Quality Improvement Commons^™

Bedside Safety Nurses: A Novel Approach To Reducing Patient Harm, Kenneth Forte, Corinne Booth Bsn, Rn, Nikki Campbell Bsn, Rn, Danielle Jimenez Msn, Rn, Alexandra Mingolello Bsn, Rn, Heather Nachilo Msn, Rn, Heidi Steller Msn, Rn, Joubin Bavarian Rn, Mary Christoffersen Dnp, Rn, Morine Cebert Phd, Aprn

Posters

The purpose of this longitudinal interventional pre-and post-intervention study was to assess the ability of Bedside Patient Safety Nurses to Identify and intervene in patient safety issues before they reach the patient.

Improving Employee Engagement Scores With Strategically Focused Improvement Coaching, Suneela Nayak, Natalia Johnson, Rebecca Brookes, Jessica Ladd, Meghan Flaherty, Mark Parker

Operations Transformation

Every three years, Maine Medical Center releases a Strategic Plan outlining high level priorities. This guides decision making, resource allocation and invited a call to action for engaged participation from providers and staff. Operational Excellence at MMC is leveraging a stable Daily Management System to strengthen strategy deployment by coaching teams and leaders to link local improvement initiatives with high level strategic priorities.

Improving Provider Retention Through Addressing Burnout At A Federally Qualified Health Center: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Emily Grattan

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Primary care providers employed by federally qualified health centers (FQHC) working with underserved populations experience high levels of burnout as patients are often medically complex, face healthcare disparities and societal stigmas. The aim of the project was to alleviate burnout and improve provider retention through introduction of organizational support measures. Participants involved were healthcare providers, as well as nurse management and senior leadership.

Methods: The quality improvement approach for this project utilized the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle and a driver diagram to guide the selected interventions. Interventions were based on categories from Mayo’s Clinic’s Nine Organizational Strategies to Promote Engagement …

Doubling Down On Sepsis: A Quality Improvement Project To Improve Sepsis Bundle Compliance On An Inpatient Oncology Unit, Kayla Slay

Dissertations

Problem: Sepsis is a leading cause of death worldwide, and the second most common cause of death in cancer patients. Early management of sepsis through use of sepsis bundles have been shown to improve patient outcomes, yet bundle adherence is unfortunately inconsistent.

Methods: A two-nurse team, called the Sepsis Sidekicks, was a process improvement initiative to increase compliance with the center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sepsis bundle and improve patient outcomes related to sepsis. The observational quality improvement project utilized a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model over a six-week period where quantitative data was collected using a retrospective chart review. …

An Analysis Of The Special Focus Facility Program And Nursing Home Quality, Annie S. Rhodes

Theses and Dissertations

The Special Focus Facility Program is an intensive program meant to rapidly support 88 of the lowest quality nursing homes in the United States, as determined by the Five-Star Quality Ranking system. There are also 435 facility candidates which are similarly low performing but not enrolled in the program. Academic literature has largely ignored this program, and the existing grey literature is more than a decade old and does not include COVID-19 data. Applying a political economy of aging framework and using a case matching methodology, Special Focus Facilities (SFF), Special Focus Facility Candidate (SFFc) nursing homes, and 5-star nursing …

Patient Satisfaction With Noise, Robert W. Kentner Ii

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Noise on hospital units can interfere with patient rest, timely recovery, and statisfacton with care. Improvements in the reduction of hospital noise levels lead to improved patient satisfaction and improved rest. Patients were surveyed on their satisfaction with noise during the day and at night.

PICOT: In Acute Care Patients (P), does the implementation of a noise reduction program (I) compared to no noise reduction program (C), affect patient satisfaction with noise (O) over a six-week period (T)?

Evidence: Studies show that many hospitals have noise levels that exceed the World Health Organization’s recommended standards for noise …

Effect Of Standardized Nurse Teaching On Patient Experience Using Cahps®, Julie Hake

Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to determine if a standardized nurse teaching approach improved patient understanding of diagnosis and treatment as it relates to women diagnosed with a pelvic floor disorder (PFD) after receiving a standardized nurse education (SNE) session in an urban tertiary care Urogynecology practice.

Methods: Females aged 18 and older with a newly diagnosed PFD and prescribed PFPT for the first time who agreed to receive the SNE and complete the CAHPS® survey were included in the project. Patient perception of PFPT was assessed via phone interview utilizing the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare …

What Are The Nurse’S Perception Of The Effectiveness Of The Electronic Go-Jo Monitoring System On Hand Hygiene Compliance And Hospital Acquired Infection’S?, Patricia James

Seton Hall University DNP Final Projects

Background: The importance of hand hygiene compliance in preventing hospital acquired infections is well known. Yet national averages for compliance rates with hand hygiene among healthcare workers remains unsatisfactory. Noncompliance with hand hygiene practices can contribute to increased patient mortality, prolonged length of hospitalization, increase healthcare costs and decreased reimbursement for hospitals from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Project Aim: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to explore the nurses’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the electronic Go-Jo monitoring system on hand hygiene compliance and hospital acquired infections. Methods: This was a performance …

Efficacy Of Quality Improvement And Patient Safety Workshops For Students: A Pilot Study, Kevin P Shah, Shreya Goyal, Vignesh Ramachandran, Jaden R Kohn, Jonathan A Go, Zachary Wiley, Anoosha Moturu, Meera K Namireddy, Anjali Kumar, Ryan C Jacobs, Matthew Stampfl, Jesal R Shah, Justin Fu, Weijie V Lin, Brandon Ho, Grace Wey, Sophie Y Lin, Andrew C Caruso, Lindsey Jordan Gay, Diana E Stewart, Sara Andrabi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: While the Association of American Medical Colleges encourages medical schools to incorporate quality improvement and patient safety (QI/PS) into their curriculum, medical students continue to have limited QI/PS exposure. To prepare medical students for careers that involve QI/PS, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement chapter at an allopathic medical school and school of allied health professions initiated self-directed learning by offering student-led workshops to equip learners with skills to improve the quality and safety of healthcare processes.

METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, workshops were hosted for medical students between 2015 and 2018 on five QI/PS topics: Process Mapping, Root-Cause …

A Quality Improvement Initiative To Manage Shingrix Vaccine Inventory In Ambulatory Clinics, Tracy Colburn

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

Background: Inventory control practices for adult vaccines, specifically Shingrix, in ambulatory clinics are not well known or researched. This quality improvement project takes place at a small healthcare organization consisting of a hospital and thirteen ambulatory clinics in Northern New England. Seven of the thirteen clinics have the Shingrix vaccine in their inventory.

Purpose: The aim of this quality improvement project was multifaceted. The first matter was the establishment of a two-week PAR level at seven of the thirteen ambulatory clinics connected to the organization. The second was the design and implementation of a Shingrix vaccine management program …