A quality improvement strategy to improve health is to observe a problem at a hospital, gather data on what is causing the issue, create a plan to address it, implement the plan, and evaluate the outcomes (McEwen & Wills, 2023). An example of this is medication errors in the hospital setting. The first step is to observe and take note of the medication errors that have occurred recently. Next, data should be gathered on why the med errors are happening. This could be because the nurse is overworked and bypassing security measures such as medication alert pop-ups in order to save time. Or this could be because there are not enough safety measures in place such as scanning the medicine bar codes, pop up alerts, or two-nurse sign offs for high risk medication. After the data on what is causing the errors is discovered, a plan should be made and implemented to address this.
The most important part of quality improvement strategies is evaluating the outcomes of the changes. If the results are increased or no-change med errors, then the quality improvement project should be modified or abandoned. Something I can do at work is use bar codes for scanning meds, and if I have a high workload I can prioritize med pass over less vital tasks. I can apply this to my nursing practice by noticing a problem on the floor, bringing it up to management, offering my observations for data collection, implementing the plan, and offering my observations on the outcomes. The assimilation of quality improvement strategies enhance leadership by setting a good example for other nurses to improve practice, which enhances patient care and satisfaction. Nurses lead everyday through their actions. A nurse leader is defined by their actions such as education and quality of practice, collaboration and communication, and advocacy for staff and patients (McEwen & Wills, 2023). When a nurse leader practices the new quality improvement project, other nurses will notice and trust that implementing the new quality improvement is in the best interest of the patients and staff.
References
McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2023). Theoretical Basis for Nursing (6th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
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