Summary C489 Task 1 .docx C489 Organizational Systems and Quality Leadership €“ C489 TASK 1 Western Governors University Organizational Systems and Quality Leadership

1 C489 Organizational Systems and Quality Leadership – C489 TASK 1 Western Governors University Organizational Systems and Quality Leadership Task 1 A. Understanding of Nursing Quality Indicators For the task assigned I will be using nursing quality indicators (NQI) to help identify potential issues that may affect Mr. J’s care. Nursing quality indicators include using outcome, structure, and processes to reflect on parts of nursing care. In the case involving Mr, J., NQI’s could have been assessed to help guide the staff’s behavior in three ways. Those ways include prevention of pressure ulcers, use of restraints, and following cultural beliefs regarding food choices. According to Montalvo et al., 2007, these standards are part of national standards set to evaluate nursing quality care. In the situation of Mr. J’s care, the staff had placed Mr. J in restraints. When a patient is in restraints, they have limited range of motion and ability to reposition themselves in bed. The inability to adjust the pressure on bony prominences can irritate and increases the risk of skin breakdown. Once Mr. J’s daughter pointed out to the staff that there was a reddened depressed area on his lower back over a bony prominence that should have been a red flag to staff that there is the potential for a pressure ulcer to develop. The development of a pressure ulcer adds additional complications to Mr. J’s care. A pressure ulcer opens the door for an increased risk of infection. Additionally, a hospital-acquired pressure ulcer means that the February 4, 2021 1 / 2 2 hospital would be responsible for payment for the patient’s hospital stay. Wound care would now need to be involved in the patient’s care. Wound care is a great resource that provides direction for the best ways to care for a pressure ulcer. Pressure ulcers are easily preventable by frequently repositioning patients that are unable to move around frequently. A better understanding of the NQI’s by the nursing staff could help in the prevention of negative patient outcomes, in this case, the prolonged stay and potential repeat hospitalizations for the care of a pressure ulcer. B. Advancing Quality Patient Care To determine the efficacy of a quality indicator there must be a collection of data. The development of The National Database of Nursing Quality Indications (NDNQI) allows for information to be objectively collected into a single database. The NDNQI allows hospitals to view past and current data to assist in the adjustment of structures of care that build the foundation for better patient care and outcomes (Montalvo, 2007). The ability to analyze the data found in the NDNQI database allows hospitals the opportunity for increased education to nurses and nursing staff in the areas that show a significant need for improvement. Hospitals can use data obtained from the nursing staff to help set goals to assist in improving patient care. The hospital can encourage staff to come up with ideas to improve numbers in categories where the hospital scores lower than the desired level. Frequent education that reflects the most up to date information will also help the nursing staff be able to provide the best patient education. Data from the NDNQI has gone a long way to improving patient outcomes in regards to central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). In the way of foley catheters, the indicators have shown frequent assessment of the site, proper foley care, and hand hygiene have significantly reduced infections in patients. This February 4, 2021