Describe the elements of a comprehensive health assessment of a geriatric patient. What special considerations should the nurse keep in mind while performing this assessment? Nurses and healthcare professionals need to pay close attention to different things while performing a comprehensive assessment on the older population. The comprehensive assessment includes mental and functional status, social and economic status and the actual assessment of the body functions (Jarvis, 2012). It’s important to observe mental status changes and functional status changes, this can determine how well the patient can take care of themselves and deal with their health promotion on their own.
History taking is a competent skill which enables practitioners to make accurate diagnosis and this skill is a fundamental requirement for the code of practice to maintain professional accountability (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2010). Using a structured approach to guide the process can help the health professional to develop their skills in time management during the consultation and assessment. This ensures that the time a nurse has with the patient is used effectively and important elements are not missed (McEwen and Harris, 2010). Practitioners ‘must’ be apt in taking an accurate history from a set format ensuring that questions are pertinent to the diagnosis stated Crumbie (2006). In this case, the patient presented with a productive cough lasting over two.
Quality Improvement Part ll HCS/548 Mary Ellen Strout October 21, 2013 2. Quality Improvement Part ll Quality improvement is a hospitals applied process in order to ensure the advancement of the quality of care and outcomes for patients using an explicit set of philosophies and procedures (Walker, 2012). There are potential advances for quality improvement at Jordan Hospital in the Emergency Department. The quality improvement that would be applied uses the measurement of the collected data to be used towards the strategic improvement of patient care. Using the measurements taken and applied tools, it allows for leaders to understand the direction of the quality management in an organization or facility.
It is the most essential elements of information to guide the clinician the necessary care for the patient. Collecting or gathering a patient’s health history is the most important to begin the patient’s medical intervention. According to Lloyd and Craig (2007), providing a comprehensive health history will enhance the care of a patient. The article discusses the process of taking a patient’s history to provide a beneficial guide to nurses and clinicians who can use this approach when performing an assessment. The authors were concise of explaining the process or rationales of taking a patient’s history.
It will tell which populations are best designed for each tool, how these tools can enhance the assessment phase of the nursing process, and the impact of quality of health care delivered by the nurse. These tools will be applied to homeless population as well. The first tool is the Daily Hassles Scale. This tool is designed to measure the daily hassles of employees such as customer service representatives and anyone working in a high stressed job. In this particular case, this tool identifies daily hassles and the rate of burnout that call center employees undergo(Visser, 2009).
Dr. Watson believes that caring is central to nursing and can be effective if practiced interpersonally. In her caring theory, Dr. Watson introduced ten carative factors that are essential to successful nursing care (Alligood, 2010). This paper will discuss the key concepts of Watson’s theory and it will describe how it applies to the nurse and patient relationship. The caring moment will be defined and the application of four carative factors will be described. According to Alligood (2010), “the formation of a humanistic-altruistic system of values, the instillation of faith-hope, the cultivation of sensitivity to one’s self and to others, and the development of a helping-trusting relationship” (p. 113) are the four carative factors.
Running head: IMPROVING QUALITY PATIENT CARE AND SAFETY Improving Quality Patient Care and Safety Betty Miller Western Governors University RTT1 Task 1 Improving Quality Patient Care and Safety The American Nurses Association developed nursing-sensitive indicators for the purpose of improving quality patient care and safety. Nursing-sensitive indicators are the patient outcomes that have been clinically researched and proven to be directly linked to nursing care. Nursing-sensitive indicators are based upon the organization of care, nursing care process and results of patient focused outcomes. The organization or structure of nursing care is reflected by the quantity and quality of nursing staff. The structure indicators are related to nursing staff characteristics such as the skill mix, experience, certification and education of the nurses.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) provides the research and information of how to deliver the best patient care, and can be integrated into the delivery of nursing care. Prevention of ventilator-acquired pneumonia (VAP) in ventilated patients in the intensive care unit is just one example of how evidence-based practice is being implemented in nursing care. Evidence-Based Practice Dr. David Sackett, a pioneer of evidence-based practice, best describes it as “the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient” (Troseth, 2009). This involves the integration of clinical experience, the values of the individual patient, and the best evidence-based research (Schardt, 2010). Implementing EBP in nursing care establishes who they are, what they do, and what effect they have on patient outcomes (Overholt, 2004).
RTT 1 Task 1 Julie Villa Western Governors University RTT 1 Task 1 The nursing profession has an obligation to advocate for patients and provide safe, quality care. By providing evidenced-based practice, nurses can improve care and create better outcomes for patients. In reference to the case study provided, I will be discussing how an understanding of nursing-sensitive indicators can assist nurses in identifying issues that may interfere with patient care, how analyzing hospital data on these indicators can advance quality patient care in the hospital, and how specific system resources could be utilized in order to resolve the ethical issue in this scenario. Having an understanding of nursing-sensitive indicators is beneficial to nursing professionals in order to provide quality care and improve patient outcomes. Nursing-sensitive indicators were established by the American Nurses Association to identify structures of care and care processes, both of which in turn influence care outcomes (Montalvo, 2007, No.
Nursing Documentation and Malpractice Law HCS/545 Health Law and Ethics May 31, 2010 Mary Nell Cummings Nursing Documentation and Malpractice Lawsuits Proper medical documentation can prevent liability issues and malpractice lawsuits. The focus on my paper will concentrate on nursing documentation and malpractice lawsuits. I presently work for a home health care agency. The entire staff throughout the company was recently informed of increased Medicare denials and possible lawsuits as results of inadequate documentations. A series of education training of documentation was implemented to help reduce episodes of Medicare payment denials and self-protection through adequate documentation.