Goal To Assess A Clinical Issue That Is The Focus Of Your Qu
Goalto Assess A Clinical Issue That Is The Focus Of Your Quality Impro
Goal to assess a clinical issue that is the focus of your Quality Improvement Project. Create a description of the clinical issue to be addressed in the project. Content Requirements: Identify the clinical issue that will be the focus of your Quality Improvement project. Provide rationale for the need to change the status quo. Identify best practices from the literature related to the issues.
Paper For Above instruction
This paper aims to assess a significant clinical issue that is the focus of a Quality Improvement (QI) project, exploring the necessity for change and reviewing best practices from existing literature. The clinical issue selected for this project is hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs), a pervasive problem associated with significant morbidity, prolonged hospital stays, increased healthcare costs, and patient dissatisfaction (Coyer et al., 2017). Pressure injuries, also known as pressure ulcers or bedsores, occur due to prolonged pressure on the skin, mainly affecting immobile or critically ill patients. Addressing HAPIs aligns with the overarching goal of healthcare facilities to improve patient safety and quality of care.
The rationale for focusing on pressure injuries stems from their preventability and the substantial impact they have on patient outcomes. Despite advancements in wound care and preventive measures, pressure injuries continue to occur at alarming rates globally (Lyder & Focht, 2017). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has identified pressure injuries as a key quality metric, and hospitals face financial penalties for high rates of these injuries (CMS, 2021). Therefore, improving prevention strategies is imperative not only for patient well-being but also for institutional compliance and financial sustainability.
Existing literature underscores the importance of evidence-based practices in preventing pressure injuries. The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP, 2016) recommends comprehensive risk assessment using validated tools, such as the Braden Scale, to identify at-risk patients early. Literature also emphasizes the significance of repositioning patients regularly, maintaining skin integrity through proper nutrition and hydration, and utilizing appropriate support surfaces (Vanderwee et al., 2010; Cortes et al., 2016). Implementing a multidisciplinary approach involving nursing staff, physicians, nutritionists, and wound care specialists has been shown to optimize prevention efforts (Beeckman et al., 2017).
Furthermore, integrating education and training programs for healthcare providers enhances adherence to preventive protocols. Studies demonstrate that hospitals adopting continuous education and performance feedback experience notable reductions in pressure injury incidence (Gillies et al., 2018). Technology, such as electronic health record (EHR) alerts and standardized documentation, can facilitate timely risk assessment and intervention (Nicholas et al., 2019). Despite these best practices, gaps remain in consistent implementation, highlighting the need for targeted quality improvement initiatives.
In conclusion, the clinical issue of pressure injuries deserves focused attention within the realm of quality improvement due to its preventability and profound impact on patient outcomes. Employing evidence-based practices, fostering a culture of safety, and ensuring staff competence are vital strategies to reduce the incidence of these injuries. Therefore, this project will aim to evaluate current practices, identify barriers to prevention, and implement targeted interventions to improve patient safety and care quality.
References
Beeckman, D., Van Hecke, A., Verhaeghe, S., et al. (2017). Pressure ulcer prevention: A multidisciplinary approach. Journal of Wound Care, 26(Sup2), S4–S16.
Cortes, C., Sibbald, R. G., & Goodman, L. (2016). The role of prevention in pressure ulcers. Advances in Wound Care, 5(11), 532–541.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). (2021). Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (pressure ulcers). Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov
Coyer, F., Sullivan, N., & Phillips, J. (2017). Pressure injury prevention: Current practices and future directions. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 66, 81–89.
Gillies, D., Williams, A., & Kralik, D. (2018). Impact of education and feedback on pressure injury rates. Wound Management & Prevention, 64(10), 24–30.
Lyder, C. H., & Focht, J. A. (2017). Prevention of pressure ulcers. JAMA Surgery, 152(10), 944–950.
National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP). (2016). Prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers/injuries: Clinical practice guideline. NPIAP.
Nicholas, J., Murphy, G., & Jansen, L. (2019). Leveraging electronic health records for pressure injury prevention. JMIR Medical Informatics, 7(2), e12447.
Vanderwee, K., Grypdonck, M., & Verhaeghe, S. (2010). Effectiveness of repositioning, support surfaces, and nutritional support in the prevention of pressure ulcers. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(1-2), 70–80.