Nurses are responsible for promoting quality in healthcare organizations by proposing improvement initiatives and accessing patient safety culture. Examples of patient-centered care initiatives include Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) and Team STEPPS, focusing on safety issues (Yoder-Wise, 2019). Furthermore, the organizational culture of a high-performing healthcare facility requires the accountability of nurses and managers for the quality of care and patient safety (Yoder-Wise, 2019). Bashaw and Lounsbury (2012) suggest that the goal for the safest healthcare system might be reached through public reporting, disclosure, and transparency. The principle of Just Culture can be adopted by staff nurses and other medical professionals to analyze errors and develop corrective or preventive measures (Bashaw & Lounsbury, 2012). Additionally, surveys on patient safety culture might be introduced by the staff nurse to raise awareness about the problem and evaluate the organization’s areas of strength and weakness (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2016). Therefore, nurses should assess reliable and comprehensive data on errors and safety information and report the findings or improvement suggestions to patients and senior leaders.
The CEO and CNO of my organization are actively engaged in the hospital’s functioning and promote interdisciplinary collaboration and partnership. The organizational culture supports the belief that senior leaders, doctors, and registered nurses (RNs) can learn from one other and contribute valuable ideas on performance and problem areas based on monthly quality measurements. Effective communication with staff allows the leaders to identify barriers to safety and establish quality improvement goals, such as minimization of falls. The senior leadership of the healthcare facility encourages staff participation in the decision-making and reasonable initiatives concerning quality improvement. Thus, financing and budget aspects of safety improvement plans are discussed during regular meetings where RNs, nurse leaders, and senior executives can actively participate and share their concerns. The leadership employs utilization management (UM) strategies to ensure the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare products without compromising patient safety. UM involves planning, organization, and monitoring of medical services to prevent underuse or overuse (Spath, 2018). Moreover, the Safety and Quality Committee evaluates current issues and reviews any evidence-based measures proposed by hospital employees. Finally, if the safety improvement project is approved, it receives adequate financing.
Several strategies might be implemented to improve the performance of our organization. The systematic review by Ahluwalia et al. (2017) suggests that the efforts to achieve high performance should be based on the Triple Aim definition of better health, quality care, and low costs. Thus, the performance of our healthcare facility can be optimized by enhancing patients’ health through cost-effective preventive measures, diagnosis, and clinical quality. As a nurse, I can research available evidence and propose an initiative to maximize access to affordable medical services because prevention is essential for public health and cost-containment strategies. Additionally, our interdisciplinary team should meet regularly to discuss the diagnostic issues and coordinate improvement goals for reducing medication errors and obtaining accurate patient information (Laureate Education, 2016). The measure is vital since timely and correct diagnosis leads to better outcomes and prevents medically unnecessary procedures. The quality of care should also be accessed using relevant measures from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) and the Patient Safety Indicators developed by the AHRQ. The strategies discussed above can help the organization optimize performance and reach the Triple Aim goals.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2016). Surveys on patient safety culture. AHRQ. Web.
Ahluwalia, S. C., Damberg, C. L., Silverman, M., Motala, A., & Shekelle, P. G. (2017). What defines a high-performing health care delivery system: A systematic review. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 43, 450–459. Web.
Bashaw, E. S., & Lounsbury, K. (2012). Forging a new culture: Blending Magnet ® principles with just culture. Nursing Management, 43(10), 49–53. Web.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2016). RCA Dramatization 2 [Video file]. Author.
Spath, P. (2018). Introduction to healthcare quality management (3rd ed.). Health Administration Press.
Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2019). Leading and managing in nursing (7th ed.). Mosby.