Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Reduction Of Order-To-Scan Times To Increase Patient Throughput And Improve Patient Outcomes: A Quality Improvement Project, Jason Harrington

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Throughput is a key metric for both the emergency department and the hospital system. Diagnostic tests, such as CT scans, can lead to a large delay in patient throughput which can negatively impact patient satisfaction and patient outcomes. Finding ways to reduce delays in CT scan acquisition can positively impact patient satisfaction and patient outcomes.

Aim: The specific aim of this quality improvement project was to decrease the amount of time it takes to complete abdominal CT scans with IV contrast once ordered from 61 minutes to below 35 minutes by July 1^st, 2022

Methods: Plan was …

Increasing Perioperative Nurse Knowledge Of Preoperative Urine Pregnancy Testing: A Quality Improvement Project, Brooke K. Hall

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Nurses in the perioperative environment are responsible for assessing patients prior to undergoing surgery. Preoperative urine pregnancy testing is utilized to determine the pregnancy status of patients. Various risks of anesthesia and surgery exist for pregnant patients and the fetus. The perioperative nurse must be knowledgeable about these risks and ensure preoperative urine pregnancy tests are obtained when appropriate.

Local Problem: Within this microsystem, a gap in knowledge of perioperative nurses related to the nature and significance and institutional policy for preoperative urine pregnancy testing was identified.

Aim: The aim of this project was to increase knowledge of preoperative …

Documenting Body Mass Index And Lifestyle Counseling For Pediatric Patients: A Quality Improvement Project At A Federally Qualified Healthcare Facility, Taylor R. Graziano

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Screening and monitoring growth throughout childhood and adolescence, as well as providing the necessary education on positive lifestyle choices is vital in combating the childhood obesity epidemic. Counseling children on the importance of nutrition and physical activity also helps to prevent numerous comorbid conditions associated with obesity. The United States. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that healthcare workers screen for obesity at least annually in all patients 3-17 years of age, as well as offer lifestyle counseling regardless of Body Mass Index ranking.

Aim: The aim of this quality improvement project was to improve the current percentage of pediatric …

Enhancing Patient Safety By Promoting The Use Of The Electronic Medication Administration Record During The Preparation Of Injectable Medications: A Quality Improvement Project, Michael Ferrone

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Patient safety is a top priority for registered nurses (RNs) while caring for individuals in the healthcare setting. Of the various responsibilities of an inpatient RN, administering injectable medications pose significant risks to patients if done incorrectly. Given these known risks, the RNs of an inpatient medical-surgical microsystem were studied during the process of preparing these medications.

Local Problem: Through observations (N = 20), it was noticed that 13 (65%) of the preparations were done at a location referred to as the nurse server counter. This is problematic since this location does not provide the RN with access …

Improving Patient Safety In The Post-Anesthesia Care Unit By Identifying Nurses’ Perceived Barriers To The Implementation Of Barcode Medication Administration, Colleen Gauvin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: In the landmark report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System published by the Institute of Medicine in 1999, it was estimated that 98,000 Americans die annually due to medical mistakes (Institute of Medicine et al., 2000). Since then, major advancements have been made to improve patient safety in the United States relating to safe medication administration. Barcode medication administration (BCMA) is a technology that was designed to help decrease medication errors by automating the five rights of medication administration (Thompson et al., 2018). BCMA was first utilized at a Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center in …

Reducing Patient Handoff Inadequacies Using An Electronic Medical Record Based Standardized Handoff Tool In The Critical Care Unit, Mariah E. Needham

Master's Theses and Capstones

INTRODUCTION: Inadequate handoff communication is a contributing factor in sentinel events and adverse patient outcomes. Research has shown that the use of a standardized handoff tool can improve quality of handoff communication. This quality improvement (QI) project sought to standardize handoff and reduce the risk of adverse patient outcomes by utilizing the I-PASS handoff tool available in the electronic medical record (EMR).

AIM: The aim of this quality improvement project was to improve the accuracy of nurse-to-nurse patient handoffs.

METHODS: The outcomes measured by the post-intervention survey were the number of reported handoffs received with omissions, the percentage of staff …

Increasing Patient Satisfaction With Noise Reduction On Medical Surgical Units: A Quality Improvement Project, Chennah Sharpe

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Noise has been linked to negative impacts on patient’s rest, length of stay (LOS), the immune system’s ability to fight infections, pain and anxiety levels, and readmission rates. Quality improvement projects in non-intensive care units are needed to determine major causes of noise and factors which impact patients’ rest, perception of noise, and satisfaction with medical-surgical unit care.

Aim: The global aim of this quality improvement project was to increase medical-surgical patients’ satisfaction by reducing the impact of noise in their inpatient stay. The specific aim was to increase the percent of patients, who responded Always to the Hospital …

Improving Breastfeeding Establishment By Reducing The Use Of Bottles And Artificial Nipples With Medically Needed Supplementation In Full-Term Breastfed Infants: A Quality Improvement Project, Sara Fazzi Garcia

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Breastfeeding has long been strongly recommended by national and international organizations as a prevention of many common and chronic diseases. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was developed to motivate hospitals to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. This Quality Improvement (QI) project aims at supporting the continuation of the Baby-Friendly designation at the organization is being implemented, by focusing on reducing the use of bottles and artificial nipples for medically necessary supplementation for full-term breastfed newborns.

Methods: The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework was utilized to guide this quality improvement project.

Intervention: Educational posters on the interference of the use …

Improving Health Literacy Among Veterans Through An Educational Campaign On Urgent And Emergent Care: A Quality Improvement Project, Emily Dimarino

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Inappropriate use of the VAMC UCC can translate to delays in care and costly transfers. A local VAMC UCC noted that many of their veterans presented for care at the UCC rather than choose to seek care at a local emergency department. This quality improvement project focused on the impact of educational handouts in improving understanding of the VAMC UCC capabilities to overall reduce inappropriate visits and delays in patient care. Methods: Veteran participants utilizing the UCC (n = 10) completed pre-intervention surveys regarding their current health literacy using the Brief Health Literacy screening tool (BRIEF), as well as …

Increasing Rn Attendance In Family-Centered Rounds: A Quality Improvement Project, Katherine Power

Master's Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Decreasing Delays Within The Perioperative Unit Caused By Cases Of Hypoglycemia Through Nursing Continuing Education: A Quality Improvement Project, Jesse Bardis

Master's Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Quality Improvement Initiative Through Staff Development: Using Education To Increase Preoperative Handoff Communication, Victoria L. Mcgovern

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abstract

Background: Handoff communication is essential for patient safety, especially in the perioperative setting as a critical care environment. Preoperative communication between operating room nurses and preoperative room nurses was suboptimal in a local microsystem as evidenced by pre-intervention data collection where 82% of cases did not participate in handoff, 11% with partial adherence of policy and only 7% in full adherence. The global aim of this project was to improve the handoff communication between the preoperative nurse and operating room nurse in the surgical day center (SDC) within the chosen microsystem to promote patient safety and positive patient outcomes. …

Improving Disinfectant Cap Use On Central Lines In The Icu To Reduce Patient Risk For Clabsi: A Quality Improvement Project, Tali Cherim

Master's Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are the most common type of preventable healthcare-associated bloodstream infection, and may increase length of stay (LOS), facility treatment costs, and patient mortality rates. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients are especially vulnerable to CLABSI due to their critical health conditions and other comorbid factors. A literature review provided evidence supporting the use of alcohol-impregnated disinfectant caps, such as SwabCap®, on central line (CL) ports to significantly reduce patients’ risk for CLABSI. This quality improvement project took place within an adult ICU of a Level II trauma facility in New England, where the Infection Prevention …

Improving The Patient Repositioning Process: A Quality Improvement Project, Sydney Elizabeth Mcgough

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Research has shown that visual turn reminders can improve patient repositioning to prevent pressure injuries. The aim of this quality improvement project was to improve adherence to repositioning by increasing the perceived usefulness of the visual turn reminder.

Methods: A pre-intervention survey was distributed to 70 staff members with 22 responses. Staff were given the opportunity to recommend changes to the visual reminders and were informed that feedback would lead to the identification of common themes. Based on feedback, high visibility turn reminders were developed and implemented on the unit. A post-intervention survey was distributed to the same 70 …

Ophthalmic Nursing Education: The Key To Unlocking Patient Access To Retina Services, Jacob P. Mcginnis

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Ophthalmology, the medical field dedicated to the human eye and visual system infrequently uses nurses due to a lack of nursing knowledge about ophthalmology.

Local Problem: An ophthalmic microsystem in the Northeastern United States is experiencing increased demand for services and decreased access to their retina section. The microsystem does not utilize nurses in the clinic because of education and training barriers. The specific aim of this quality improvement (QI) project is to increase nursing knowledge about ophthalmology from baseline to an overall passing score of 80%.

Methods: This QI project sought to see if registered nurses could …

Standardizing Nursing Hand-Off Report Using I-Pass On A Behavioral Health Unit: A Quality Improvement Project, Sarah Pennisten

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Deficient or ineffective communication in clinical hand-off has been established by prominent international health organizations as a significant cause of adverse clinical events, compromising clinical safety, an ongoing common problem for healthcare professionals and institutions. Existing literature unanimously called for improvement in hand-off communication to improve patient outcomes and recommended beginning such efforts by building various types of structure into hand-off (McCloughen et al., 2008).

Aim: The aim of this quality improvement project was to improve clinical communication among nurses transferring care of patients in acute psychiatric care.

Methods: Utilizing the Plan, Do, Study, Act framework over a total …

Let’S Get Moving To Reduce Falls: Nurses Increase Patient Mobilization After Brief Training, Thomas Langley

Master's Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Patients in hospitals are at a high risk for falls. There are many reasons for this, but one common reason is that patients in hospitals spend a lot of time being inactive. The less time patients spend being mobile, the less capable they are of maintaining mobility and the more likely they are to fall. During the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wildcat Hospital experience their fall rates increase two- to three-fold on inpatient units.

METHODS: This quality improvement project was guided by the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) framework to improve nurse knowledge of mobility and …

Promoting Postpartum Knowledge And Support Through The Provision Of Educational And Support Resources During The Postpartum Admission Stay: A Quality Improvement Project, Danielle Woodman

Master's Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: The postpartum period is often imbued with heightened emotions, unfamiliar challenges, and an abundance of uncertainty. Postpartum depression and anxiety are well discussed in literature, yet postpartum mothers may lack knowledge of these conditions and their associated risk factors, signs, and symptoms as well as the support resources which are available to them. Improved postpartum support and awareness may alleviate the prevalence, severity, and progression of these conditions into more severe cases.

LOCAL PROBLEM: Within the given microsystem, a gap in postpartum educational and support resources exists due to a lack of resource awareness and ease of accessibility.

METHODS: …

Implementing Educational Initiatives To Decrease Contamination And Costs In The Blood Culture Specimen Collection Process, Hannah M. Mcguire

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: The diagnosis of sepsis in a patient presenting with symptoms includes the collection of blood cultures which identifies the presence of specific infectious agents. The culture result will identify the organism as well as report sensitivity to various antimicrobial agents to allow the healthcare provider to determine the specific set of treatments, specifically antibiotics, that will be included in the medication regimen in combating the infection. When blood specimens become contaminated in the collection process, it hinders the success of rapidly treating these patients as repeat cultures will likely need to be completed for accurate treatment. This becomes a …