Quality Improvement Principles and Practices, Coursework Example

Introduction

Throughout nursing practice, quality improvement is an ongoing process that requires continuous attention and focus. This process supports the development of new strategies and perspectives that will have a positive impact on patient care quality and the actions that nurses take in the workplace environment. Every practice setting has its own set of standards and regulations under which all actions take place; therefore, all nursing-related decisions and activities must comply with these requirements. At the same time, there is a critical need to develop a strategy that will support a greater focus on evaluation and measurement of key performance objectives to assess quality. One area of consideration that has become increasing relevant to nursing is evidence-based practice, whereby there are significant opportunities to advance quality of care through evidence-based knowledge. The following discussion will address these objectives in greater detail and will demonstrate the importance of evidence-based practice objectives and its relationship to nursing performance in the practice environment.

Analysis

Nurses are evaluated based upon a number of performance measurements that impact the practice setting in different ways. For example, evidence-based practice supports the growth and expansion of nursing knowledge to integrate new solutions to common problems (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). Therefore, nurses must effectively adapt to changes in the practice setting, including proven evidence-based solutions that will have a positive influence on patient care quality (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). These factors support the continuous growth and development of nursing practice objectives to accommodate patients and to enable nurses to achieve greater knowledge that will have a favorable impact on their decision-making in the workplace, and furthermore, their level of performance (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011).

Promoting quality improvement through evidence-based practice requires a detailed understanding of the practice environment and the tools and resources that are required to facilitate change (Davies, Tremblay, & Edwards, 2010). Under these conditions, it is anticipated that nurses will respond to change in different ways and will improve their understanding of evidence-based solutions as an improvement over current practice methods (Davies et.al, 2010). Once this transition has occurred, it is possible that an organization will effectively adapt to the change effort and will work to improve patient care quality, as well as the quality of their own practice environment (Davies et.al, 2010). Nurses must be able to exercise flexibility in this manner and acquire the knowledge and technical training that is necessary to perform a procedure that is evidence-based in order to accommodate the needs of the patient population in a positive and meaningful way (Davies et.al, 2010).

Nursing care quality improvement is a continuous process that requires the full attention of staff members in order to accomplish the desired objectives. Established measurements such as those proposed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality provide a framework for promoting safety and quality in the workplace environment, using patient safety indicators established by the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) (Zrelak et.al, 2012). There are considerable efforts required to facilitate continuous quality improvement throughout nursing practice that focus on improving the lives of patients and in promoting safety so that they are able to recover and sustain a greater quality of life (Zrelak et.al, 2012). Nurses must work cooperatively in order to meet quality improvement goals and expectations in the workplace environment and support the development of new strategies to encourage measures to improve quality throughout routine nursing activities as a means of expanding knowledge and promoting change (Zrelak et.al, 2012).

It is important to address the challenges of quality improvement using measures of accountability so that nurses are required to be effective communicators and facilitators of high quality care and treatment throughout their careers (Chassin et.al, 2010). Outcome measures must be incorporated into the process, not only to meet expectations, but to also support a commitment to patient care quality that is critical to the success of the practice environment (Chassin et.al, 2010). This strategy will encourage nurses to share their knowledge and experience with each other to promote greater quality of care for patients and to meet required benchmarks in the process (Chassin et.al, 2010). Key data elements must be considered in achieving these objectives and in supporting the practice environment so that nurses are able to provide the highest possible level of support for their patients under all possible conditions (Chassin et.al, 2010).

Conclusion

Nurses possess a significant responsibility to be effective communicators and to address quality improvement as part of a larger strategy to achieve effective patient outcomes. This is critical to their own level of performance and requires them to think and act appropriately in order to protect the safety and security of all patients. This process is instrumental in enabling nurses to specifically focus on the needs of their patients and to recognize the value of contributing to nursing practice on a larger scale, using performance measures as a guide. These practices will encourage nurses to openly communicate regarding matters that impact the practice setting as well as patients, while also considering other factors that will influence performance through the development of new strategies to improve quality and the healthcare setting as a whole.

References

Chassin, M. R., Loeb, J. M., Schmaltz, S. P., & Wachter, R. M. (2010). Accountability measures—using measurement to promote quality improvement. New England Journal of Medicine, 363(7), 683-688.

Davies, B., Tremblay, D., & Edwards, N. (2010). Sustaining evidence-based practice systems and measuring the impacts. Evaluating the impact of implementing evidence-based practice, 166-188.

Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (Eds.). (2011). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Zrelak, P. A., Utter, G. H., Sadeghi, B., Cuny, J., Baron, R., & Romano, P. S. (2012). Using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality patient safety indicators for targeting nursing quality improvement. Journal of nursing care quality, 27(2), 99-108.