Not only is it important for healthcare providers to construct and implement a treatment plans, but also to involve patients in medical decision making about their treatment. To determine effectiveness, healthcare providers must assess how treatment of the illness effects the patient in addition to their own evaluation of treatment. The dictionary definitions of effective are (a) adequate to accomplish a purpose, producing the intended or expected result; (b) in operation or in force, functioning; (c) producing a deep or vivid impression; (d) prepared and available for service; and (e) a member of the armed forces fit for duty or active service (“Effective”, n.d. a). According to Stedman’s Medical Dictionary (2006), the medical definitions of effective are (a) the extent to which a treatment achieves its intended purpose; (b) A measure of the accuracy or success of a diagnostic or therapeutic technique when carried out in an average clinical environment. According to Wikipedia (n.d. b), the usage of effective includes (a) mathematics, can be used as a synonym of
The team must determine and agree upon what changes it is seeking. These changes should be time-specific and measurable and define which patients will be affected (“Institute for Healthcare Improvement,” n.d.). How will we know that a change is an improvement? The team needs to establish measures that will reveal if a specific change leads to an improvement ((“Institute for Healthcare Improvement,” n.d.). What changes can we make that will result in improvement?
Organizational Systems and Quality Leadership Task 1 Western Governors University A. Embedded in the founding principles of nursing is the responsibility of nurses to measure, evaluate and improve practice. Hospitals use data and clinical tools to compare themselves to other healthcare organizations in an effort to achieve quality patient outcomes. Having an understanding of the principles of nurse-sensitive indicators, organizational leaders can advance patient care throughout the hospital. A. Nursing-Sensitive Indicators Healthcare organizations and regulatory agencies recognized a relationship between nursing interventions and overall quality of patient care in the mid 1990’s (Erickson, 2011). This is when nursing-sensitive indicators (NSIs) were introduced as a means to measure patient outcomes.
The traditional approach includes collecting subject matter on “biographical data, present health concerns (or present illness) and the chief complaint, past history, family history, review of system and patient data” (Farrell & Dempsey, 2010, p. 74). The assessment interview builds the foundation of the nurse and patient relationship. Building good rapport with the patient will alleviate any stress, anxiety or discomfort the patient may be feeling. The patient will be asked personal questions and at times may not understand or may not want to divulge information about their personal life/situation. As a nurse being open and honest, explaining why this type of information is necessary and asking open-ended questions will help prompt the patient to disclose the facts required, expedite the process and be fundamental in performing a successful assessment (Springhouse, 2004).
If a theory is proven, it can help to develop nursing science and be used in nursing practice to accomplish numerous results such as identifying standards of care to direct, evaluate, and predict patient care/outcomes, for example (Cherry & Jacob, 2011). Development of a sound theory commands the presence of not only key concepts, but also great insight toward the particular subject matter; it’s definitions, and the assumptions surrounding it. This is critical to ensure a well-educated appraisal and study follows. (Alligood & Tomey, 2010). Relatively speaking, applying the concepts of stress in relation to adaptation of a particular health circumstance, for instance, may provide a speculative overview that will yield a methodical interpretation of how these two incidents are entwined with one another (Cherry & Jacob, 2011).
To make improvements, an organization needs to understand its own delivery system and key processes. A health care delivery system consists of resources, activities, and results; these key components are also called inputs, processes, and outputs/outcomes. Activities or processes within a health care organization contain two major components: 1) what is done (what care is provided), and 2) how it is done (when, where, and by whom care is delivered). Improvement can be achieved by addressing either component; however, the greatest impact for QI is when both are addressed at the same time (Services, 2011). The biggest area for quality improvement in the scenario will focus on improvement for the patient.
Uses of Statistical Information Statistics are used in many ways in the health care profession. Statistics improve patient care and patient outcomes. Hospitals collect data that relates to the type of patients they serve, the number of patients they serve, and the areas in which they serve them. Data related to the patients’ perceived care is also collected. This data is processed and statistically analyzed to determine ways in which the hospital can improve patient care and patient outcomes.
1. How does an understanding of past treatments for people with a mental illness help a person working in mental health today? An understanding of past treatments for people suffering with mental illness can be extremely beneficial for a person working in mental health today. According to Crisp & Taylor (2009, p.1393), knowledge of the patient’s medical history can provide valuable data, which can serve as the basis for the evaluation process. Crisp & Taylor (2009, p.257) also believe that by having knowledge of their medical history, it will allow for problems to be solved accurately, thoroughly and quickly.
Some medications must be given at specific time, so it imperative to provide the medication to the patient at the correct time. In conclusion, nurses are the first and last line of defense in reducing medication errors. When administering medication nurses should practice the five rights of medication which are the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right time. (Choo et al., 2010) No matter how much experience a nurse has, they are still humans and may make mistakes, but medication errors are preventable. Taking simple steps such as following the “five
This model deals with issues pertaining to why people may or may not seek treatment or preventive measures looking at issues like perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers and perceived benefits. Overtime it has been modified to include elements such as social-psychological variables, demographic variables, cues to action and health motivation (Glanz, 2002). This model is important in healthcare education due to the fact that it engages use of common sense and easy constructs which healthcare practitioners who don’t have expertise in psychology can easily apply. Further, it can help a healthcare practitioner to evaluate a patient fully so as to know what barriers may stand between his/her client and good health. Self-efficacy is a term which roughly corresponds to an individual’s belief in their own capabilities and which is widely used in psychology (Bandura, 1976).