The Impact of eHealth on the Quality and Safety of Health Care, Essay Example

Quality as related to nursing practice and healthcare requires a delicate balance between resources and the ability to deliver high quality care in an effective manner. Quality must be addressed and mandated at all levels of nursing practice, using practical tools and solutions to meet expectations and to improve outcomes for patients (Pelletier & Beaudin, 2013). Quality in nursing care will aim to transform patient recovery rates and provide a framework for improving quality of life over time, while also considering other factors that influence these standards, such as improving approaches to achieve effective outcomes that will aim to advance health and wellbeing (Pelletier & Beaudin, 2013). Most importantly, quality must serve as a critical priority in enabling patients to receive the best possible care and treatment on a continuous basis.

The cost of medical care often compromises the level of quality that is received when resource allocation is poor; therefore, it is important to identify areas where quality might be improved through resource allocation and other tools to expand and improve the quality of care that is received (Black et.al, 2011). Patients will reap the benefits of these improvements when quality is a critical priority that is given the utmost attention and focus (Black et.al, 2011). In particular, technology must be part of any quality process that will have a lasting impact on the success of quality-based initiatives and other tools that will positively impact patient care over time (Black et.al, 2011).

Finally, the quality of care that patients receive is largely associated with economic conditions and resource allocation, thereby creating an environment in which patient care and treatment are dependent upon financial matters (Lichtenberg, 2011). Although this is the case, it is expected that healthcare employees and leaders will develop creative solutions in order to improve the quality of life of the patient population and to be successful in treating patients with the resources that are available in a timely manner without delays or gaps in the care that is received (Lichtenberg, 2011).

References

Black, A. D., Car, J., Pagliari, C., Anandan, C., Cresswell, K., Bokun, T., … & Sheikh, A. (2011). The impact of eHealth on the quality and safety of health care: a systematic overview. PLoS medicine, 8(1), e1000387.

Lichtenberg, F. R. (2011). The quality of medical care, behavioral risk factors, and longevity growth. International journal of health care finance and economics, 11(1), 1-34.

Pelletier, L.R., & Beaudin, C. (2013). Q Solutions: Essential Resources for the Healthcare Quality Professional, 3^rd Edition. National Association for Healthcare Quality.