(Time limited) Throughout the next 15 weeks, I will attend meetings with Helene related to Quality Improvement at Rex Healthcare

The nurse is challenged with the care of patients over a lifespan. Each stage of life brings its own physical and emotional changes which directs the care needs. The care needs of the pediatric patient will be much different from the needs of the geriatric population. The geriatric population has very specific needs which has prompted the government to establish the Quality Assurance & Performance Improvement (QAPI) program. The QAPI provides the framework for nursing facilities to develop and implement changes which address deficiencies the facility was found to have. Also, the QAPI program requires practices and policy be put in place to monitor care of the residents. The purpose of this paper is to list some of the changes the elderly go through as they age, and demonstrate these changes in a quality improvement project. After review of literature, I will discuss the challenges, barriers, and solutions as related to quality improvement. Lastly, I will discuss the quality of care for the geriatric in the future.

Quality improvement data is followed in all health care setting. The use of Cerner EHRs allows data to be obtained from patient charts to analyze core measures. According to the joint commission influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations measures should be addressed in all hospital in-patients (The Joint Commission, 2015). Data can be retrieved on those patient who were diagnosed with pneumonia to determine if they received the vaccinations for pneumonia and influenza. As well as tracking the time frame between diagnosis and treatment, and additionally the patient outcome. This is captured through the documentation of the clinical staff. The information can be analyzed to determine the quality improvement changes that need to be implemented to improve patient outcomes.

In January 10, 2018 I attended a committee meeting from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm at Mashburn Hall (306 HOB). The political experience was intimidating and empowering. I was frightened of being surrounded by representatives, organizations and community leaders in the health care sector, but at the same respectful and grateful. Consequently, I acquire knowledge in specific healthcare policy topics such as, the existence of the Health Quality Subcommittee, its responsibilities/goals and the nursing role in policy.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services support quality initiatives. The mission of CMS is quality health care for people with Medicare which is a high priority for the president. CMS began to start quality initiatives back in 2001 to assure quality care for all Americans through accountability. There are various quality initiatives that focus on every aspect of the health care system. From focusing on reporting quality measures for nursing homes to kidney dialysis facilities. Consumers can use the information provided on their website for these health care settings to assist them in making the right choices for the care provided.

What is a patient medical home? A patient medical home is a model of care designed to foster a partnership between the patient and the physician. The New York State has adopted the medical home standards of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) defines a patient medical home is "a model for care provided by physician practices aimed at strengthening the physician-patient relationship by replacing episodic care based on illnesses and patient complaints with coordinated care and a long-term healing relationship.” The NCQA is a private, 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization founded in 1990. The organization is dedicated to improving health care quality.

I am writing to inform you of my intent to seek a position on the NLC Houston Executive Board. I understand from reviewing the list of suggested Board positions that Capstones is not identified as a stand-alone chair position. Capstones are in important and integral part of the NLC experience and respectfully request that NLC add a Capstones Chair and allow me to fill the Capstone Chair position.

As a hospital, quality care should be a priority for patients that are going to be treated for a sickness, or any type of procedure that is going to take place. A lot of times a patient gets an infection while they were at the hospital, on top of being treated for what they original came in for. Health facilities should be environments of healing, which they are, but they also have tons of various types of germs and infections, which grasp onto individuals that have weak immune systems/are sick. Some infections that are at hospitals are Tuberculosis, VRE, VAP, C-Diff, UTI, and MRSA. Preventive measures to stop the spread of the infections is lacking tremendously in the work and aim to provide safety for all patient’s health. The work

After the interview with my nurse manager, I came up with the PICO question which states: “Does the computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system reduce the number of medication errors compared to the common paper system being used today?” This question is important and I selected it because the population that the Belvoir Community hospital serves includes army officers of all ages both active and retired including their spouses and children. This group includes two sub groups of highly vulnerable persons which include the very young and the very old, who have a high-risk effect for medication errors because the potential adverse drug event is three times greater than an adult hospitalized patient (Levine et al., 2001). CPOE is not a panacea, but it does represent an effective tool for bringing real-time, evidence-based decision support to physicians. Nurses are the last defense level of protection against medication errors, and are solely responsible for the dispensing, administering, and monitoring of medications. In healthcare, computers can be used to help facilitate clear and accurate communication between health care professionals. When using a CPOE system it allows physicians to type in prescriptions right into the device or computer which significantly lessens any mistakes that can occur when

The QPSC meeting will take place on Thursday, December 10 from 7:00 am to 9:00 am in the Seton Administrative Office St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Boardroom, Suite 404. The QPSC meeting book is now available for review on the QPSC BoardEffect portal at ascensiontexas.boardeffect.com.