Foundational Concepts of Nursing Practice: QI

Question 1

What is the overall focus of quality improvement?

Answer 1

Improving the quality of care patients receive as well as patient safety.

Question 2

How does quality improvements vary from quality assessment?

Answer 2

QI: Is a proactive approach that is process driven. Implementing change before something potentially bad happens to a patient.

QA: Is a reactive approach and problem driven. Implementing change after something detrimental has happened.

Question 3

What are the basic steps of QI?

Answer 3

Identify the problem

Analyze the problem

Develop a plan to fix the problem

Implement your plan to test/see if it fixes the problem

Question 4

This part of the QI plan makes the process manageable, consistent, and easier to monitor.

Answer 4

Standardizations.

Question 5

What is an example of a standardized protocol?

Answer 5

Presurgical checklist, which is used to help reduce errors.

Question 6

What are quality indicators used for?

Answer 6

They measure and monitor patient safety and identify risks of patient interactions.

Question 7

What does a nursing-sensitive quality indicator measure?

Answer 7

Elements that affect nursing care.

Question 8

What elements do nursing-sensitive quality indicators focus on in patient care?

Answer 8

• Structure: Condition/environment care is provided in.
• Process: Measures mechanisms of the care provided
• Outcome: Measurable result, can be positive or negative.

Question 9

Quality measurement examples: Structure

Answer 9

• Nurse turnover
• Admissions, discharges, and transfers
• ED throughput
• RN education

Question 10

Quality measurement examples: Process

Answer 10

• Care coordination
• Device utilization
• Pressure injuries
• Restraints

Question 11

Quality measurement examples: Outcome

Answer 11

• CAUTI
• Hospital readmissions
• C-diff infections
• MRSA infections

Question 12

What is the most common QI model used?

Answer 12

PDSA: Plan Do Study Act

Question 13

What tools are used in the quality improvement process?

Answer 13

• Flow charts
• Histograms
• Run charts

Question 14

What purpose do continuous quality improvements (CQI) serve?

Answer 14

Providing quality care and safety to patients through ongoing measurements, assessments, and improvements of quality initiatives.

Question 15

Under this process a risk management plan is developed.

Answer 15

Continuous quality improvement.

Question 16

What are some developed CQI plans?

Answer 16

Incident reporting:

sentinel, adverse, and never events

Question 17

How do QI, EBP, and research vary?

Answer 17

QI: Evaluates effectiveness of nursing care and steps to achieve positive clinical outcomes.

EBP: Uses research with clinical knowledge and patient values to improve the nursing practice.

Research: Systematic approach used to test theories and determine which practices could result in an improvement of quality care.

Question 18

What are the three root cause analysis questions that must be completed for all sentinel events?

Answer 18

1. What happened?
2. Why did it happen?
3. What can be done to prevent it from happening again?

Question 19

A nurse caring for a patient checks the suctioning in their room every day is an example of that quality assessment?

Answer 19

Quality assurance through maintaining a safe physical environment by doing routine maintenance checks.

Question 20

What is the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) tool used for?

Answer 20

Measure patient satisfaction about healthcare service.

Question 21

What are quality core measures?

Answer 21

A standard of care required by a healthcare facility to ensure they are providing the best treatment for their patients.