Quality Improvement in Nursing
Introduction
Quality improvement in nursing refers to the systematic process that healthcare organizations use to monitor and assess the delivery of medical care to improve the quality of care provided. Medical professionals rely on a cyclic chain of activities that assist in the delivery of care and continuous improvement creates an ideal working environment. Organizations can therefore rely on quality improvement when trying to replace inefficient traditional concepts with more innovative approaches to improve the quality of care in healthcare organizations. This paper will therefore discuss the topic of quality improvement in the nursing unit; the role it plays in defining teamwork in respect to the health care system; and how accountability, advocacy, and collaboration of care augment the management of care.
Quality Improvement in the Nursing Unit
In nursing, quality improvement is essential as nurses have a direct effect on the quality of care offered, efficiency of care, and the attitude that patients have towards the type of treatment they receive and the overall quality of care offered.
Healthcare organizations must therefore use efficient programs in the delivery of care to help improve the quality of care offered and customer satisfaction with the type of care offered and healthcare organizations in general (Izumi, 2012). Shifting trends in the healthcare industry have however created an environment where the quality of care is determined by different factors. Other than the quality of treatment, patients rely on other experiences such as the level of professionalism demonstrated by caregivers, time spent waiting for lobbies, and attitudes from nurses when attending to patients (Weston & Roberts, 2013). Healthcare organizations must therefore seek out different avenues to improve all aspects of care delivery within the organization to create an ideal environment for both caregivers and their patients.
One approach that can be used to enhance quality in nursing units is developing a culture where work is performed through systems and processes. Instead of viewing the nursing unit as separate entities that perform specific tasks in the healthcare organization, the units should be considered as parts of the key processes in the delivery system that assists the entire organization to accomplish its objectives (Izumi, 2012). Any activity carried out by nurses should therefore be included in the overall process that determines the overall quality of care. The quality of care is likely to improve if nurses are treated with the same importance as other caregivers (Izumi, 2012). Enhancing all processes involved when attending to patients improves the quality of care offered as well as the attitude that patients have after visiting a medical institution.
Quality improvement should also guide nurses on how to focus the quality of care to suit the patient’s needs. When determining the quality of care offered, patients rely on their experiences when seeking treatment as well as the actual treatment. In most organizations, nurses take on the responsibility of attending to patients before they see a doctor and afterward during follow-ups or when seeking clarification about the type of treatment (Weston & Roberts, 2013). Although treatment involves different caregivers, the time a patient spends interaction with nurses makes up the majority of the time patients engage with their caregivers. Training nurses how to make the services they offer patient-centered is therefore likely to have a positive impact on the quality of care provided. A patient-centered approach ensures that caregivers are more committed to offering services that are in line with the patient’s preferences.
Accountability, Advocacy, and Collaboration and how they augment the management of care
- Accountability
Healthcare organizations should strive to ensure that nurses and other caregivers practice accountability, advocacy, and collaboration when performing duties. Accountability in nursing is important as it trains nurses on how to be responsible. As caregivers, nurses should be held accountable for their actions because mistakes or omissions made in any stage of the treatment process could affect the effectiveness of the treatments offered and the quality of service (Illiadi, 2020). Nurses should ensure that they follow the correct procedures and that any deviations or challenges experienced are communicated to the relevant departments. Accountability can also help to identify where mistakes were made and in so doing, facilitate faster conflict resolution.
- Advocacy
Enhancing accountability could also promote advocacy in nursing units. Although nurses greatly contribute to the overall quality of care that patients receive, individual contribution is just as important in maintaining the levels of quality established (Aveling et al, 2016). Nurses must therefore engage in routines that make their work easier and equips them with the skills and knowledge to accomplish their objectives. Through advocacy, nurses can create a culture where support is provided for individuals who have difficulty performing specific tasks (Aveling et al, 2016). Proper channels of communication can be used to discuss areas that individual nurses or units have difficulty in. other caregivers and more experienced nurses should also utilize the channels created to guide new nurses on how to go about performing their duties.
- Collaboration
Collaboration on the other hand strengthens the relationships that exist within nursing units and also among nurses and other caregivers. When attending to patients, treatment often involves contributions from different departments in the health facility (Dickerson, 2013). Patients pass through different departments such as the reception area, laboratories, x-ray rooms, and other departments depending on the type of medical care needed. The different departments work together to identify the medical condition the patient is suffering from before the doctor can recommend the correct treatment for the patient (Aveling et al, 2016). Collaboration is therefore important as it enhances the flow of information between departments and in so doing, offers better care to patients. It also enhances accountability by prompting each department to play their part and observe quality when attending to patients.
Teamwork with Respect to the Health Care Team
Accountability, advocacy, and collaboration in nursing can be enhanced through teamwork. With advancements in technology and patients’ desire for quality medical care, clinical care has become more complex and caregivers have to work in a team to offer the highest quality of care (Benishek et al, 2018). Through teamwork, caregivers can analyze current trends in the medical field; what forms of technology have been incorporated in the field of medicine; and what strategies can be used to adapt to these changes and maintain high standards of quality (Benishek et al, 2018). Teamwork is essential in that it helps to develop a clear guideline on how to implement certain procedures and what protocols to follow to enhance coordination between teams and other departments.
Nurses can form teams that are designed to handle different responsibilities and generate innovative ideas that can help to improve the quality of care. Nurses with specialized training and unique skills can be elected as team leaders and guided on how to train new nurses on how to excel at performing duties (Benishek et al, 2018). The teams can also help individuals to identify areas where they are weak in and develop routines to help caregivers gain new skills and knowledge that will go a long way towards enhancing the quality of care provided.
Conclusion
Quality management has become an integral part of how an organization goes about accomplishing their objectives. In the medical field, healthcare organizations are expected to uphold high standards of care and ensure that the processes involved when attending to patients are just as efficient as the treatment offered. Caregivers must therefore maintain high standards of care and be held accountable for the decisions they make when attending to patients. Organizations must therefore promote quality management as a way to ensure that patients get access to the best quality of care available.
References
Aveling, E. L., Parker, M., & Dixon-Woods, M. (2016). What is the role of individual accountability in patient safety? A multi-site ethnographic study. Sociology of health & illness, 38(2), 216–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12370
Dickerson S, (2013) “Whose job is it, anyway? The nurse’s role in advocacy and accountability” Ohio Nurse Foundation, retrieved from, https://d3ms3kxrsap50t.cloudfront.net/uploads/publication/pdf/883/OH9_13.pdf
Illiadi P, (2020) “Accountability and collaborative care: How inter-professional education promotes them” Health Science Journal, Iretrieved from, https://www.hsj.gr/medicine/accountability-and-collaborative-care-how- interprofessional-education-promotes-them.php?aid=3600
Izumi S. (2012). Quality improvement in nursing: administrative mandate or professional responsibility?. Nursing forum, 47(4), 260–267. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744- 6198.2012.00283.x
Roberts W and Weston M, (2013) “The influence of quality improvement efforts on patient outcomes and nursing work: A perspective from chief nursing officers at three large health systems” The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, retrieved from, https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/O JIN/TableofContents/Vol-18-2013/No3-Sept-2013/Quality-Improvement-on-Patient- Outcomes.html
Rosen, M. A., DiazGranados, D., Dietz, A. S., Benishek, L. E., Thompson, D., Pronovost, P. J., & Weaver, S. J. (2018). Teamwork in healthcare: Key discoveries enabling safer, high- quality care. The American psychologist, 73(4), 433–450. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000298
