Fall Prevention Project to Decrease the Rate of Inpatient Falls Executive Summary Essay

Fall Prevention Project to Decrease the Rate of Inpatient Falls Executive Summary Essay

Fall Prevention Project to Decrease the Rate of Inpatient Falls Executive Summary Essay

Executive Summary

Quality improvement is a core aspect to the delivery of better patient outcomes and satisfaction. These initiatives implore healthcare organizations and providers to establish interventions, approaches and models that improve patient safety and quality care outcomes. Prevention, reduction and management of healthcare associated infections (HAIs), especially as the health care system deals with the Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is essential for health care providers (Alhumaid et al., 2021). Implementation of these interventions requires these entities to create inter-professional collaborations and have sufficient resources emanating from approved funding by their executive boards. The purpose of this paper is to propose and present a quality improvement initiative in my workplace to reduce health care associated infections. The paper proposes proper hygiene etiquette for healthcare workers in the facility as a means of reducing the rate of health care acquired infections and providing quality patient care.

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Purpose of the Quality Improvement Initiative

In their paper, Reddy, Valderrama and Kuhar (2019) observe that undetected pathogens’ transmission in healthcare settings may lead to colonization and infections for both patient and healthcare personnel. Imperatively, healthcare workers must priority interventions that mitigate the occurrence of infections which pose serious threats to patient safety and quality outcomes. Hague et al. (2020) through a narrative overview assert that healthcare-associated infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. They are also the second most common cause of death. The implication is that healthcare entities and providers must develop strategies to reduce or prevent these infections.

The main purpose of this quality improvement initiative is to propose proper hygiene etiquette and processes that healthcare workers in the facility should meet. The healthcare workers must sterilize before coming into contact with patients. The facility should provide each healthcare worker with locker rooms and space to allow them to change. They should also have washrooms to shower and sufficient personal protective equipment (PPEs). The providers should also stop wearing their uniform outside their work station to prevent germ transmission to patients and hospital acquired infections. Those in COVID-19 units must be geared up, from head to toe. The use of personal protective equipment (PPEs), especially in the case of COVID-19 units, is essential to prevent the spread of this contagious disease.

Target Population or Audience

Controlling infections is a core part of delivery of quality care outcomes. Roshan et al. (2020) advance that rigorous hygiene practices among healthcare worker can reduce the spread of hospital acquired infections, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this quality improvement initiative’s main target are healthcare workers in the facility dealing with an array of patients. The healthcare workers must ensure that they practice high level hygiene etiquette to break the chain of infections among their colleagues and patients.

Benefits of the Quality Improvement Initiative

The primary benefit of this program is to help the facility reduce infections, especially those associated with the setting and efforts to offer quality care. The initiative aims at enhancing hygiene practices in the facility, not just for patient safety but also for the protection of the providers and the overall care environment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (2020) observes that PPEs are used in health care settings by healthcare providers as barriers between infectious materials like viral and bacterial contaminants and body parts of individuals like the skin, mouth, nose and eyes. These barriers can also block transmission of the pathogens from blood, body fluids, and respiratory secretions. The PPEs also protect patients who are at an elevated risk for contracting infections due to surgical processes or those with compromised immunity due to existing conditions like hypertension, diabetes, or renal disease among others (Alhumaid et al., 2021). Therefore, the quality improvement initiative will confer benefits to patients, providers, and the facility to improve overall care delivery and service quality which will enhance stakeholders’ safety. Controlling the infections will also reduce the overall cost of care as they will be no addition expenses associated with morbidities and longer hospital stays.

Inter-professional Collaboration

Controlling infections is a core responsibility and duty of the providers and the healthcare organization. Inter-professional collaboration in this case will entail having a team comprising of different stakeholders in the facility to implement the initiative. Four critical best practices to contain and prevent healthcare associated infections will entail hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, use of PPEs and environmental hygiene (Haque et al., 2021). The inter-professional team will comprise of nurse managers and leaders, COVID-19-unit coordinator, the chief physician and surgeon, pathologists and informatics nurse who will work collaboratively to implement the initiative. Effective communication will be key to their overall success.

Cost and Budget Justification

Hospital acquired or associated infections are a part of healthcare acquired conditions (HACs) that lead to increased cost burden, adverse outcomes due to need for more treatment interventions, longer stays in hospitals and a delay in recovery. Healthcare associated infections are among the leading cause of death and costs. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HAIs have a direct medical cost of about $28 billion annually (Verbeek et al., 2021). These infections also account for over $12 billion in expenses to society because of early deaths and lost productivity. The implication is that implementation of this program will offer more benefits to the facility in its efforts to reduce infections and associated burden. The cost of implementation may run into tens of thousands in install these interventions and purchasing the PPEs. However, it cannot be compared to the expenses associated with HAIs when they are not controlled.

Evaluation of the Program

The reduction and prevention of HAIs through proper hygiene practices’ program’s outcomes will be assessed by the team and the management using a host of approaches. These will include surveys, reports and data collected before, during and after the implementation. The assessment will entail making daily reports on adoption of the hygiene etiquette and provision of PPEs as well as having locker rooms, bathrooms and all requisite materials to prevent infections (Haque et al., 2020). The outcomes will be tabulated through charts, graphs and other information representative tools to assess the overall effectiveness and impact of the initiative.

Conclusion

Preventing and reducing infections through proper hygiene etiquette in the facility will enhance patient safety and lead to quality care outcomes. The initiative will allow the organization to reduce expenses and deaths as well as comorbidities associated with HAIs. The program will also enhance inter-professional collaboration and use of multidisciplinary teams to deliver these interventions. The implication is that this initiative will have more benefits to patients and providers as it will improve safety and protect them from infectious conditions like the COVID-19.

References

Alhumaid, S., Al Mutair, A., Al Alawi, Z., Alsuliman, M., Ahmed, G. Y., Rabaan, A. A., … &

Al-Omari, A. (2021). Knowledge of infection prevention and control among healthcare workers and factors influencing compliance: a systematic review. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 10(1), 1-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-021-00957-0

Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2020). Personal Protective Equipment for Infection

Control. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/general-hospital-devices-and-supplies/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control

Haque, M., McKimm, J., Sartelli, M., Dhingra, S., Labricciosa, F. M., Islam, S., … & Charan, J.

(2020). Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections: a narrative overview. Risk management and healthcare policy, 13, 1765. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S269315

Reddy, S. C., Valderrama, A. L., & Kuhar, D. T. (2019). Improving the use of personal

protective equipment: applying lessons learned. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 69(Supplement_3), S165-S170. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciz619

Verbeek, J. H., Rajamaki, B., Ijaz, S., Sauni, R., Toomey, E., Blackwood, B., … & Balci, F. S. K.

(2020). Personal protective equipment for preventing highly infectious diseases due to exposure to contaminated body fluids in healthcare staff. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (4). doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011621.pub4

Roshan, R., Feroz, A. S., Rafique, Z., & Virani, N. (2020). Rigorous hand hygiene practices

among health care workers reduce hospital-associated infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of primary care & community health, 11, 2150132720943331. https://doi.org/10.1177/2150132720943331

In this assignment, you will propose a quality improvement initiative from your place of employment that could easily be implemented if approved. Assume you are presenting this program to the board for approval of funding. Write an executive summary (750-1,000 words) to present to the board, from which the board will make its decision to fund your program or project. Include the following:

The purpose of the quality improvement initiative.
The target population or audience.
The benefits of the quality improvement initiative.
The interprofessional collaboration that would be required to implement the quality improvement initiative.
The cost or budget justification.
The basis upon which the quality improvement initiative will be evaluated.
You are required to cite a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years, appropriate for the assignment criteria, and relevant to nursing practice.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required

NOTE- My topic is Proper hygiene etiquette for healthcare workers.
A little synopsis of which direction of the paper……Due to HAIs ( Health care Associated infections) are a threat to patient safety. Healthcare workers must sterilize before they come in contact with sick patients. Each healthcare professional will be provided locker rooms and space for them to change. They should have a bathroom to shower with adequate PPE. It is imperative that they refrain from wearing their uniform outside of work, that prevents transmission of germ from caretaker to patient and also hospital acquired infection. Especially with covid units, it is important to be geared up from head to toe.