Capella 6016 Assessment 2

Assessment 2: Quality Improvement Initiative Evaluation

Student Name

Capella University

School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Capella University

NURS-FPX 6016 Assessment 2:

Quality Improvement of Interprofessional Care

Prof. Name:

Date

Quality Improvement Initiative Evaluation

In this assessment, we will evaluate the success of a quality improvement initiative aimed at enhancing healthcare quality at Vila Health. This evaluation is prompted by a recent medication administration mishap and a significant number of drug errors reported at the facility last year, leading to rising healthcare expenses and compromised patient service.

Adverse Drug Events and Medication Administration Errors

Studies have indicated that a considerable proportion of healthcare-related injuries result in permanent disability or patient death, with medication-related incidents being a major contributor to avoidable harm. NURS-FPX 6016 Assessment 2: Quality Improvement Initiative. Medication administration errors (MAEs) affect around 10% of all hospital drug administrations, posing a significant patient safety risk (Jessurun et al., 2021). Although efforts have been made to reduce such errors, the persistently high MAE rates call for stronger protective measures across the healthcare system.

Current Quality Improvement Initiative at Vila Health

A recent event at Vila Health involved a 71-year-old widow who suffered from uncontrolled hypertension and acute renal injury. Due to a medication reconciliation error, the patient was mistakenly given Norvasc instead of the antipsychotic Navane, causing complications and a loss of patient trust (Adler, 2019). The root cause of this issue was attributed to communication breakdown and high stress among healthcare staff.

NURS-FPX 6016 Assessment 2: Quality Improvement Initiative

In response to such incidents, Vila Health adopted telemedicine, particularly E-prescribing, to enhance the hospital’s standards of care. However, after a month of implementation, the initiative has encountered some technical difficulties, impacting remote examinations, patient diagnosis, and patient data security (Breton et al., 2021; HealthITSecurity, 2021).

Evaluation of Success of Quality Improvement Initiative

To evaluate the success of the telemedicine initiative, a benchmark survey was conducted, comparing Vila Health’s telehealth outcomes with other healthcare facilities. The survey revealed that telehealth programs resulted in increased revenues, improved patient satisfaction, and a higher priority for telehealth adoption among doctors (Willmington et al., 2022).

The most successful aspect of the initiative was found in the efficiency gains of e-prescribing. Electronic prescribing improved the precision of medication orders, reduced illegible prescriptions, enabled drug-allergy and drug-drug interaction checks, and simplified communication between pharmacies and doctors (Mohsin-Shaikh et al., 2019).

Missing Outcome Measures and Inter-professional Perspectives

Despite the success, some technical problems arose from telehealth implementation due to the lack of trained personnel. Patients also expressed concerns about technology’s impact on their privacy and confidentiality (Camhi et al., 2020; Bassan, 2020). Interviews with various stakeholders, including IT departments, doctors, nurses, and patients, highlighted the need for technological training and adherence to HIPAA guidelines to improve patient trust and satisfaction (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2020).

Additional Indicators and Protocols

To enhance the quality of care and boost patient satisfaction, Vila Health aims to prioritize patient-oriented systems, implement management systems for cost recovery, provide clear instructions and information to patients, focus on a well-trained workforce, and leverage newer technologies to improve care quality (Rao, 2020).

Conclusion

Telemedicine has shown promise in enhancing healthcare quality and reducing costs. While there have been some technical challenges, Vila Health is committed to improving its telehealth initiative by providing technological training and addressing patients’ concerns. NURS-FPX 6016 Assessment 2: Quality Improvement Initiative. A patient-centered approach, a well-trained workforce, and appropriate use of technology can contribute to the success of the quality improvement initiative and better patient outcomes.

References

Abramson, E. (2017). Causes and consequences of e-prescribing errors in community pharmacies. Integrated Pharmacy Research and Practice, 31. https://doi.org/10.2147/iprp.s64927

Adler, K. G. (2019). E-prescribing: Why the Fuss? Family Practice Management, 16(1), 22–27. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2019/0100/p22.html

Bassan, S. (2020). Data Privacy Considerations for Telehealth Consumers amid COVID-19. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsaa075

Breton, M., Sullivan, E. E., Deville-Stoetzel, N., McKinstry, D., DePuccio, M., Sriharan, A., Deslauriers, V., Dong, A., & McAlearney, A. S. (2021). Telehealth challenges during COVID-19 as reported by primary healthcare physicians in Quebec and Massachusetts. BMC Family Practice, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01543-4

Camhi, S. S., Herweck, A., & Perone, H. (2020). Telehealth training is essential to care for underserved populations: A medical student perspective. Medical Science Educator. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-020-01008-w

Gajarawala, S., & Pelkowski, J. (2020). Telehealth benefits and barriers. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(2), 218–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.09.013

HealthITSecurity. (2021, December 6). 81% of Telehealth Providers Are Concerned About Data Leakage. HealthITSecurity. https://healthitsecurity.com/news/81-of-telehealth-providers-are-concerned-about-data-leakage

Jessurun, J. G., Hunfeld, N. G. M., van Rosmalen, J., van Dijk, M., & van den Bemt, P. M. L. A. (2021). Effect of automated unit dose dispensing with barcode scanning on medication administration errors: An uncontrolled before-and-after study. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzab142

Mohsin-Shaikh, S., Furniss, D., Blandford, A., McLeod, M., Ma, T., Beykloo, M. Y., & Franklin, B. D. (2019). The impact of electronic prescribing systems on healthcare professionals’ working practices in the hospital setting: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4554-7

Rao, G. (2020). How can we improve patient care? Community Eye Health, 15(41), 1–3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1705904/

Willmington, C., Belardi, P., Murante, A. M., & Vainieri, M. (2022). The contribution of benchmarking to quality improvement in healthcare. A systematic literature review. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07467-8