Introduction
Quality is an essential aspect of healthcare that allows for striving for excellent performance when facilitating patient outcomes. Any organization motivated to grow and develop must rely on continuous quality improvement based on the timely identified drawbacks in the current practices. In particular, the detection of frequent and repetitive cases of hospital-acquired infections in the hospital has been explained by errors in intravenous catheter placement and displacement. For that matter, this executive summary proposes a quality improvement initiative to cultivate a more responsible practice of intravenous catheter use for patients to minimize their risks of infection.
Purpose of the Quality Improvement Initiative
The purpose of the quality improvement initiative is to generate and implement a new protocol guiding nurses’ insertion and maintenance of intravenous catheters when working with hospitalized patients. The initiative involves the development and dissemination of the insertion and maintenance guidelines based on best practices, nurses’ training, and evaluation of patient-related outcomes. According to research, commonly used practice bundles “include hand hygiene, optimal insertion site selection, maximal sterile barriers for line insertion, chlorhexidine skin disinfection, and daily review of device necessity with prompt removal of unneeded lines” (Ray-Barruel et al., 2019, p. 152). Thus, this initiative is aimed at reducing the rate of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections.
Target Population
The target population of the quality improvement initiative is the nursing staff of the hospital, who would undergo training to implement the new practices of intravenous catheter insertion and maintenance. The nursing managers will perform as leaders of the project implementation. The nursing staff is expected to improve their routine practices of working with intravenous injections by shifting toward newer evidence-based best practices proposed by the quality improvement initiative.
Benefits of the Quality Improvement Initiative
The proposed quality improvement initiative is worth supporting and funding due to its essential contribution to the performance of the ward. In particular, one of the anticipated benefits is the reduction of hospital-acquired infection cases in patients and their prolonged or recurrent hospitalization. Indeed, according to research, “the inflammation of the tunica intima of the vein may cause discomfort, damage of affected veins, significant morbidity or mortality, missed medication doses, and a subsequent longer duration of hospital stay” (Lv & Zhang, 2020, p. 343). In this regard, another benefit is implied, which is related to the decrease in hospitalization costs per patient since the initiative will lower the risk of infection (Lv & Zhang, 2020, p. 343). Furthermore, the improvement of the professionalism of nurses and their practices will contribute to organizational goal achievement and reputation.
Interprofessional Collaboration
When implementing the proposed initiative, interprofessional collaborations will be based on the involvement of nurses, nurse managers, physicians, and external consultants for training the staff. In particular, the exchange of experiences and the establishment of a supportive environment in teams in times of change are essential elements in the proper implementation of the quality improvement initiative (Sanchez & Hermis, 2019, pp. 149-150). Thus, the development and dissemination of new protocols will be conducted by teams of nurse managers and external experts, who will engage nurses and physicians in training and implementation.
Cost Justification
The quality improvement initiative is planned to be implemented within a 6-month period. During this period, nurse managers, training experts, and nurses will be involved in additional efforts aimed at learning and practicing new intravenous catheter insertion and maintenance procedures. The involvement of the external training expert for six months is anticipated to require $4,000, as well as the additional monetary resources estimated at $4,000 will be needed to cover workload and material costs. These costs are based on the assumption that the nurses will be conducting the same responsibilities as previously; however, they will need to spend additional work hours for training, which should be covered. The benefits and cost decrease due to the anticipated outcomes of the initiative will return the costs.
Evaluation
When evaluating the quality improvement initiative’s success, it is essential to consider its organization-related, practice-related, and cost-related outcomes. Research shows that the focus on these areas allows for drawing representative conclusions about the implications of the implemented project (Kleinpell, 2021, pp. 5-6). Thus, the pre- and post-project indicators comparison will be used to identify changes. Firstly, the number of cases of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections will be compared to detect an anticipated decrease. Secondly, reported errors or complications in nurses’ practices following the new protocol will be compared with the number of reported difficulties prior to the initiative. Thirdly, costs spent by the organization on prolonged hospitalization for patients with bloodstream infections will be assessed. It is anticipated that the organization will be able to lower the costs of hospitalization stay and readmission based on the outcomes of the implemented initiative. Thus, such a holistic approach to outcome evaluation will allow for the proper identification of the benefits and drawbacks of the project, which will allow for continuous improvement in the future.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the proposed quality improvement initiative is aimed at changing the bundle of procedures of intravenous catheter insertion and maintenance to reduce patient hospitalization due to bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital. The project requires interprofessional collaboration, relatively limited costs, and will take six months to implement. The anticipated benefits will be reflected in fewer hospital-acquired bloodstream infections, decreased patient stay costs, shorter hospital stays, better nurse performance, and more efficient organizational goal achievement.
References
Kleinpell, R. M. (Ed.). (2021). Outcome assessment in advanced practice nursing. Springer Publishing Company.
Lv, L., & Zhang, J. (2020). The incidence and risk of infusion phlebitis with peripheral intravenous catheters: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Vascular Access, 21(3), 342-349. Web.
Ray-Barruel, G., Xu, H., Marsh, N., Cooke, M., & Rickard, C. M. (2019). Effectiveness of insertion and maintenance bundles in preventing peripheral intravenous catheter-related complications and bloodstream infection in hospital patients: a systematic review. Infection, Disease & Health, 24(3), 152-168. Web.
Sanchez, N., & Hermis, K. (2019). Interprofessional collaboration to improve and sustain patient experience outcomes in an ambulatory setting. Patient Experience Journal, 6(1), 149-153.