One area where a quality or safety project could improve the situation is infection control. Infection control is so important to prevent the spread of infectious diseases within healthcare institutions. However, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) persist as a major issue, contributing to patient mortality and increasing healthcare expenditures. The failure of healthcare workers to follow standard infection prevention measures contributes to the prevalence of HAIs. Studies have revealed that simple infection control techniques, such as hand cleanliness, are often ignored by healthcare providers, leading to the spread of illnesses.
Infection control practices that need to be followed can be identified through a quality improvement process, and interventions to increase adherence can be implemented to assist in solving this problem. Providing healthcare staff with education and training, reminders about the importance of hand hygiene in the facility, and doing random compliance checks is one example of quality improvement projects that could help boost hand hygiene rates (Squires et al.,2019). Better patient outcomes and lower healthcare expenditures can be achieved through enhanced infection control measures in healthcare institutions.
Implementing evidence-based procedures through a quality improvement initiative is one way to boost infection control and lower the rate of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Healthcare provider training, monitoring, and feedback can enhance hand hygiene compliance.
To prevent disease, gloves, gowns, and masks should be used constantly. Healthcare staff education, training, monitoring, and feedback can improve PPE compliance.
Hand hygiene and thorough cleaning and disinfection of shared environments prevent illness from spreading. Programs that train and oversee environmental services staff can improve environmental cleaning (Peterson & Armola, 2020). Antibiotic management reduces antibiotic-resistant infections. Antibiotic stewardship programs that stress effectively antibiotic prescribing and healthcare practitioner education and feedback help reduce antibiotic overuse and misuse.
Successful implementation of a quality improvement initiative requires effective inter-professional communication. Communication strategies, including active listening, feedback, and collaboration, can be utilized to prevent or surmount resistance to recommended changes. Developing a shared vision and objectives, providing education and training, and involving all stakeholders in the decision-making process can also aid in overcoming resistance.
Professional standards mostly guide and evaluate safe nursing care in clinical settings. By following these rules, nurses can ensure their services are high-quality and compliant (Squires et al.,2019). Professional standards involve clinical practice, patient safety, communication, and ethics. Nurses can provide the finest treatment, and hospitals can comply with government and industry watchdogs by following these standards.
Healthcare administrators sometimes struggle to apply professional norms. Critical thinking and good decisions are needed to overcome these challenges. When healthcare providers object to professional standards, management and leadership must collaborate to address their concerns and ensure the standards are implemented to satisfy their needs. They should consider the merits and cons of applying these standards and equip healthcare practitioners to do so. Critical thinking and decision-making are essential for navigating healthcare systems and providing the best treatment.
Through mentorship, nurses can learn how to lead and collaborate with patients, their families, and other healthcare professionals. In this context, being a good boss requires creating and maintaining trusting, transparent, and respectful relationships. It is essential to work with patients and their families to create customized care plans (Horowitz & Taylor, 2021). Ensuring consistency also requires solid relationships with other healthcare workers. A competent leader also inspires other nurses and models leadership. Preceptorship helps nurses develop leadership skills and collaborative connections that improve patient care.
Promoting collaborative connections between interdisciplinary healthcare providers and nurses requires effective communication. Verbal, written, nonverbal, and new technological and therapeutic communication techniques can be utilized to improve communication and encourage collaborative decision-making. Nurses can assess the quality of collaboration among healthcare providers by applying Watson’s ten Curative Factors from his Theory of Caring (Horowitz & Taylor, 2021). Nurses and other healthcare professionals can work together to deliver superior, person-centred care by emphasizing characteristics including building trustworthy relationships, engaging in active listening, and encouraging open communication (Peterson & Armola, 2020). By implementing these caring practices, we can create a healthcare system where everyone truly cares for their patients and each other, enhancing treatment for everyone.
Presenting oneself in an independent, professional manner, ready for entry into nursing practice, involves embracing the responsibilities associated with leadership and evidenced decision-making. This includes communicating well and thinking critically, and being willing to keep learning and growing professionally.
If a quality change does not happen, patients could get hurt, patients’ satisfaction could go down, staff morale could go down, and costs could go up. Quality improvement is important to ensure that healthcare companies give patients and their families high-quality care that meets their needs and preferences.
Communication techniques like education, collaboration, and active listening can be used to deal with barriers and resistance to changes that need to be made. Educating healthcare providers about the benefits of the planned changes can help get them on board with the initiative. Collaboration and active listening can help address concerns and make it easier for healthcare providers to talk to each other openly.
In conclusion, nurses must have effective leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills to promote high-quality, patient-centred care in healthcare organizations. Embracing these skills can help promote inter-professional relationships, facilitate effective communication, and improve patient outcomes. Additionally, quality improvement is essential for ensuring that healthcare organizations provide safe and effective patient care.
References
Squires, A., Kovner, C. T., & Davis, K. (2019). Nurses’ opinions on the impact of electronic health records on work and patient outcomes. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(10), 485–490. doi: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000791
Horowitz, M. R., & Taylor, E. (2021). Preventing medication errors in the emergency department by implementing a standardized medication reconciliation process. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 47(1), 31–36. doi 10.1016/j.jen.2020.06.010
Peterson, K. R., & Armola, R. (2020). Improving patient safety with a pressure injury prevention protocol: An evidence-based practice project. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 10(4), 96-103. doi: 10.5430/jnep.v10n4p96
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