ANSWER
Utilizing Course Knowledge: Handling Quality and Patient Safety Concerns in Advanced Nursing Practice
Finding a Quality or Safety Concern Focused on the Client:
Patient falls in hospital settings are one client-focused quality or safety concern relevant to my future position as an advanced practice nurse (APN). Significant morbidity and death are caused by patient falls, which are a serious concern, especially for older persons and those with chronic illnesses. One of the main causes of injury-related mortality among older persons is falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (CDC, 2020). In addition to causing fractures and other physical injuries, falls can have an effect on hospital stays, medical expenses, and patient satisfaction. As an APN, it will be essential to address the avoidable nature of falls in my practice.
Impact and Scope of the Problem: The problem has a significant impact. In the United States, between 700,000 and 1 million people fall in hospitals annually, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (AHRQ, 2019). This results in higher medical expenses, longer hospital stays, and a major decline in the quality of life for patients. For instance, fall-related injuries in older persons may lead to a higher risk of death as well as a reduction in mobility and independence. Furthermore, falls have a detrimental impact on patient satisfaction and results by causing emotional distress and a decline in patient faith in the healthcare system.
Falls have a significant effect on patients; frequently, they cause long-term disability or require extensive rehabilitation. Falls among the elderly can result in brain damage and hip fractures, among other life-altering injuries. Additionally, the psychological effects of falling can result in a reduction in mobility and self-confidence, which can feed a vicious cycle of health decline (Oliver, Healey, & Haines, 2010). In a hospital context, where patients are already at risk from disease or surgery, this is particularly worrisome.
Advanced Practice Nurses Could Play Three Parts in Solving the Problem:
Leadership in the Evaluation of Fall Risk: In clinical settings, advanced practice nurses are in a good position to oversee thorough fall risk assessments. To find fall risk factors, they can evaluate the patient’s mobility, surroundings, and medical history. APNs can identify high-risk patients by evaluating them upon admission and during their hospital stay using instruments like the Morse Fall Scale or the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model (Barker & Norrie, 2018). Following risk identification, suitable actions, such as medication reviews, physical therapy consultations, or environmental changes, might be put into place.
Fall Prevention Protocol Development and Implementation: APNs can collaborate with the multidisciplinary healthcare team to create and carry out fall prevention protocols. These procedures may involve tactics like training employees on safe patient care, developing care plans tailored to each patient, and making sure there is enough personnel to prevent falls. Additionally, they can teach patients and their family fall prevention techniques including the value of wearing non-slip socks and other safety precautions, as well as the significance of calling for help when necessary.
Education and Patient Advocacy: APNs play a part in educating patients and their families, especially when it comes to the significance of fall prevention. It is crucial to teach patients how to use assistive technology, securely preserve their independence, and know when to seek assistance. Additionally, fall rates can be considerably decreased by advocating for patients and making sure that fall prevention strategies are incorporated into every phase of treatment, from admission to discharge (Oliver et al., 2010). Patient outcomes and satisfaction may be enhanced by this patient-centered approach.
Why My Future Role Is Affected by This Issue:
Since I will be in charge of both overseeing the care of individual patients and influencing the standard of care throughout healthcare systems as an advanced practice nurse, I am very interested in the problem of patient falls. Patient happiness, hospital expenses, and patient outcomes can all be greatly improved by preventing falls. Additionally, a number of fall risk factors are changeable, which means that the chance of falls can be decreased with the appropriate interventions. I will be in a unique position as an APN to work with the healthcare team to provide safe settings, educate patients and their families, and apply evidence-based practices to reduce falls.
Combining the Evidence
According to research, falls can be avoided with appropriate risk assessments and evidence-based interventions. It has been demonstrated that fall rates in hospital settings can be decreased by using fall risk screening instruments and implementing multifactorial treatments, such as staff education, environmental modifications, and patient-centered care plans (Barker & Norrie, 2018). Technology can also be used to help prevent falls and ensure patient safety. Examples of this include monitoring devices and fall detection systems.
In conclusion
In order to guarantee patient safety and develop high-quality care, advanced practice nurses must address the problem of patient falls. I can greatly lower the frequency of falls and enhance patient outcomes by assuming roles in risk assessment, creating fall prevention procedures, and educating patients. In addition to being crucial to the standard of care, this problem supports the objectives of health promotion by enhancing patient welfare and guaranteeing hospital safety.
Citations: AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2019). A toolkit for raising the standard of care in hospitals: Preventing falls. https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/hospital/fallstoolkit/index.html was retrieved with permission.
Norrie, P., and Barker, A. L. (2018). Prevention of hospital falls: An evidence-based strategy. Journal of Australian Nursing and Midwifery, 25(8), 30-34.
Haines, T. P., Healey, F., and Oliver, D. (2010). preventing hospital falls and injuries from them. Geriatric Medicine Clinics, 26(4), 645-692. 10.1016/j.cger.2010.07.008 at https://doi.org
QUESTION
- Application of Course Knowledge: Answer all questions/criteria with explanations and detail.
- Identify ONE client-focused quality or safety issue that may be pertinent to your future advanced nursing practice role. Medication error may NOT be used as a topic for this assignment.
- Describe the scope and impact of the issue.
- Discuss three possible roles advanced practice nurses may play in addressing the issue.
- Explain why the issue is of interest to your future role.
- Integration of Evidence: Integrate relevant scholarly sources as defined by program expectationsLinks to an external site.: mychamberlain.sharepoint.com/sites/StudentResourceCenter/Shared Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FStudentResourceCenter%2FShared Documents%2FProgram Page Documents%2FNP%2FNP Program Expectations for Scholarly Resources 12-2023%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FStudentResourceCenter%2FShared Documents%2FProgram Page Documents%2FNP
- Cite a scholarly source in the initial post.
- Cite a scholarly source in one faculty response post.
- Cite a scholarly source in one peer post.
- Accurately analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles from evidence with no more than one short quote (15 words or less) for the week.
- Include a minimum of two different scholarly sources per week. Cite all references and provide references for all citations.
- Engagement in Meaningful Dialogue: Engage peers and faculty by asking questions and offering new insights, applications, perspectives, information, or implications for practice.
- Peer Response: Respond to at least one peer.
- Faculty Response: Respond to at least one faculty post.
- Communicate using respectful, collegial language and terminology appropriate to advanced nursing practice.
- Professionalism in Communication: Communicate with minimal errors in English grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation.
- Reference Citation: Use current APA format to format citations and references and is free of errors.
3. No Plagiarism