Introduction
Quality improvement (QI) initiative in healthcare is an effective method of gradually increasing the quality of the provided services. A wide variety of instruments, such as research, organizational changes, and innovative therapies, help achieve this objective (Gilbert et al., 2020). Moreover, the process generally involves various stakeholders, including clinicians, data scientists, analysts, and other professionals, who might contribute to the initiative’s success. The current paper analyzes the necessary QI tools to achieve the initiative of increasing the percentage of healthcare workers given influenza vaccination.
Quality Improvement Tools
One of the most effective methods to protect healthcare professionals from flu is vaccination. Extensive academic literature focuses on the significance of vaccination against influenza among vulnerable groups of patients, such as infants and older people (Kawczak et al., 2020; Rao et al., 2018). Nevertheless, the issue of protecting healthcare workers is somewhat neglected despite its significance. Thus, the three necessary instruments for the current QI initiative are continual education of healthcare professionals, a data-driven approach to reduce the patient’s length of stay, thus, improving the quality of the services, and a community-based initiative to communicate with healthcare officials and introduce stricter policies for healthcare facilities.
Education is necessary to increase the awareness of healthcare workers concerning the dangers of influenza and its spread mechanisms. Kawczak et al. (2020) transparently demonstrate that continuing medical education increases the vaccination rate for patient populations. A similar mechanism should be used for the current initiative with a focus on employees instead of patients. Consequently, a data-driven approach is an effective method to reduce the length of stay for patients and, thus, reduce the risks of influenza spread (Wagenaar et al., 2017). Lastly, it is essential to communicate with healthcare officials to introduce additional policies concerning vaccination among employees in facilities. The research by Spencer et al. (2020) demonstrates that communication is essential to increase stakeholder and community engagement in socially relevant matters. Ultimately, the three proposed QI instruments might positively contribute to the vaccination rate among healthcare professionals.
Required Stakeholders
The current QI initiative is a collaborative effort of healthcare professionals, data scientists, the community, and the local government. All mentioned stakeholders play a significant role in the corresponding QI instruments. For instance, the education initiative can only be achieved via workshops, learning sessions, and the distribution of reliable information among healthcare employees. On the other hand, the data-driven approach can only succeed in case data scientists create an appropriate platform to improve the quality of the provided services. Lastly, communication is a collaborative effort that requires direct participation and active listening from all stakeholders, including the local government.
Necessary Resources for QI
The necessary prerequisites for continual education and communication with healthcare officials primarily concern motivation and time. It is essential to find people who are ready to be responsible for organizing learning workshops, and lectures, and providing materials to increase awareness concerning the risks of influenza. On the other hand, the data-driven approach requires additional funding from the facility and efforts of the HR department to find competent professionals. At present, technological advancement allows the achieve higher productivity of services, thus, protecting healthcare workers from extensive exposure to people with transmissible diseases. Ultimately, the necessary resources for the current QI initiative primarily concern time, motivation, and funding for data-driven innovations.
Conclusion
Increasing the vaccination rate against influenza among healthcare workers should be a prioritized objective due to the dangers of the disease. The current essay has suggested three primary methods – education, a data-driven approach, and communication with officials – to achieve the QI initiative. At present, the New York average of healthcare workers with influenza vaccination is lower than the overall national number, and it is essential to introduce new initiatives to make a positive change.
References
Gilbert, A. W., Billany, J. C., Adam, R., Martin, L., Tobin, R., Bagdai, S.,… & Bateson, J. (2020). Rapid implementation of virtual clinics due to COVID-19: report and early evaluation of a quality improvement initiative. BMJ Open Quality, 9(2).
Kawczak, S., Mooney, M., Mitchner, N., Senatore, V., & Stoller, J. K. (2020). The impact of a quality improvement continuing medical education intervention on physicians’ vaccination practice: a controlled study. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 16(11), 2809-2815.
Rao, S., Fischman, V., Kaplan, D. W., Wilson, K. M., & Hyman, D. (2018). Evaluating interventions to increase influenza vaccination rates among pediatric inpatients. Pediatric Quality & Safety, 3(5).
Spencer, J., Gilmore, B., Lodenstein, E., & Portela, A. (2021). A mapping and synthesis of tools for stakeholder and community engagement in quality improvement initiatives for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health. Health Expectations, 24(3), 744-756.
Wagenaar, B. H., Hirschhorn, L. R., Henley, C., Gremu, A., Sindano, N., & Chilengi, R. (2017). Data-driven quality improvement in low-and middle-income country health systems: lessons from seven years of implementation experience across Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia. BMC Health Services Research, 17(3), 65-75.