Identifying Practice Gaps for Quality Improvement Essay Paper
A practice gap for quality improvement refers to the difference between health care processes and outcomes observed in practice as opposed to those (processes and outcomes) that can be potentially obtained based on current professional capabilities and knowledge. In this case, the intention is to achieve quality health care in terms of the degree to which the services provided are consistent with the current professional knowledge and capabilities, and increase the probability of achieving the desired health outcomes for individuals and populations. For that matter, addressing a practice gap for quality improvement would entail targeting and influencing nursing structures, processes and outcomes with the intention of reducing the quality gap (Nash et al., 2019). This paper identifies missed communication at nurses shift change as a practice gap for quality improvement Identifying Practice Gaps for Quality Improvement Essay Paper.
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As mentioned, the potential quality improvement practice gap identified in the organization is the missed communication at nurses shift change. The communication failure among nurses, particularly those resulting from inadequate handoffs between nurses, is a significant factor that contributes to the occurrence of adverse events. This practice gap is implicated as a root cause of more than 70% of the sentinel events reported in the facility. It is notable that regardless of whether the communication occurs among nurses or between nurses and other professions, it is challenging to ensure that the right people get the right information at the right time to make the right interpretations and undertake the right actions (Koutoukidis & Stainton, 2020) Identifying Practice Gaps for Quality Improvement Essay Paper.
A handover shift report requires both relational and technical communication. That is, it requires that relevant information about a patient’s condition and care be transmitted during the shift change. The communication should be supported by interpersonal behaviors that create productive relationships and effective communications among nurses and between nurses and other medical professions. Although it is evident what a good handover report should entail, the organization does not have a standardized way of giving the report (DeNisco & Beauvais, 2020) Identifying Practice Gaps for Quality Improvement Essay Paper.
The proposal is presented for the identified practice gap to be addressed through two methods. First, the use of a standardized nursing handover shift report checklist that would offer guidance for ensuring that the right information is captured at the handover. A checklist creates the perception of psychological safety, trust and respect that encourage learning and sharing the right information. In addition, the checklist would improve relational communications, especially for the tired nurses at the end of the shift, as it would eliminate irrelevant and too many questions as well as mistimed questions. Besides that, a good checklist would encourage the right questions, improve attention to unusual information, and increase opportunities for learning, trust building and perspective taking (DeNisco & Beauvais, 2020) Identifying Practice Gaps for Quality Improvement Essay Paper.
Second, routine training on handover communication so that nurses are able to present and capture the factual clinical content at the handover. This training would make it clear that incoming and outgoing nurses experience handover differently. The incoming nurses are more energetic as they are beginning the shift and would be more appreciative of parity and connections. However, the incoming nurses should be made to understand that while they are more energetic, the outgoing nurses are likely to be tired and less active at the handover. If the incoming nurses is energetic and asks many questions, then the tired outgoing nurses is likely to feel that the preferred flow has been interrupted with the handover being undesirably lengthened (Koutoukidis & Stainton, 2020). There is an expectation that using a handover checklist and providing routine training on handover communication will help to improve nurse handover communication thereby addressing the identified practice gap Identifying Practice Gaps for Quality Improvement Essay Paper.
References
DeNisco, S. M. & Beauvais, A. M. (2020). Advanced Practice Nursing: Essential Knowledge for the Profession (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
Koutoukidis, G., & Stainton, K. (2020). Tabbner’s Nursing Care: Theory and Practice. Elsevier.
Nash, D. B., Joshi, M. S., Ransom, E. R., & Ransom, S. B. (Eds.). (2019). The Healthcare Quality Book: Vision, Strategy, and Tools (4th ed.). Health Administration Press Identifying Practice Gaps for Quality Improvement Essay Paper.
A practice gap is the difference between a desirable or achievable state of practice and current reality. For example, a common gap in practice in healthcare organizations today, are healthcare associated infections (HAIs), such as central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs), or catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). The ongoing identification of practice gaps is critical to quality improvement and involves identifying the current state, comparing that current state to the desired state, identifying the causes of the gaps in practice, and validating those gaps to develop a process for improvement. For this Discussion, reflect on quality improvement practice gaps that may exist in your practice or organization. Consider what quality improvement methods and/or tools might be useful in improving this practice gap Identifying Practice Gaps for Quality Improvement Essay Paper.
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Then, think about how you might address these challenges and what strategies you might implement as a future DNP-prepared nurse. To Prepare: Review the Learning Resources on tools and methods for quality improvement. Reflect on a potential quality improvement practice gap, you have seen in your practice or organization, which you might consider using for your DNP project. Consider the tools and methods you might use to address this quality improvement practice gap. Post a brief explanation of how you would identify a quality improvement practice gap in your practice or organization. Describe a potential quality improvement practice gap you might use for your DNP project, and explain why. Then, explain at least two types of tools and/or methods you might use to address this quality improvement practice gap, and explain why. Be specific and provide examples. Some references Nash, D. B., Joshi, M. S., Ransom, E. R., & Ransom, S. B. (Eds.). (2019). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools (4th ed.). Health Administration Press. Chapter 4, “Data Collection” (pp. 107–26) Chapter 5, “Statistical Tools for Quality Improvement” (pp. 127–169) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2018)). Key driver 2: Implement a data-driven quality improvement process to integrate evidence into practice procedures. https://www.ahrq.gov/evidencenow/tools/keydrivers/implement-qi.html Identifying Practice Gaps for Quality Improvement Essay Paper