ESSAY: Nursing-quality Indicators

Organizational Systerms and Quality Leadership

ANSWER

Understanding of Nursing Quality Indicators

Nursing-quality indicators refer to the nursing care structure, process, and outcomes. The nursing care structure is evidenced by the supply, skill level and certification level of the nursing staff (Kieft et al., 2014). These indicators comprise surgical complications like a pulmonary failure, patient satisfaction, staffing, and patient satisfaction, and restraint prevalence, including patient, falls (Heslop & Lu, 2014). These indicators are also used to determine patient satisfaction level. Not everyone mandated with patient care, especially…

The one risk factor a patient can acquire a pressure ulcer is immobility. The primary cause of immobility is using restraints, as is the case here. For example, Mr. J developed a pressure ulcer because of lying in bed restrained, and facing up. The patient was not aware of a pressure ulcer – a nursing-sensitive indicator – when he was assisted back to bed. The nurse’s understanding of the application of a nursing-quality indicator would have led to her propping the patient up with a pillow to relieve the reddened area from severe pressure. At the same time, ….

            Accordingly, nurses (qualified professionals) need to understand that the application of restraints (another nursing-quality indicator) require comprehensive/detailed understanding of patient outcomes. For instance, the integrity of the skin is at a higher risk if proper placement and patient care management are not adopted and implemented, as is the case with Mr. J, after being restrained. According to Kieft et al. (2014), there is a correlation between increases in pressure ulcer cases among patients, and the use of restraints. In the case, the daughter, after noticing a red mark, raised the issue with the nurse, but her concerns were quashed immediately…

Advancing Quality Patient Care

There was also the issue of patient satisfaction levels, and it relates to how hospitals can apply the collected data on the nursing-quality indicators to boost the overall patient care quality. Specific occurrences like pressure ulcers and patient falls are measured by the hospital, and these occurrences are directly impacted by nursing care (Jones, 2016). For example, if the number surpasses the overall national average, a health institution/hospital may conduct a study to ascertain the causes for better implementation of relevant proposed interventions. Therefore, through data analysis after applying an intervention, the hospital would determine whether the intended outcomes were …

The issue of patient satisfaction is evident in the case of Mr. J. How the family of the patient was dissatisfied was attributed to the complete disregard of their wishes? For example, Mr. J, a Jewish rabbi, was served port cutlet instead of a kosher meal, and it was attributed to a mistake made on the meal order. This issue was accelerated when the daughter was informed the following evening of the nursing staff’s secret to keeping it from her, which was also insensitive to her father’s needs and preferences. This was a major issue …

Resolution of Ethical Issues

To resolve the problem, as well as keep the patient’s trust, including the daughter’s, several interventions should be taken into consideration. The physician and the nurse mandated to care for the patient should admit that an error was made followed by a formal apology to the patient. Secondly, the health professionals should guarantee the family that measures should be taken to prevent such an issue from taking place again the future. For instance, if the orders and patient records are kept in the electronic health …

Accordingly, it is also important that the dietary supervisor is notified of any pork cutlets present in the food before the patient is served. Alternatively, the patient’s meal-preference sign should be placed on the room door to assist the nurses, as well as avoid mistakes or confusions from the staff. Such measures would increase the level of patient satisfaction, and assist Mr. J, in the process, during his recovery period. In healthcare settings today, Jones (2016) concluded that nursing-quality indicators are significant,…