THE DISCUSSION WAS:
1. Offer a strategy for incorporating a tracer in a healthcare facility.
2. In your strategy, be sure to involve nursing staff, providers, and healthcare administration.
3. You may use this discussion opportunity to propose a tracer for your proposal initiative to allow your peers to provide insight.
I SAID:
Use of Tracers in Healthcare
Implementing a successful tracer strategy in a healthcare facility requires a comprehensive approach that involves active participation from nursing staff, providers, and healthcare administration. One effective strategy is to initiate a task force comprising representatives from each department to develop and implement the tracer program collaboratively. This task force should meet regularly to discuss and evaluate current processes, identify potential gaps, and establish protocols for the tracer initiative. For example, research by Taberna (2020) highlights the significance of multidisciplinary collaboration in improving patient safety and quality of care. This strategy ensures that insights from diverse perspectives are considered, enhancing the effectiveness of the tracer system.
To involve nursing staff, training sessions focusing on the importance of tracers, emphasizing their role in identifying system vulnerabilities that may impact patient outcomes would be conducted. Training should be hands-on and scenario-based, allowing nurses to apply tracer principles in real-world situations. Additionally, healthcare providers should be actively engaged in developing clinical pathways and standardized protocols aligned with tracer goals. For instance, a study by Létourneau et al. (2021) underscores the positive impact of provider involvement in care standardization. Lastly, healthcare administration should support the initiative by allocating resources, establishing performance metrics, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Regular audits and feedback loops should be instituted to monitor tracer effectiveness, ensuring sustained enhancements in patient care. This strategy promotes a collective responsibility for patient safety and aligns with the principles of transparency and accountability in healthcare.
References
Létourneau, D., Goudreau, J., & Cara, C. (2021). Nursing Students and Nurses’ Recommendations Aiming at Improving the Development of the Humanistic Caring Competency. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 084456212110489. https://doi.org/10.1177/08445621211048987
Taberna, M. (2020). The Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Approach and Quality of Care. Frontiers in Oncology, 10(85). https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2020.00085
NOW I HAVE TO ANSWER:
Respond substantively to at least two of your peers. Comment on the strategies identified by your peers. If you can offer help or provide insight into additional tracer methods, use this opportunity to do so.
Strategy for Incorporating a Tracer in a Healthcare Facility
Tracer methodology is a valuable tool for identifying performance issues in healthcare organizations (Siewert, 2018). It is versatile and can be used in all departments to assess quality performance in real-time. The Joint Commission’s (TJC) on-site surveyors use tracer methodology to monitor patient care, services, and treatment processes (The Joint Commission, n.d.). Real-time data in healthcare is crucial for improving processes and outcomes, as highlighted by research (Bhattarai et al, 2018).
Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC, (CNMC) is a tertiary care, free-standing pediatric healthcare system in Washington, DC. They have continuously strived to improve patient safety by implementing various tracking systems and programs (Bhattarai et al, 2018). One such program used by CNMC is the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). NHSN is an agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States. It serves as a comprehensive system designed for tracking and monitoring healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and other adverse events in healthcare settings. (CDC, 2023). NHSN provides a standardized approach for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to infections, patient safety, and various healthcare processes. It allows medical facilities, including hospitals, to monitor and report on various measures such as infection rates, vaccination status, and adherence to infection control practices like hand hygiene. The data collected by NHSN helps facilities identify trends, benchmark their performance at local, state, and national levels, and contribute to national efforts to reduce healthcare-associated infections. (CDC, 2023).
Healthcare Team Involved
The successful implementation of the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) tracking system necessitates the collaboration of a diverse team of professionals (TJC, 2018). Quality improvement teams, composed of experts in healthcare quality, patient safety, and process improvement, take the lead in coordinating initiatives. Healthcare administrators play a crucial role in decision-making and resource allocation, ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place. Nursing staff and clinical educators are vital in tracking and reporting first hand and contribute their expertise to monitor patient care, provide ongoing education, and prevent hospital-acquired conditions. (TJC, 2018). Enhancing the strategy for tracer incorporation in a healthcare facility involves prioritizing staff engagement and ongoing training, ensuring reliable data analysis for continuous improvement and maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.
References
Bhattarai, S., & Shah, R. K. (2018). Leveraging real-time data to drive quality improvement in a pediatric health system. Pediatric Investigation, 2(3), 184–187. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1002/ped4.12060
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Retrieved November 11 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/index.html
The Joint Commission (TJC). (2018). Tracer methodology. https://www.jointcommission.org/-/media/tjc/idev-imports/topics-assets/facts-about-the-tracer-methodology/tracer_methodology_9_5_18pdf.pdf?db=web&hash=ADDEA3A421363B1AF3BAF3ADB4552841
The Joint Commission. (n.d.). Who we are. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://www.jointcommission.org/who-we-are/
RESOURCES TO USE:
Webpage: https://www.ahrq.gov/cahps/quality-improvement/improvement-guide/4-approach-qi-process/index.html
This AHRQ webpage provides information about the Quality Improvement Process.
Read the following sections:
1. 4A, 4B4b, and 4B4c
2. 4B2 and 4B2a
3. 4B4a
These sections focus on team building, provide insight on selecting the data to measure effectiveness of initiative implementation, and discuss barriers for project planning.
Shapiro Library Article: https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://doi.org/10.1067/j.cpradiol.2017.05.002
This article provides insight into the applicability of tracers in an organization.
Article: https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/364/bmj.l189.full.pdf
This article provides the rationale for data collection.
Shapiro Library Article: https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Fpractical-guide-performance-improvement-data%2Fdocview%2F2244068965%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D3783
This article provides insight into data collection processes and tools.
Additional Support:
Shapiro Library Article: https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=147194717&site=eds-live&scope=site
This article provides a review of strategies that use IPC in healthcare.
Resource: https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/ncepcr/tools/PCMH/pcpf-module-20-creating-qi-teams.pdf
This resource provides guidance for identifying key personnel and building a team for the QI initiative.
Shapiro Library Article: https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsemr&AN=edsemr.10.1108.IJHCQA.12.2015.0144&site=eds-live&scope=site
This article provides insight into barriers for QI projects and suggests facilitators to aid QI project progress.
NEEDED BY SATURDAY PLEASE
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH NURSING TERM PAPERS TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT
