Knowledge of the increased risk for pressure ulcers and the need for frequent turning and off-loading of pressure points could have allowed the staff to prevent the one forming along Mr. J’s spine. Proper education of all staff, nurses and aides alike, could have helped the CNA assisting the patient to identify the redness earlier and begin appropriate interventions. Another issue that could have been prevented through knowledge of indicators is the unnecessary use of restraints. If Mr. J’s mental status was such that he required additional safety measures, the need to adjust staffing to allow more direct care and observation of the patient could have been identified. Both the pressure ulcer
Safety Techniques Nurses need to know and apply proper hand washing techniques, wear gloves during patient care, and use anti-bacterial hand lotion or soap. Nurses need to know the location of the bio-hazard containers and when to use them so as to limit the spread of infection. Nurses need to apply the 3 reads and 5 rights when administering medication to avoid any form of error. (The unintended). Nurses need to apply safety during patient transfer.
If the nurse is not sensitive to these minute needs, it can cause the patient to be unable to trust the medical team meeting the needs, and understanding the importance of more serious issues. As a nurse, it is important to understand state and institutional policies regarding certain situations. Restraints are not recommended for this patient who is able to respond appropriately to questions and express needs. A nurse must consider the serious consequences that applying restraints may lead to, and with this knowledge, restraints would not have been considered. As a nurse it is important to make sure that tasks are being delegated appropriately to UAPs and they understand when they need to report problems of concern to the nurse.
Indicators of structure are measures by the supply and skill level of nursing staff as well and the education and certifications of the nursing staff. Indicators of the nursing process are nursing assessments, interventions and RN job satisfaction. Patient outcomes that are determined to be nursing sensitive are those that improve if there is a greater quantity or quality of nursing care (e.g., pressure ulcers, falls, and intravenous infiltrations). (American Nurses Association, 2014) NDNQI: National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. There are some patient quality and safety measures which have been shown through research to be significantly affected by nursing care or “nurse-sensitive” measures.
These elements identify specific practices nurses can use to deliver safe and quality patient-centered care ("What are nursing,"). These same principles have been ingrained in nurses throughout their journey in healthcare. To consistently improve safety and quality of care provided, health care facilities track trends in regards to nursing-sensitive indicators. By identifying areas of deficiency, an action plan or quality improvement project can be developed to correct and or revise current protocols as well as monitor the effectiveness of said changes over
Nursing sensitive indicators reflect the structure, process and outcomes of nursing care. The structure of nursing care is indicated by the supply of nursing staff, the skill level of the nursing staff, and the education/certification of nursing staff. Process indicators measure aspects of nursing care such as assessment, intervention, and RN job satisfaction. Patient outcomes that are determined to be nursing sensitive are those that improve if there is a greater quantity or quality of nursing care. ("Nursing world," 2013) Knowledge of these indicators could have assisted the nurses in several ways involving this case.
Our decisions must be guided by our conscience, morals, our professional responsibility, our responsibility for dose we care for, and our responsibility to the organization we work for. Critical decision making or critical thinking is the key to ensure high quality patient care, reduce adverse outcomes, and improve patient safety and satisfaction (Benner, Hughes, & Molly, 2008). Works Cited Anderson, L. (2014, February 11). Understanding the Different Scopes of Nursing Practice. Retrieved from NurseTogether Web site: http://www.nursetogether.com/understanding-the-different-scope-of-nursin Benner, P., Hughes, R. G., & Molly, S. (2008).
Nurses need to be educated on these indicators to understand the care they provide directly affects patient outcomes. The American Nurses Association (ANA) recognized areas of patient care and developed nursing-sensitive indicators to improve care of patients. Nursing-sensitive indicators reflect three aspects of nursing care: structure, process and outcomes. (American Sentinel University, 2011, para. 2) They identify structures of care and care processes, which influence patient care outcomes.
RTT Task 1 Alisha Diehl Western Governors University RTT Task 1 Nursing-sensitive indicators are utilized in healthcare to increase quality patient care, as well as patient safety. They reflect the organization, procedure, and products of patient care. In the presented scenario involving Mr. J, nursing-sensitive indicators can be used to identify the issues that interrupted the flow of quality patient care. Understanding Nursing-Sensitive Indicators A solid understanding of nursing-sensitive indicators can assist the nurses in the case of Mr. J in identifying issues that may interfere with patient care. Knowledge of appropriate restraint use, as well as the care involved while caring for a patient in restraints, and prevention of pressure ulcers could have prevented some of the issues in this scenario.
RTT1 Organizational Systems (V1 Undergrad-0313)-PA) 31 May 2015 Andrew Wallace Jr. A. Discuss how an understanding of nursing-sensitive indicators could assist the nurses in this case in identifying issues that may interfere with patient care. Nursing-sensitive indicators reflect the structure, process and outcome of nursing care. The structure of nursing care is indicated by the supply of nursing staff, the skill level of the nursing staff, and the education/certification of nursing staff. Process indicators measure aspects of nursing care such as assessment, intervention and RN job satisfaction.