Joint Commission Audit Case

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The Joint Commission’s audit process includes a tracer methodology. In this case the surveyors have selected a 67-year-old female patient who was scheduled for a laparoscopic hysterectomy. Due to excessive bleeding approximately five weeks prior to hospitization the surgery was converted to an open procedure. After being discharged from the hospital seven days ago she developed a fever with drainage and was readmitted to the hospital for possible postoperative infection. Five days ago she underwent surgery for a postoperative abscess and insertion for a central line for long-term antibiotics. She is scheduled to go home with a home health agencies provided oversight of antibiotic treatment. The surveyors have retraced the specific care processes…show more content…
According to the Joint Commission standard RC.01.03.01 the hospital implements its policy requiring timely entry of information into the patients medical records. (Accreditation Requirements: Hospital: Record of Care, Treatment and Services, 2013). The patient tracer audit also revealed that not all of the nurses preformed the correct protocol while administering care to the patient. For an example, the nurses did not follow protocol while assessing pain and administering pain medication to the patient. The Joint Commission requirement for reassessing pain once medication is administered is within the first hour. The tracer form indicated that there were four documented occasions where pain was assessed after the first hour. On another occasion the PACU nurse was asked to give an example on when they would use override (pyxis) and the nurse answered incorrectly by getting using anti-nausea drugs for the patient after they return from surgery. The SDS nurse gave the correct answer, which is to use override only in urgent situations. A few other issues that the tracer pointed out is listed…show more content…
• The PACU nurse gave the wrong answer when asked when they would use override. The response was to get anti-nausea drugs for patients when they return from surgery. Override is used in urgent/emergency situations. The situation, not the medication determines if the override is appropriate. Corrective action plan Many deficiencies were identified after further review of the surgical patient tracer worksheet. These deficiencies will need to be addressed in order for Nightingale Community Hospital to keep on track with not only its own standards but also the standards set forth by the Joint Commission. Prioritizing the Improvement Work After understanding the analysis of the tracer data, the hospital will plan to share those findings with management and staff. Part of the process is actually prioritizing which improvements should be fixed first. A well though out approach will most likely have the best results. The team may ask a few questions that will help them prioritize the improvement work. Example questions are listed below: • Are any of these problems in areas that have a high potential for adverse

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