Discussion Question:
The Joint Commission determines the highest priority patient safety issues and how best to address them, including as a National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG). Access the Joint Commission website for the most current NPSGs. Select one or more NPSGs and address the following: Explain the rationale for applying the NPSG in nursing practice. Discuss some of the benefits and/or challenges of implementing the NPSG in a health care organization? How does appropriate application of the elements of performance in the NPSG reduce negative patient outcomes?
Assignment:
Reflect upon the patient experience, patient safety, and healthcare cost as well as Joint Commission’s role in quality healthcare. Write a paper that addresses the following questions:
- How would you apply the principles of the Triple Aim initiative to improve quality, safety and satisfaction in the acute care or long-term care setting?
- Reflect on your current or future role in healthcare. How you would you, in the role of director of nursing or healthcare administrator contribute to improving cost effective quality care, patient satisfaction, and patient safety?
- What practices would you apply to minimize medical errors among front-line nursing staff?
Assignment Expectations
Length: 1500-2000 words in length
Structure: Include a title page and reference page in APA format. These do not count towards the minimal word amount for this assignment. Your essay must include an introduction and a conclusion.
References: Use the appropriate APA style in-text citations and references for all resources utilized to answer the questions. A minimum of two (2) scholarly sources are required for this assignment.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction: The Joint Commission sets National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) to increase patient safety in healthcare organizations. As a medical professor designing college assignments, it is important for students to understand these goals and how implementing them can benefit patients and organizations.
Answer to Discussion Question: One NPSG identified by the Joint Commission is improving the accuracy of patient identification. Applying this NPSG in nursing practice ensures that patients receive the correct medication, treatment and procedure. Benefits of implementing this NPSG include reducing medication errors and decreasing patient harm. However, challenges in implementing this goal include staff resistance, insufficient resources and the identification of patients with limited cognitive ability. Proper application of the elements of performance in this NPSG can reduce negative patient outcomes by improving patient identification accuracy, preventing medication errors, and reducing the number of procedures performed on the wrong patient.
Answer to Assignment: To improve quality, safety, and satisfaction in the acute care setting, principles of the Triple Aim initiative can be applied. These principles include improving patient outcomes, reducing healthcare costs, and enhancing patient experience. One way to achieve these goals is by implementing evidence-based practice guidelines and evaluating their impact on patient outcomes. As a director of nursing or healthcare administrator, I would contribute towards improving cost-effective quality care, patient satisfaction, and patient safety by ensuring that staff received ongoing education, training and support to deliver quality care consistently. To minimize medical errors among front-line nursing staff, I would implement a culture of safety that encourages staff to report errors, provide opportunities for staff to learn from their mistakes, and ensure that policies and procedures are regularly updated to incorporate best practices. These actions can improve the accuracy of patient identification, prevent medication errors, and decrease negative patient outcomes.
References:
The Joint Commission. (n.d.). National Patient Safety Goals. Retrieved from https://www.jointcommission.org/-/media/deprecated-unorganized/imported-assets/tjc/system-folders/assetmanager/hap/NPSG_Chapter_HAP_Jan2017.pdf
Berwick, D. M., Nolan, T. W., & Whittington, J. (2008). The Triple Aim: Care, health, and cost. Health Affairs, 27(3), 759-769. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.27.3.759
