Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Keep The Beat With Heart Failure Education: A Quality Improvement Project, Brenda L. Peterson

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem: Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is the number one diagnosis-related group (DRG) for people 65 years of age and older in the United States. This disease group is complicated and debilitating, requiring frequent hospitalizations with high mortality rates. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has identified CHF as an area for improvement in hospitals.

Context: This was a quality improvement project for an integrated medical center in the Central Valley, California with over 19,000 HF patients. In 2018, for patients 65 years and older, HF is the third-most admitted DRG …

Eye Examination:Satisfying A Quality Care Measure In Diabetes, Meera Shekar

Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a microvascular complication occurs in patients with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (DM). A known risk of increased visual impairment associated with DM occurs in patients when the glycosylated hemoglobin level (HbA1c) increases over 7.0%. Therefore, an annual retinal assessment as a quality care measure in diabetes management is necessary. The conducted study aimed to evaluate the documentation of an annual eye exam in all patients with DM in a private family practice clinic and to investigate any possible association between HbA1c level.

Method: This quality improvement study included a retrospective medical record review in …

Quiet At Night: A Quality Improvement Project, Maria Novales-Fiel

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem: Providing a quiet environment is essential in patient’s healing and recovery. Last year, the October 15 through May 17 survey period resulted at a 2 Star Rating for the hospital, which is below the top 25th percentile. This result along with the patient population, telemetry designation, and unit size prompted the selection of the inpatient telemetry unit in Northern California for the change strategy plan.

Context: The microsystem is a 24-bed adult inpatient telemetry unit in Northern California. Assessment of the unit shows that inconsistencies exist when it comes to bundling care at night. Doors are …

Forensic Patient Flow: An Imbalance Between Capacity And Demand, Versie J. Bellamy

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The United States (U.S.) has an ever-growing incarcerated population. The sheer volume of this population coupled with inefficient patient flow through the judicial and health care systems, create a large imbalance between the high demand for services and the capacity to deliver them. The delay in criminal defendants accessing mental health services is impacted by the lack of patient flow, which creates barriers to entering and exiting the forensic hospital system. The increasing demand for inpatient forensic services, coupled with a static supply of resources, warrants further intervention by treatment and service providers. Identifying and removing barriers to patient …