NURS FPX 4020 Assessment 4 Improvement Plan Tool Kit

University:

Capella University

Get Expert Help

Related:

NURS FPX 4020 Assessment 4 Improvement Plan Tool Kit

Paper Instructions

For this assessment, you will develop a Word document or an online resource repository of at least 12 annotated professional or scholarly resources that you consider critical for the audience of your safety improvement plan to understand or implement to ensure the success of the plan.

INTRODUCTION

Communication in the health care environment consists of an information-sharing experience whether through oral or written messages (Chard & Makary, 2015). As health care organizations and nurses strive to create a culture of safety and quality care, the importance of interprofessional collaboration, the development of tool kits, and the use of wikis become more relevant and vital. In addition to the dissemination of information and evidence-based findings and the development of tool kits, continuous support for and availability of such resources are critical.

Among the most popular methods to promote ongoing dialogue and information sharing are blogs, wikis, websites, and social media. Nurses know how to support people in time of need or crisis and how to support one another in the workplace; wikis in particular enable nurses to continue that support beyond the work environment. Here they can be free to share their unique perspectives, educate others, and promote health care wellness at local and global levels (Kaminski, 2016).

You are encouraged to complete the Determining the Relevance and Usefulness of Resources activity prior to developing the repository. This activity will help you determine which resources or research will be most relevant to address a particular need. This may be useful as you consider how to explain the purpose and relevance of the resources you are assembling for your tool kit. The activity is for your own practice and self-assessment, and demonstrates course engagement.

SCENARIO

For this assessment, build on the work done in your first three assessments and create an online tool kit or resource repository that will help the audience of your in-service understand the research behind your safety improvement plan pertaining to a specific patient safety issue and put the plan into action.

INSTRUCTIONS

Using Google Sites, assemble an online resource tool kit containing at least 12 annotated resources that you consider critical to the success of your safety improvement initiative. These resources should enable nurses and others to implement and maintain the safety improvement you have developed.

It is recommended that you focus on the 3 or 4 most critical categories or themes with respect to your safety improvement initiative. For example, for an initiative that concerns improving workplace safety for practitioners, you might choose broad themes such as general organizational safety and quality best practices; environmental safety and quality risks; individual strategies to improve personal and team safety; and process best practices for reporting and improving environmental safety issues.

Following the recommended scheme, you would collect 3 resources on average for each of the 4 categories focusing on a specific patient safety issue. Each resource listing should include the following:

  • An APA-formatted citation of the resource with a working link.
  • A description of the information, skills, or tools provided by the resource.
  • A brief explanation of how the resource can help nurses better understand or implement the safety improvement initiative pertaining to a specific patient safety issue.
  • A description of how nurses can use this resource and when its use may be appropriate.

Remember that you must make your site “public” so that your faculty can access it. Check out the Google Sites resources for more information.

Here is an example entry:

  • Merret, A., Thomas, P., Stephens, A., Moghabghab, R., & Gruneir, M. (2011). A collaborative approach to fall prevention. Canadian Nurse, 107(8), 24–29.

This article presents the Geriatric Emergency Management-Falls Intervention Team (GEM-FIT) project. It shows how a collaborative nurse lead project can be implemented and used to improve collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork, as well as improve the delivery of health care services. This resource is likely more useful to nurses as a resource for strategies and models for assembling and participating in an interdisciplinary team than for specific fall-prevention strategies. It is suggested that this resource be reviewed prior to creating an interdisciplinary team for a collaborative project in a health care setting.

Additionally, be sure that your plan addresses the following, which corresponds to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Please study the scoring guide carefully so you understand what is needed for a distinguished score.

  • Identify necessary resources to support the implementation and continued sustainability of a safety improvement initiative pertaining to a specific patient safety issue.
  • Analyze the usefulness of resources to the role group responsible for implementing quality and safety improvements focusing on a specific patient safety issue.
  • Analyze the value of resources to reduce patient safety risk related to a specific patient safety issue.
  • Present reasons and relevant situations for use of resource tool kit by its target audience.
  • Communicate in a clear, logically structured, and professional manner that applies current APA style and formatting.

Example Assessment

You may use the following example to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like but keep in mind that your tool kit will focus on promoting safety with medication administration. Note that you do not have to submit your bibliography in addition to the Google Site; the example bibliography is merely for your reference.

Assessment 4

  • Example [PDF] Download Assessment 4 Example [PDF].

To submit your online tool kit assessment, paste the link to your Google Site in the assessment submission box.

Example

Google Site You may use the example found on the Assessment 4 Google Sites reading list, Resources for Improved Heparin Infusion Safety, to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like for this assessment but keep in mind that your tool kit will focus on promoting safety with medication administration.

We Work Hard So That You Don’t

We’ll write a 100% plagiarism-free paper in under 1 hour.

Get Help Now

Sample Answer

Hospital-associated infections (HAIs) are a significant threat to patient safety, care quality, and health care costs. Among hospitalized patients, HAIs increase the risk of other infections besides prolonging hospital rates and health management costs (Peters et al., 2022). As a result, their identification and prevention should be prioritized in health care settings for improved health outcomes. Effective implementation of the appropriate interventions requires nursing professionals to understand the rationale and execution of different infection control measures. This improvement plan tool kit aims to empower nursing professionals in implementing and sustaining safety measures for preventing HAIs using infection control policy and planning. The tool kit has been organized into four broad themes with three resources under each.

Annotated Bibliography

Environmental Hygiene

  • Browne, K., & Mitchell, B. G. (2023). Multimodal environmental cleaning strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 12(1), 83. https //doi.org/10.1186/s13756-023-01274-4

This article illustrates infection transmission as a multifaceted issue requiring a multidimensional intervention. As a complex issue, infection transmission involves interplay between a pathogen, a host, and their environment. In response, Browne and Mitchell (2023) evaluate the importance of environmental cleaning as a crucial component of the multifaceted infection control interventions for preventing HAIs. The authors discuss the importance of the Look, Plan, Clean and Dry technique for safe environments.

The “Look” step involves visually assessing the environment, while “Plan” involves preparing an area before cleaning. The “Clean” step involves cleaning, wiping, and starting with sites nearest to the patient first. This resource is a valuable reference for nurses to understand what environmental cleaning entails as an infection control measure for HAIs. Nurses can use this resource to implement the Look-Plan-Clean-Dry technique and in instances where environmental cleaning is implemented together with other measures to reduce HAI incidence in hospitals.

  • Haque, M., McKimm, J., Sartelli, M., Dhingra, S., Labricciosa, F. M., Islam, S., Jahan, D., Nusrat, T., Chowdhury, T. S., Coccolini, F., Iskandar, K., Catena, F., & Charan, J. (2020). Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections a narrative overview. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 13, 1765–1780. https //doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S269315

This article describes the multimodal interventions essential for infection control and preventing in health care facilities. Among the various interventions described as effective in safety enhancement through infection control is environmental hygiene. According to Haque et al. (2020), maintaining strict environmental hygiene is crucial in preventing and controlling infections, particularly hospital-associated infections. Environmental hygiene is maintained by regularly cleaning and disinfecting hospital surfaces that are highly prone to microbial contamination.

Such surfaces include bed rails, light switches, and mattresses. This article is a valuable resource for nurses to understand the importance of environmental hygiene in infection control and how to implement it. It describes porous and nonporous surfaces that should be the focus of environmental hygiene interventions to reduce the risk of HAIs significantly. Nurses can use it as a reference for environmental hygiene guidelines and when setting goals for HAI prevention for a safe workplace.

  • Leistner, R., Kohlmorgen, B., Brodzinski, A., Schwab, F., Lemke, E., Zakonsky, G., & Gastmeier, P. (2023). Environmental cleaning to prevent hospital-acquired infections on non-intensive care units a pragmatic, single-centre, cluster randomized controlled, crossover trial comparing soap-based, disinfection and probiotic cleaning. EClinicalMedicine, 59, 101958. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101958

Effective control and prevention of HAIs require clean environments. Depending on their size, resource availability, and the complexity of an issue, health care facilities can use different environmental hygiene measures. This resource evaluates the differences between three surface-cleaning strategies on the incidence of HAIs soap-based, disinfectant, and probiotic agents. To determine their differences, Leistner et al. (2023) used each agent on one ward for four consecutive months.

The authors found the three agents equally effective in HAI prevention and can be used jointly or interchangeably for optimal infection control. The resource is a comprehensive guideline for nurses to expand their knowledge of environmental hygiene to prevent HAIs via various agents. It explains how different surface-cleaning agents work and their effectiveness. Therefore, nurses can use the resource as a guideline for environmental cleaning and when implementing environmental hygiene policies for their respective workplaces.

Hand Hygiene Compliance

  • Boora, S., Singh, P., Dhakal, R., Victor, D., Gunjiyal, J., Lathwal, A., & Mathur, P. (2021). Impact of hand hygiene on hospital-acquired infection rate in neuro trauma ICU at a level 1 trauma center in the national capital region of India. Journal of laboratory physicians, 13(2), 148–150. https //doi.org/10.1055/s-0041-1730820

This article summarizes the findings of a prospective, observational study on the effectiveness of hand hygiene as an infection control mechanism in intensive care units (ICUs). Boora et al. (2021) demonstrate the hands of nursing staff as a leading cause of HAI transmission, implying that the risk could be reduced through compliance with hand hygiene. The authors associate a decline in hand hygiene compliance with an increase in HAIs in ICUs.

They further discuss a tool for measuring hand hygiene compliance to ensure practices meet the expected standards. The article is a comprehensive resource for helping nurses to understand hand hygiene compliance and how to measure outcomes to ensure safe environments for patients in care facilities. Nurses can use it as a reference for implementing best practices in infection control through hand hygiene, during advocacy for safe workplaces, and when implementing health education programs.

  • Engdaw, G. T., Gebrehiwot, M., & Andualem, Z. (2019). Hand hygiene compliance and associated factors among health care providers in Central Gondar zone public primary hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 8(1), 1-7. https //doi.org/10.1186/s13756-019-0634-z

Poor hand hygiene continues to risk patients and care providers in care facilities. This article summarizes the findings of a cross-sectional study on hand hygiene compliance and associated factors. The authors illustrate poor hand hygiene as a major source of health complications across the continuum of care, posing a significant threat to patients admitted to hospitals. In this study, Engdaw et al. (2019) found that overall hand hygiene among health care providers was poor.

Effective measures for compliance improvement include professional training, providing nurses with adequate soap and water, and using alcohol-based hand rubs. The article is a valuable resource for nurses to improve their knowledge of hand compliance and the measures needed to achieve compliance. Nurses can use this resource when seeking more knowledge of infection control and when implementing hand hygiene measures to prevent HAIs in ICUs and other high-risk areas.

  • Mouajou, V., Adams, K., DeLisle, G., & Quach, C. (2022). Hand hygiene compliance in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections a systematic review. The Journal of Hospital Infection, 119, 33–48. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.09.016

This article explores the critical role of healthcare workers (HCWs) in preventing hospital-associated infections through practicing hand hygiene and adhering to the established hand hygiene guidelines. The authors demonstrate noncompliance as a leading cause of infection transmission, increasing the risk of HAIs in hospitals. They further describe the extent to which lower HAI incidence rates are achieved by noting that hand hygiene compliance of approximately 60% is essential for risk reduction.

This resource can help nurses to understand better the importance of compliance with hand hygiene practices in high-risk areas in care settings and how to achieve compliance. Reducing HAIs by optimal hand hygiene compliance is crucial for improved patient safety, high-quality care, and patient satisfaction. Therefore, nurses can use the article as a guideline for hand hygiene implementation in setting goals and evaluating outcomes.

Educational Interventions

  • Kakkar, S. K., Bala, M., & Arora, V. (2021). Educating nursing staff regarding infection control practices and assessing its impact on the incidence of hospital-acquired infections. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 10, 40. https //doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_542_20

Health literacy is crucial for informed decision-making among patients and nursing professionals. This article evaluates the importance of an education and training program for nurses regarding infection control practices. The study was established on the principle that educating nurses improves compliance with the recommended infection control guidelines. Nurses were educated on infection control practices via an educational module.

The authors found a decline in the incidence of HAIs, particularly IV line-related infections. The resource is a comprehensive summary of the importance of infection control knowledge for nurses and its importance in helping nurses comply with the established guidelines. Nurses can use it to improve their knowledge of infection control compliance and factors influencing outcomes. It can also be used to support education and training programs for nurses in high-risk environments.

  • Hammoud, S., Amer, F., Lohner, S., & Kocsis, B. (2020). Patient education on infection control a systematic review. American Journal of Infection Control, 48(12), 1506-1515. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.05.039

Infection control and prevention planning should be done collaboratively to achieve the desired results. In this article, Hammound et al. (2020) summarize the critical role of patient education in infection control and creating an informed patient population. The study is founded on the principle that patients and family members can help in infection control through active participation and education.

The authors note that education on infection control should be on critical areas, such as infections, hand hygiene, isolation rationale, precautions, and how to use personal protective equipment. This resource can help nurses to understand how patients can be involved in infection control and prevention. It highlights the areas where patient education is crucial for patient engagement in safety enhancement and reducing HAIs. Nurses can use this resource as a reference when designing and implementing patient education programs focused on preventing HAIs.

  • Bayleyegn, B., Mehari, A., Damtie, D., & Negash, M. (2021). Knowledge, attitude and practice on hospital-acquired infection prevention and associated factors among healthcare workers at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. Infection and Drug Resistance, 259-266. https //doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S290992

The creation of a safe health care environment free from infections depends on nurses’ knowledge and how they implement it. In this article, Bayleyegn et al. (2021) evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice among health care professionals and associated factors toward HAI prevention. They suggest that despite health care professionals’ knowledge of HAI prevention and sympathetic attitude, good knowledge does not translate into prudent practice.

As a result, continuous education through on-job and off-job training and strict implementation of standard operational procedures are vital to empower nurses to engage in effective HAI control and prevention. The resource demonstrates the importance of knowledge improvement for nurses to implement good practices towards HAI prevention. Nurses can use it as a reference to support education programs and for self-knowledge on the link between their knowledge, attitudes, and best practices.

Risk Assessment and Patient Cohorts

  • Hopman, J., Meijer, C., Kenters, N., Coolen, J. P. M., Ghamati, M. R., Mehtar, S., … & Wertheim, H. F. L. (2019). Risk assessment after a severe hospital-acquired infection associated with carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa. JAMA Netw Open 2 e187665. doi 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.7665

The risk for HAIs varies with patients depending on their conditions, treatment procedures, and the condition of the care environment. In this article, Hopman et al. (2019) evaluate the importance of risk assessment after a severe hospital-acquired infection. The authors note that health care providers should rethink the hospital-built environment as a leading source of infection transmission.

Risk areas, including shower drains and sewage systems, are identified as critical focus areas for preventing severe and lethal HAIs. The resource helps nurses understand the importance of risk assessment and risk areas as far as the hospital-built environment is concerned. Nurses can use it as a guideline for risk assessment and when developing infection control plans for high-risk areas.

  • Kim, B. G., Kang, M., Lim, J., Lee, J., Kang, D., Kim, M., … & Jeon, K. (2022). Comprehensive risk assessment for hospital-acquired pneumonia sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital environmental factors associated with the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, 22, 1-11. https //doi.org/10.1186/s12890-021-01816-9

Understanding the extent of risk for HAIs helps health care providers to formulate effective infection control measures. In this study, Kim et al. (2022) evaluate the general groupings of diverse patients according to their risk for HAIs. The authors note that the incident of hospital-acquired pneumonia is associated with sociodemographic, clinical, and environmental factors. Therefore, at-risk patients should be grouped according to the risk factor for effective management of their condition and the creation of a safe environment.

The resource is a valuable information article for nurses to enhance their knowledge of risk assessment and the focus areas. Nurses can use it when conducting and implementing risk assessment programs for diverse patients in high-risk areas. The resource is appropriate when implementing a multimodal intervention for HAI prevention in ICUs and other high-risk areas.

  • Stewart, S., Robertson, C., Kennedy, S., Kavanagh, K., Haahr, L., Manoukian, S., … & Reilly, J. (2021). Personalized infection prevention and control identifying patients at risk of healthcare-associated infection. Journal of Hospital Infection, 114, 32-42. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.03.032

Care management depends on understanding health risks at various points of care. In this article, Stewart et al. (2021) determine the characteristics of patients and extrinsic factors that increase the risk of developing HAI. The study is founded on the principle that understanding the risk of HAI at the point of admission is a foundation for effective planning and management of care related to infection prevention. The authors identify various risk factors that increase the risk of HAI treatment center, increasing age, comorbidities of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The resource helps nurses to understand better the importance of targeting patients at the point of admission and how it maximizes the potential for effective prevention of HAIs. It also highlights how extrinsic factors for HAIs are known and managed. Nurses can use the resource as a reference for personalized infection prevention and control interventions based on the magnitude of risk. It can be used during risk assessment or when developing risk-related policies for controlling and preventing HAIs.

Conclusion

HAIs stem from multiple factors, including devices, procedures, and the condition of the care environment. Understanding the multidimensional causes is crucial for effective control and management of HAIs. This toolkit enables nurses to implement and sustain safety improvement strategies related to infection control and prevention policy and planning. Focus areas include environmental hygiene, hand hygiene compliance, educational interventions, and risk assessment. The tool kit can be used when implementing related programs, for knowledge improvement, and as a reference for policy and advocacy for safe care environments for patients and nurses.

References

  • Bayleyegn, B., Mehari, A., Damtie, D., & Negash, M. (2021). Knowledge, attitude and practice on hospital-acquired infection prevention and associated factors among healthcare workers at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. Infection and Drug Resistance, 259-266. https //doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S290992
  • Boora, S., Singh, P., Dhakal, R., Victor, D., Gunjiyal, J., Lathwal, A., & Mathur, P. (2021). Impact of hand hygiene on hospital-acquired infection rate in neuro trauma ICU at a level 1 trauma center in the national capital region of India. Journal of laboratory physicians, 13(2), 148–150. https //doi.org/10.1055/s-0041-1730820
  • Browne, K., & Mitchell, B. G. (2023). Multimodal environmental cleaning strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 12(1), 83. https //doi.org/10.1186/s13756-023-01274-4
  • Engdaw, G. T., Gebrehiwot, M., & Andualem, Z. (2019). Hand hygiene compliance and associated factors among health care providers in Central Gondar zone public primary hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 8(1), 1-7. https //doi.org/10.1186/s13756-019-0634-z
  • Hammoud, S., Amer, F., Lohner, S., & Kocsis, B. (2020). Patient education on infection control a systematic review. American Journal of Infection Control, 48(12), 1506-1515. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.05.039
  • Haque, M., McKimm, J., Sartelli, M., Dhingra, S., Labricciosa, F. M., Islam, S., Jahan, D., Nusrat, T., Chowdhury, T. S., Coccolini, F., Iskandar, K., Catena, F., & Charan, J. (2020). Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections a narrative overview. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 13, 1765–1780. https //doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S269315
  • Hopman, J., Meijer, C., Kenters, N., Coolen, J. P. M., Ghamati, M. R., Mehtar, S., … & Wertheim, H. F. L. (2019). Risk assessment after a severe hospital-acquired infection associated with carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa. JAMA Netw Open 2 e187665. doi 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.7665
  • Kakkar, S. K., Bala, M., & Arora, V. (2021). Educating nursing staff regarding infection control practices and assessing its impact on the incidence of hospital-acquired infections. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 10, 40. https //doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_542_20
  • Kim, B. G., Kang, M., Lim, J., Lee, J., Kang, D., Kim, M., … & Jeon, K. (2022). Comprehensive risk assessment for hospital-acquired pneumonia sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital environmental factors associated with the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, 22, 1-11. https //doi.org/10.1186/s12890-021-01816-9
  • Leistner, R., Kohlmorgen, B., Brodzinski, A., Schwab, F., Lemke, E., Zakonsky, G., & Gastmeier, P. (2023). Environmental cleaning to prevent hospital-acquired infections on non-intensive care units a pragmatic, single-centre, cluster randomized controlled, crossover trial comparing soap-based, disinfection and probiotic cleaning. EClinicalMedicine, 59, 101958. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101958
  • Mouajou, V., Adams, K., DeLisle, G., & Quach, C. (2022). Hand hygiene compliance in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections a systematic review. The Journal of Hospital Infection, 119, 33–48. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.09.016
  • Peters, A., Schmid, M. N., Parneix, P., Lebowitz, D., de Kraker, M., Sauser, J., … & Pittet, D. (2022). Impact of environmental hygiene interventions on healthcare-associated infections and patient colonization a systematic review. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 11(1), 38. https //doi.org/10.1186/s13756-022-01075-1
  • Stewart, S., Robertson, C., Kennedy, S., Kavanagh, K., Haahr, L., Manoukian, S., … & Reilly, J. (2021). Personalized infection prevention and control identifying patients at risk of healthcare-associated infection. Journal of Hospital Infection, 114, 32-42. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.03.032

We Work Hard So That You Don’t

We’ll write a 100% plagiarism-free paper in under 1 hour

Get Expert Help