The Quality and Sustainability Paper is a practice immersion assignment designed to be completed in three sections. This is part two of the assignment. Learners are required to analyze the quality outcomes and/or patient safety measures of a health care entity to determine its successes and failures, identify potential obstacles to the implementation of the measures, and determine what collaborative efforts are needed to create sustainability.

General Guidelines:

Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment:

• This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
• Doctoral learners are required to use APA style for their writing assignments. The APA Style Guide is located in the Student Success Center.
• This assignment requires that you support your position by referencing at least six to eight scholarly resources. At least three of your supporting references must be from scholarly sources other than the assigned readings.
• You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

Directions:

Write a 1,250-1,500 word paper that provides the following:

1. Identify or create a health care entity. (Provide an overall description of this entity without using the real name; i.e. location, size, profit or nonprofit, years in operation). Do not give the real name of any entity or person you are describing.
2. Using defined quality outcomes and/or patient safety measures, describe the health care entity’s successes and failures. Include identified criteria and data that demonstrate why this entity is successful and in what areas.
3. Using the quality outcomes data, identify a quality or safety area that nursing science can impact. Describe the specific variables.
4. Identify potential obstacles that may hinder the implementation of the quality or safety measure.
5. Identify those groups or leadership roles within the entity with whom you may need to collaborate.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Quality and Sustainability in Healthcare

There’s no question that quality and sustainability are important in healthcare. After all, this is an industry that deals with human lives. But what does quality and sustainability actually mean in the context of healthcare? In this blog post, we’ll explore the concept of quality and sustainability in healthcare. We’ll look at why these two things are so important, and how they can be achieved in a healthcare setting. We’ll also touch on some of the challenges that come with trying to maintain quality and sustainability in healthcare.

What is quality healthcare?

Healthcare quality is often defined as the degree to which healthcare services meet patient needs and expectations. Quality healthcare is essential to achieving good health outcomes. It is important to ensure that patients receive safe, effective, timely, efficient, and equitable care.

There are many ways to measure healthcare quality. One common method is to use measures of structure, process, and outcome. Structure measures assess the availability of resources needed to provide care. Process measures assess whether or not care is delivered according to best practices. Outcome measures assess whether or not patients experience desired health outcomes.

Quality improvement efforts in healthcare aim to improve patient care by identifying and addressing problems in the delivery of care. These efforts typically involve the implementation of evidence-based interventions designed to address specific quality issues. Quality improvement efforts can be directed at the individual level (e.g., improving handwashing), the team level (e.g., improving communication between providers), or the system level (e.g., redesigning discharge planning).

What is sustainable healthcare?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of what sustainable healthcare looks like. However, at its core, sustainable healthcare is about improving the quality of care while also reducing the environmental impact of the healthcare system.

One way to think about sustainable healthcare is as a Triple Aim: improving the patient experience, improving population health, and reducing costs. To achieve this Triple Aim, healthcare organizations need to take a holistic view of sustainability that includes social, economic, and environmental factors.

Sustainable healthcare also requires a shift in thinking from treatment to prevention. By focusing on keeping people healthy in the first place, we can reduce the overall burden on the healthcare system and make it more sustainable in the long run. This means investing in public health and preventive care, as well as addressing social determinants of health such as poverty, food insecurity, and housing instability.

Ultimately, sustainable healthcare is about creating a healthier world for all of us – patients, providers, and society as a whole.

The benefits of quality and sustainable healthcare

There are many benefits to quality and sustainable healthcare. By definition, quality healthcare is care that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. Sustainable healthcare is healthcare that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

One benefit of quality and sustainable healthcare is that it can help improve patient outcomes. When healthcare is safe and effective, patients are more likely to experience positive health outcomes. In addition, when healthcare is patient-centered, patients are more likely to be engaged in their own care and more likely to follow treatment plans. This can lead to better health outcomes overall.

Another benefit of quality and sustainable healthcare is that it can help reduce costs. When healthcare is efficient, providers can see more patients in less time which can lead to lower costs for both providers and patients. In addition, when healthcare is equitable, everyone has access to the care they need which can help reduce costs associated with uncompensated care.

Finally, quality and sustainable healthcare can help improve population health. When everyone has access to quality care, it can help prevent or manage chronic diseases which can lead to improved population health overall. In addition, by definition, sustainable healthcare meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means that future generations will be able to enjoy good health as well which can lead to even further improvements in population health over time.

The challenges of quality and sustainable healthcare

There are many challenges that come with providing quality and sustainable healthcare. First and foremost, there is the challenge of funding. Quality healthcare is expensive, and sustaining it over time requires a constant inflow of money. This can be difficult to secure, especially in countries with limited resources.

Another challenge is that of infrastructure. Quality healthcare requires a well-functioning infrastructure, including reliable electricity and water supplies, effective transportation systems, and good communication networks. This can be a challenge in developing countries, where infrastructure is often inadequate.

A third challenge is human resources. Quality healthcare requires a workforce of skilled and dedicated professionals. However, many countries lack the necessary number of trained healthcare workers. This shortage can lead to long wait times for care, or even to substandard care being provided by untrained staff.

Finally, there is the challenge of ensuring access to care. Even if funding and infrastructure are in place, people may still not have access to quality healthcare due to factors such as poverty, geographical isolation, or political instability. Overcoming these challenges is essential to providing quality and sustainable healthcare for all.

Implementing quality and sustainable healthcare

There is no one answer to the question of how to achieve quality and sustainability in healthcare. Every organization has different resources, priorities, and challenges. However, there are some general principles that can guide organizations in their quest for quality and sustainability.

1. Make quality a priority: Quality should be a top priority for all healthcare organizations, from hospitals to insurers. When quality is given precedence, it drives improvements in patient safety, clinical outcomes, and staff satisfaction.

2. Adopt a culture of continuous improvement: Achieving quality and sustainability requires a commitment to continuous improvement. Organizations should establish systems and processes that allow them to identify opportunities for improvement and then take action to make those improvements.

3. Invest in prevention: Many of the most costly problems in healthcare are preventable. By investing in prevention, organizations can reduce costs while also improving the health of their patients and communities.

4. Use data to drive decision making: Data can be a powerful tool in identifying areas where quality or sustainability need to be improved. Organizations should collect data on key indicators such as patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and staff turnover. They should then use this data to inform decision making at all levels of the organization.

5. Engage patients and families: Patients and families are important partners in achieving quality and sustainability in healthcare. They can provide insights into their experiences with the healthcare system that can help identify areas needing improvement. Furthermore, involving patients and families in care planning can

Portfolio Practice Hours:

Practice immersion assignments are based on your current course objectives, and are intended to be application-based learning using your real-world practice setting. These assignments earn practice immersion hours, and are indicated in the assignment by a Portfolio Practice Hours statement which reminds you, the student, to enter in a corresponding case log in Typhon. Actual clock hours are entered, but the average hours associated with each practice immersion assignment is 10.

You are required to complete your assignment using real-world application. Real-world application requires the use of evidence-based data, contemporary theories, and concepts presented in the course. The culmination of your assignment must present a viable application in a current practice setting. For more information on parameters for practice immersion hours, please refer to the DNP resources in the DC Network.

To earn portfolio practice hours, enter the following after the references section of your paper:

Practice Hours Completion Statement DNP-835 I, (INSERT NAME), verify that I have completed (NUMBER OF) clock hours in association with the goals and objectives for this assignment. I have also tracked said practice hours in the Typhon Student Tracking System for verification purposes and will be sure that all approvals are in place from my faculty and practice mentor.