Informatics and Nursing Sensitive Quality Indicator

Hello dear members, my name is Julian Nkem and we are extremely glad to recruit some of the brightest minds in this field to facilitate our patients and practitioners’ teams. Today, I am greatly excited to assist you with the understanding of our improvements in the overall healthcare system and how we are innovating towards using the Nursing Sensitive Quality Indicators or NDNQI approach to improve the outcomes of quality care in our prestigious healthcare organization (Vila Health Hospital). These nursing sensitive quality indicators were first introduced in 1998 by the the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) to track and report the quality indicators that strongly impact the performance of nurses in healthcare organizations (Merkley, 2018). 

What is NDQI and the Nursing Quality Indicators 

Today, we are proud to use the NDNQI’s approach or framework to track hospital’s performance and compare our nursing actions against hospital data. This data will help us to establish the evidence-based practice guidelines to improve our inpatient and outpatient tactics and strategies. This presentation is a part of improving our quality of nursing care through a series of educational and outreach programs. 

NURS FPX 4040 Assessment.4 Informatics and Nursing Sensitive Quality Indicators JJ

The quality indicators related to the NDNQI are categorized into three forms. For instance, firstly, we use structure as a vital component of the overall NDNQI framework. Then we include processes and evaluate outcomes. For your information, I would like to disclose that Avedis Donabed, the great theorist and a researcher first included these three attributes or elements into the NDNQI framework. There are four types of nursing sensitive quality indicators such as nurse-focused outcomes, patient-focused outcomes, organizational-focused, and nursing-focused interventions and processes.

The Chosen Indicator and its Importance

NURS FPX 4040 Assessment.4 Informatics and Nursing Sensitive Quality Indicators JJ

Moreover, according to Kieft (2018), a significant problem in medical healthcare organizations is the increasing number of medical errors that are stressing nurses and increasing their fatigues. This means that nurses are doing several tasks with an increasing quantity but decreasing quality. For example, the research by Alharbi (2020) states that nurses perform several tasks such as specimen collection, monitor procedures, patient assessments, and record patients’ data in addition to responding to their families. They are often stressed by heavy patient tasks and assignments and they need an informatics solution to leverage the use of technology to streamline all their tasks. 

For this research and data collection, I have chosen to focus on the Outcome Indicator that deals with quantity and quality of nursing care to improve patient care outcomes.  This helped many hospitals like us to build a link between quality nursing outcomes and the processes and structures they follow. This is the prime reason why we believe that our nurses at Vila Health Hospital must possess and build knowledge of such vital components or indicators to better monitor outcomes. Some of our esteemed nurses like you are involved in patient care activities 24 hours a day and we appreciate their hard work. Some of you are involved in research and development and data collection. This will lead to promoting advanced quality outcomes for the organization and will also allow our nurses to improve safety outcomes. Therefore, the focus of this audio presentation is to explore the use of informatics support to measure the nursing-sensitive quality indicator data. I will present you the details regarding a single nursing sensitive quality indicator to promote accurate reporting and improve outcome of results. 

The Role of Nurses in Accurate Data Reporting 

According to the interview, the findings suggest that in our healthcare settings, nurses spend vital time on documentation and reporting procedures to disseminate the right information to the right personnel. However, due to the Data Protection Act of 1988, nurses are also responsible for increasing scrutiny and safety of record-keeping in the system to ensure patient safety outcomes (). This means that nurses should understand their role of accurately keeping and sending the record of a patient’s treatment and it should also provide clear evidence of their patient care plan. However, some nurses face serious allegations due to not following the safety procedures related to the use of EHR information and IT systems. Therefore, in the legal perspective, if something is not recorded in the system, the court of law deems it not present at the moment. Moreover, not entering the data accurately in the system can result in serious misunderstandings between nurses and physicians to devise the perfect interventions. The lack of accurate data can rob both nurses and doctors to perform their duties with quality. This shows that nurses have a professional as well as a legal and an ethical duty to store patients’ records accurately in the EHR and ensure accurate data dissemination. 

The importance of This Indicator

This means using technological solutions will enhance the power of nurses to handle large volumes of work on a daily basis and will also improve their strength to deliver quality and error-free work to improve patient care outcomes (Gao, 2018). This nursing sensitive quality indicator is a vital part of the equation in order to promote evidence-based practices in Vila Health Hospital. This implies that using the appropriate technology to streamline the quantity and quality of nurses in our hospital helps to measure and improve their outcomes and will also facilitate nurses to document and report their responsibilities effectively. Use of informatics can be the best value proposition for our organization in the US. For instance, utilizing and implementing Medicare Electronic Health Records (EHR) will allow nurses to share patients’ information more effectively with their parents and family members. This is supported by the research published by Kieft (2018) who advocates the use of EHR systems to track, use, and collect the vital data and deliver high-quality care. The research states that patient safety and improved delivery is ensured using EHR informatics because it helps to take notes and deliver them to physicians and nurses. This allows them to prepare prescriptions and discuss problems in addition to perfuming a patient status monitoring task. Therefore, IT technology promises better quality of care and safety of patients by ensuring their private information is not leaked or delivered to any unauthorized individuals. Implementing EHR informatics will support the broader safety and quality improvement goals of Vila Health hospital to continuously improve its image in the public. 

NURS FPX 4040 Assessment.4 Informatics and Nursing Sensitive Quality Indicators JJ

Why Do Nurses Need to Be Aware of This Indicator

Moreover, Merkley (2018) suggests that clinical documentation can be completed using IT systems in hospitals effectively because it helps to show patient information and test results. The statistics shows that 90% of the hospitals use IT-based systems that streamline the production of electronic clinical documentation of discharge summaries. This way, the nurses are able to provide the right drugs to patients and also ensure good accounting for medication. Hence, this addresses our chosen nursing sensitive quality indicator of impact on quantity and quality of nursing care in Vila Health Hospital and how it can positively help our dedicated nurses to leverage their safety and quality outcomes. Therefore, improving the nursing quality of care in terms of quantity and quality can be greatly influenced by the use of the EHR system to enhance their patient care outcomes. 

Collection and Distribution of Quality Indicator Data

Moreover, for this research-based task, I have chosen to record the interview of Dr. Raymond Dallas who is the best familiar with quality monitoring and the in-charge of our ICU and psychiatric ward. We are extremely lucky in the United States to have a staff of over 600 professionals who show commitment to enhancing their knowledge base and share it with others on a regular basis. The company name Press Ganey manages the NDNQI that provides us the surveys for collecting data and also provides the research reports that focus on statistics. Several other scholars such as Start (2018)  and   Myers (2018) have agreed that this data is vital to help facilities improve their reporting outcomes. Therefore, using that data, Vila Health Hospital will take a step to ensure patient safety and improve its company reports structure and delivery. This means that our nurses will play an indispensable role in collecting data in our interdisciplinary teams using online surveys. These surveys will be provided to various team members including Dr. Raymond Dallas who is the chief mentor for the nursing team as well as our most senior professional. 

NURS FPX 4040 Assessment.4 Informatics and Nursing Sensitive Quality Indicators JJ

Nurses are responsible significantly to collect and report data for the purpose of NDNQI. This data or information will help nurses to improve their patient safety and care outcomes to enhance their experience. In Vial Health Hospital, we collect and deliver data using online survey methods. Our chief nursing officer Dr. Melinda checks her email daily and sends surveys to other staff nurses and doctors. Dr. Dallas stated that the lag time between recording data and sending the data forms has reduced over the past couple of months; this shows a sign of improvement in data collection speed. Moreover, the dissemination of data is done using reports to Press Ganey. This data may include the vital patient admission and discharge dates or the length of stay. Therefore, nurses do a good job of following the hospital’s policy and enter data as soon as they receive a survey online. Therefore, not providing data accurately and using the EHR and email systems would result in a disaster that may reduce the quality of care and patient safety (Thomas-Hawkins, 2017). 

What is Done with the Data?

Now, let me explain to you what our hospital does with the collected data. The information is analysed and entered into the system to show how the nursing care is provided and improved in our hospital. This also provides Dr. Dallas and other senior nurses to make vital decisions related to quality care outcomes and using technologies in our organization. 

The Conclusion

I must conclude that the contribution of Vila Health Hospital in the adoption of IT informatics is wonderful to impact the quality of nursing care and ensuring safety of patients. The nursing sensitive quality indicator chosen in this recording was “nursing quality of care outcomes using IT informatics” to improve their quality of care and patient safety. The data is provided to our practitioners to support decision-making. The staff relies on the commitment of nurses to enter the accurate data into the EHR systems to make improvements in quality. 

References

Alharbi, J., Jackson, D., & Usher, K. (2020). Compassion fatigue in critical care nurses and its impact on nurse-sensitive indicators in Saudi Arabian hospitals. Australian Critical Care, 33(6), 553-559.

Gao, J. L., Liu, X. M., Che, W. F., & Xin, X. (2018). Construction of nursing‐sensitive quality indicators for haemodialysis using Delphi method. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(21-22), 3920-3930.

Kieft, R. A. M. M., Stalpers, D., Jansen, A. P. M., Francke, A. L., & Delnoij, D. M. J. (2018). The methodological quality of nurse-sensitive indicators in Dutch hospitals: A descriptive exploratory research study. Health Policy, 122(7), 755-764.

Merkley, J., Amaral, N., Sinno, M., Jivraj, T., Mundle, W., & Jeffs, L. (2018). Developing a Nursing Scorecard Using the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators®: A Canadian Hospital’s Experience. Nursing Leadership (Toronto, Ont.), 31(4), 82-91.

Merkley, J., Amaral, N., Sinno, M., Jivraj, T., Mundle, W., & Jeffs, L. (2018). Developing a Nursing Scorecard Using the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators®: A Canadian Hospital’s Experience. Nursing Leadership (Toronto, Ont.), 31(4), 82-91.

NURS FPX 4040 Assessment.4 Informatics and Nursing Sensitive Quality Indicators JJ

Myers, H., Pugh, J. D., & Twigg, D. E. (2018). Identifying nurse-sensitive indicators for stand-alone high acuity areas: A systematic review. Collegian, 25(4), 447-456.

Start, R., Matlock, A. M., Brown, D., Aronow, H., & Soban, L. (2018). Realizing momentum and synergy: Benchmarking meaningful ambulatory care nurse-sensitive indicators. Nursing Economics, 36(5), 246-251.

Thomas-Hawkins, C., Latham, C. E., & Hain, D. J. (2017). Emphasizing the Value of Nephrology Nursing Through Nursing-Sensitive Indicators: A Call for Action. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 44(4)