Quality Improvement Initiative
In this assignment, you will propose a quality improvement initiative from your place of employment that could easily be implemented if approved. Assume you are presenting this program to the board for approval of funding. Write an executive summary (750-1,000 words) to present to the board, from which the board will make its decision to fund your program or project. Include the following:
- The purpose of the quality improvement initiative.
- The target population or audience.
- The benefits of the quality improvement initiative.
- The interprofessional collaboration that would be required to implement the quality improvement initiative.
- The cost or budget justification.
- The basis upon which the quality improvement initiative will be evaluated.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
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Sample Answer
Quality Improvement
Executive Summary
In nursing care, the environmental factors that include the nursing team, the physical environment, the availability of quality services, and the patients determine healthcare quality. There has been an increase in hospital-acquired infections among the patients, affecting the quality of health in the hospital. One of the most common causes of hospital-acquired infections in the hospital is central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). There are about two cases of CLABSI every week in the hospital, which is a higher rate of infection resulting from the treatment processes. The quality improvement initiative is required to control the high rates of CLABSIs in the nurse-driven protocols and a checklist. Various studies, such as Le et al. (2020) and Sabo et al. (2020), have proven the effectiveness of using nurse-driven protocols and a checklist in controlling CLABSIs.
Purpose of the Quality Improvement Program
The hospital has been facing numerous challenges resulting from CLABSIs. Healthcare quality has been declining, with many patients seeking referrals to other hospitals where they can have safe treatment with less hospitalization period. This has greatly lowered the reputation of the hospital and its healthcare team. There is a need to build a reputation by reducing the rates of CLABS infections to regain the trust of the hospital and the medical staff. Apart from reputation, the hospital loses much of its resources in treating the acquired infections. As the Medicare and other healthcare insurance organization’s policy stipulates, hospital-acquired infections should not be billed for reimbursement, and thus, the hospital must take care of such bills. This makes the hospital lose resources in the form of medications, clinical treatment, and maintenance programs. The readmissions and lengthened hospitalization also limit new patients from being admitted and thus deny the hospital new sources of income for sustainability. These issues affect the hospital, and thus there is a need to control the central-line associated bloodstream infections.
The Target Audience
The hospital should implement nurse-driven protocols to reduce the impact of the CLBASIs in the hospital. This shows that the targeted population is the nursing team that deals with the central-line associated treatments since they have a greater opportunity to reduce the levels of infection and improve the quality of care services in the hospital.
The Benefits of the Quality Improvement Initiative
The implementation of the nurse-driven protocols in the hospital accrues various benefits. One of the benefits is that healthcare quality will improve since the rate of CLABSIs, which is a healthcare quality indicator, will reduce. Even though the strategy aims to reduce the rate of CLABSIs, its implementation will cover other types of treatment that may contribute to hospital-acquired infections, such as CAUTIs. Therefore, the implementation will generally improve the quality of care in the hospital. The facility will also reduce the cost of treatment associated with CLABSIs and CAUTIs. This is a benefit to the hospital beyond the benefit of building its reputation in the hospital.
Inter-professional Collaboration
Teamwork is required in reducing errors and improving the quality of healthcare in a clinical microenvironment. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of using inter-professional collaboration and cooperation within the healthcare system. For example, through a study, Goh et al. (2020) found that the collaboration between the ENs and RNs in a healthcare setting leads to improved quality of care. Another study by Maguez and Ogaz (2019) indicated that teamwork between the nurses, physicians, and laboratory technicians leads to enhanced performance and patient care. In this setting, the nurses and physicians should collaborate through a practical communication framework in responding to the needs of the patients under the central-line treatment.
Cost/Budget Justification
In implementing the program, there are vital items and resources required to help in effective intervention against CLABSIs. The facility should first conduct training for the nurses and the physicians on the safety procedures and standards of inpatient care. This attracts facilitation costs, including purchasing materials to be used during the training, payment of the instructor, and training incentives for the trainees. The nurses are the most contributors to the CLABSIs since they are the ones nursing the patients mostly. According to Haddadin et al. (2020), the infectious bacteria enters the patient’s body through the catheter after the nurse holds the hub using contaminated hands. This explanation shows that the nurses need handwashing supplies and enough clinical gloves to use for every patient. In addition, the hospital uses non-tunneled catheters, which are proven to contribute the highest number of cases of CLABSI within the healthcare system. This revelation calls for the purchase of the tunneled catheters for improved care. The nurses also require a bedside checklist that reminds the nurses to ensure that all protocols are followed. Sabo et al. (2018) confirm that the use of checklists improves adherence to procedures and standards of central-line maintenance and care.
