It is hard to disagree that project implementations are challenging but necessary stages that every healthcare organization encounters from time to time. Medical facilities and their internal processes need to be upgraded according to modern requirements and opportunities. What is more, it may be crucial for an organization to revamp the care plan documentation within its existing electronic medical record, which is essentially what the hospital in question aims at. Nevertheless, despite the importance of such a project, its implementation may be quite difficult and make the hospitals team members face numerous obstacles and risks. Consequently, the process should be under the surveillance of specific experts, and this is why SME guidance, feedback, and engagement are required (Southern Cross University, n.d.). The purpose of this paper is to answer certain questions related precisely to the value and benefits of SMEs (subject matter experts). The following items will be covered: a brief explanation of workflow analysis and design, the need for SME guidance and feedback, and the advantages of SME engagement that will be realized through implementation and expected outcomes.
Workflow Analysis and Design
To begin with, proper workflow analysis and design can allow for various benefits. For instance, they are the hospitals higher competitive advantage, enhanced productivity and patient satisfaction, better employee engagement, and simplification of multiple processes ( Workflow Analysis Fixes the Holes in Your Business Processes, 2022). To find the need in the medical facility in question, selected specialists examined the existing documentation, compared it with the current requirements, and checked its relevancy. Additionally, the hospitals staff members who deal with the electronic medical record have been interviewed, as recommended by specialists ( Workflow Analysis Fixes the Holes, 2022). After getting the data, a decision was made to revamp the documentation. This step will allow the health workers to have a more enhanced and effective documenting system, fostering the hospitals performance. To ensure successful implementation of the project, SMEs are identified from each nursing unit and ancillary department.
Importance of SME Guidance and Feedback
The role and significance of SMEs in the process under discussion may be confusing. At the same time, they are actually needed to provide effective guidance and feedback throughout every implementation phase (Southern Cross University, n.d.). As noticed by Taylor (2017), subject matter experts have extensive understanding and knowledge about healthcare technological solutions, better documentation storage techniques, and ways to update documentation within the existing electronic medical record. SMEs will guide the healthcare teams, define the current efficiency of the implementation process, and adapt medical workers to changes. They will give necessary prompts and guidelines to make sure that all potential obstacles are overcome and the focus remains on achieving the expected outcomes (Taylor, 2017). Moreover, assigning a subject matter expert will relieve hospital managers from the need for prior training of specific employees because SMEs will bring the required expertise. As for their feedback, it will be more structured and informative, with the emphasis being put on the most crucial aspects of every implementation stage, while other team members can miss reporting something essential.
Benefits of SME Engagement
Overall, it is evident that the benefits of SME engagement will be realized through implementation and expected outcomes. For instance, one of the advantages is a more simplified and risk-free process that is not interrupted by a lack of knowledge or competence in the matter (Taylor, 2017). Another benefit is that the desired result, namely, updated documentation, will be achieved in a timely manner and without errors. What is more, medical team members will not need to provide feedback as this role will be assigned to professionals who will make it more informative and use it to correct the implementation phases if required. Finally, in relation to the key objectives of the process, SMEs can offer the workers valuable knowledge and skills, improving their performance and engagement.
For a healthcare facility, introducing tools that allow for an improved management of health-related data and enhancing the security of the process is vital. Therefore, healthcare experts must seek opportunities for integrating innovative technology into the target setting. In the case under analysis, the expansion of the facility suggests introducing advanced technological tools for better data management, namely, selecting an appropriate framework for patient data collection, analysis, and storage.
When considering the applications to be added to the facility environment, one should choose the ones that will allow for the fasted data management process. Specifically, decision support, clinical reminders, and clinical guidelines must be added to the list of essential tools to be incorporated into the framework. Decision support will help healthcare experts to ensure that the choices made for addressing patients needs align with the established policies and ethical standards, and that medical errors are safely avoided. In turn, clinical reminder will prevent cases of mismanaged tasks from taking place.
In order to advance the proposed innovation, a team of devoted experts will have e to be built. Thus, the process of change will become controllable and easily manageable. For this purpose, several types of healthcare and nursing experts will have to be selected. First, those aware of the use and application of the selected technology will have to be appointed das educators and the source of support for the rest of staff members, who will require guidance in developing the necessary skills. In addition, IT professionals will have to constitute the core of the team since they will ensure that the selected HER system functions impeccably. Finally, a team leader, who will coordinate the implementation of change and its integration into the target setting will be chosen.
When choosing the system of enhancements, one will have to consider several crucial items. Sayles and Trawick (2010) suggest that the following items should be integrated: a Gantt chart, a cloud-based system, relevant mobile technology, an assessment tool, and maintenance tools. The specified elements will allow maximizing the opportunities that the ERHR system provides. Specifically, the efficacy of care and patients safety will be enhanced. To evaluate the system, testing steps such as the assessment of the software, the identification of errors, and the development of management tools will be taken.
To request for a proposal, one will need to prove the efficacy of the proposed solution. Specifically, a rise in the success of patient outcomes will be forecasted and described. In turn, to request for information, the goals of the proposed change will be outlined. Finally, to evaluate the system, a small test will be implemented, with healthcare experts performances compared. The proposed solution ensures data exchange since it provides a safe and effective way of collecting, storing, and transferring information. The system meets data content by incorporating the latest and the most relevant information about patients. The vocabulary and messaging standards are also followed since the system provides short and accurate descriptions of the core issues.
Due to the necessity to expand the facility and, therefore, manage an increasing amount of data, the facility will have to adopt an EHR/EMR system that will guarantee more accurate collection, storage, and management of patient data. Therefore, tools facilitating value-based care must be chosen in order to keep the quality of services high and avoid medical errors. Specifically, the application of the cloud-based technology as the fastest and safest solution to the concerns of an expanding facility should be considered. The specified option will help healthcare experts access and share data immediately, while keeping it safe and being able to update it accordingly.
Reference
Sayles, N. B., & Trawick, K. C. (2010). Introduction to computer systems for health information technology. American Health Information Management Association.
Health care professionals tend to use medical terminology, jargon, abbreviations, and even specific workplace slang. In general, this communication feature makes the daily interactions between nurses and physicians more transparent and efficient, resulting in fewer mistakes and overall better care provided. Medical English replaces some ordinary words with specific terms and abbreviations, making it more comprehensible for caregivers and, on the contrary, less understandable for patients. To gain insight into medical terms usefulness in practice, I conducted an interview with a fourth-year resident in the USA named Emma. The respondent received questions connected with medical terms used in health care settings.
To begin with, the majority of physicians and nurses apply a specific language of medicine on a daily basis. Education and workplace culture encourages care providers to modify their language making it more standardized. According to Emma, the most common medical terms heard during day-to-day job duties are connected with diagnosis, quality of patients condition, and drug orders. For instance, the terms rhinorrhea, anorexia, syncope, vertigo substitute more common running nose, absence of appetite, fainting, and dizziness.
Doctors also introduce abbreviations such as Ac (before meals), BP (blood pressure), cc (cubic centimeter), especially in written prescriptions to make long terms shorter. Moreover, practitioners tend to create and apply slang terms while communicating with each other to relieve stress. For instance, NPS (new parent syndrome) is code nurses use to describe new parents who often bring their children to the hospital without significant reason. Physicians are those responsible for writing the majority of prescriptions containing shortened forms of clinical terms.
One common prescribing mistake observed by the responder is a QD (once-a-day) mistaken for QID (four times a day). Such misunderstanding among caregivers endangers a patients health who receives a four-time higher dose of medication per day (Tariq & Sharma, 2020). Communication with patients who are not familiar with a majority of medical terms constitutes another challenge. For example, when asking history-eliciting questions or explaining the diagnosis, doctors often introduce medical terms for specific conditions, while patients tend to hide their lack of understanding. Such situations may result in an incorrect diagnosis or improper treatment regimen.
The respondent revealed that it is essential for the caregiver to use simple words where it is possible when having an appointment. The yes/no questions should also be limited to avoid patience giving incorrect information. Instead, the latter should receive an explanation of some terms (conditions) and be encouraged to tell their own story in their own words for crucial insights. Another solution can be a distribution of specific terms glossary designed to foster physician-patient communication.
The last raised question was regarding ways to become a competent and successful health care professional. According to Emma, if someone wants to become an asset in the organization, he/she should continuously foster clinical skills, update knowledge, and improve the quality of team/unit communication. The health care professional requires a lifelong studying/training, an ongoing update on evidence-based practices, and promotion of higher care quality for patients.
In the context of medical English, new caregivers should learn the list of appropriate and banned abbreviations in the hospital and familiarize all terms frequently used by their colleagues. Today, the application of abbreviations in patient-related documents is not recommended to avoid guessing and possible mistakes when deciphering it. To improve communication, nurses and physicians should close the gaps in their knowledge, being brave enough to ask for clarification or double-check the history or drug order. A teach-back method is the best choice to utilize while communicating information to patients.
Reference
Tariq, R. A., & Sharma, S. (2020). Inappropriate medical abbreviations. StatPearls [Internet].
Jacob, J. A. (2015). On the road to interoperability, public and private organizations work to connect Health Care Data. JAMA, 314(12), 1213.
In this article, Julie Jacob talks about the barriers that prevent effective implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) into medical practice. The author views building and maintaining interoperability as the primary pathway to improving data transmission within medical facilities. The importance of quick communication without information loss is supported by practical examples from medical experience. Lack of technical compatibility prevents the effective use of EHRs within the healthcare system.
The article explores a critical aspect of EHRs, which frequently receives insufficient attention. Numerous studies investigate various challenges related to the use of digital technology in healthcare, yet interoperability is rarely considered. Jacob provides valuable information regarding interoperability issues that should be considered by EHR program developers. However, further research may be needed in order to establish concrete methods to reduce technical incompatibility and improve interoperability.
Silva, E. M., Agostinho, C., & Jardim-Goncalves, R. (2013). Achieving interoperability via model transformation within the MDI. Enterprise Interoperability, 171180.
In this article, a comprehensive analysis of interoperability in the healthcare system is provided. The authors introduce fundamental information about the importance of interoperability as well as the insight of potential implementation barriers. The article views EHR programs as a perspective and promising development direction for medical facilities. Nonetheless, it also highlights the necessity of interoperability improvements as the primary driver of EHR development. Therefore, a wide range of actions designed to build and maintain interoperability is provided for facilities in both the private and public sectors.
Technical compatibility may significantly contribute to the advancement of EHRs and big data management in the healthcare industry. The article provides sufficient theoretical background combined with diverse practical decisions that may improve interoperability. Such information may be effectively utilized in order to promote the use of EHRs during the covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the article provides little evidence from other sources, and hence, further research may be needed.
When conducting the organizational assessment, social factors, technology, and cultural factors influenced the process. Social factors greatly affect the performance and nature of any organization (Vaishnavi & Suresh, 2020). As such, the working relationships between the people in the organization were examined. The relationships between the nurses and the other services, physicians, and staff members were effective and cordial. The organizational structure was considered to determine the hierarchical distance between the administrators, nurses, and other staff. The language used in communication, including non-verbal, influenced the assessment.
Technological factors were considered because they play an important role in any organization, especially in the healthcare sector. The main focus was on the type of technology, its application, its goals and objectives, and the interaction between technology and the users. For instance, computers, Internet connection, mobile gadgets, and other communication devices were applied in the department for effective service provision (Vaishnavi & Suresh, 2020). Some cultural factors influenced the organizations assessment, including values that drive the workforce, ethics, and the gap between these aspects and how business is conducted.
Findings of the Assessment
Nurses work with other staff members to provide high-quality services to the community. There were cordial working relationships between these professionals, and communication was effective. English is the main language, but most providers also communicate in Hispanic, French, and sign language with the patients and their families. Technology is part of the care provision process, especially in communication and data management. The electronic Health Records (EHR) system is highly sophisticated and the major technology driving the organization. Also, nurses use computers and the Internet to improve communication and research to enhance evidence-based approaches. Besides, there are values established through codes of conduct to ensure that everyone acts ethically.
Cultural Competency Plan
For social factors, it is suggested that the hospital recruit and retain minority staff because they were few during the visit. In addition, they should provide and increase training in cultural awareness, skills, and knowledge and use community health workers (Sharifi, Adib-Hajbaghery & Najafi, 2019). In terms of technology, they should use computers and other devices with the ability to translate and print out documents in other languages because many customers come from Hispanic families across the region. Regarding cultural factors, it is suggested that the hospital improve its relationship with the community by incorporating culture-specific attitudes and values into its health promotion tools.
Healthcare is a vital industry for any country; therefore, the quality of experiences and facilities performance must be in control. Data collection tools and measurement technics were developed to timely note and address threats or implement new practices. Quality for healthcare can be defined as the degree of the expected outcomes likelihood (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2018). Measuring it means to explore the structural aspects such as characteristics of the providers professionalism or facilities equipment, process, and outcomes (Hash et al., 2019). Quality improvement models commonly include problem identification, current performance studying, cause analysis, strategy development, effectiveness evaluation, and modification (Hash et al., 2019). Correct measurements, categories, rates, and criteria are the key to enhancing a healthcare facilitys activity in an optimal manner.
The healthcare industry is strictly tied to clients experience, thus problems and weak points identification must start from gaining information from them. Moreover, Hash et al. (2019) claim that data collected for quality measurements can be grouped into four categories: clinical quality, financial performance, patient, physician, and staff satisfaction, and functional status (p. 107). These domains address the expected outcomes of healthcare services established by the government and the customers demands. Indeed, if staff satisfaction rate is below the set minimum, their productivity and willingness to work would decrease and might lead to severe consequences for a clinics overall performance.
Various quality measurements can be applied to different types of healthcare facilities, and the selection must be based on a hypothetic issue to check or certain activities. For instance, acute care hospitals might need to pay more attention to patient experience during the time spent on treatment rather than analyzing particular procedures effectiveness. Prioritizing client experience and outcomes of their hospitalizations is a foundation to explore how close the staff and equipment are to the expected outcomes and established standards (Khera et al., 2020). Consequently, readmission rate, percentage of patients leaving against medical advice, and infection control can be the measurements for evaluating a healthcare organizations quality. Values for the analysis of these factors are tied to the client experience and address critical aspects such as safety and efficiency. This paper aims to explore the quality measurement tools for evaluating readmission rate, percentage of patients leaving against medical advice, and infection control at an acute care facility.
Readmission Rate Measure of Quality
Hospital readmission rating allows facilities to track the number of cases when patients require an unplanned return for receiving treatment and compare it to the average. The measurement is vital for improving quality and optimizing spending on healthcare services. Indeed, readmissions are costly for Medicare patients and might become an additional burden for the budget (Hasan et al., 2020). The rate identifies the quality and efficiency of services delivered because of a high percentage of returns to hospital signals about the poor outcomes of initial treatment (Hasan et al., 2020). Moreover, acute care facilities can analyze the diagnoses with the highest readmission score to develop new preventing practices. The quality measurements based on the rate are necessary for optimizing the average time spent at a hospital after the initial visit and for adjusting the range of procedures performed by staff.
It is essential to identify the criteria of a readmission to be counted because such returns as repeated surgery or the conditions with a high worsening likelihood are inevitable. The indicator for analyzing the rate must be reliable, valid, and based on the evidence about average diseases outcomes and patient experiences (Nasiri et al., 2019). As the score is calculated from the number of returns during the first month after the initial hospitalization, it narrows the data to process and makes the measurements more specific (Khera et al., 2020). The quality of an acute care facilitys performance depends on various factors, yet the readmission rate is a profound starting point for searching the quality improvement gaps.
Numerical Description and Data Collection
There are no specific formulas for counting the readmission rate, and it can be changed based on the selected time slot. The calculation is based on subtracting the number of unplanned additional visits from the overall number and dividing it by total for extracting the percentage (Hasan et al., 2020). The benchmarks that can be used for identifying possible quality gaps are the average readmissions per unit per month and the number of cases for a certain disease (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2018). Data collection for the rate is tied to patient feedback and experience and can be gathered from their appointments results. Also, CRM systems that register operations, new visits, hospitalizations, and discharges are useful for noticing the patterns and extracting the information for counting the rate. Accuracy is critical for information selection because the results influence finances, authority, and quality of operations performed by the employees.
Readmission rate can be compared to the overall quantity of returns, certain diseases outcomes, or the treatment consequences statistics. However, the score would be more informative if counted independently because it would increase the accuracy and reveal more about the reasons for a larger or smaller percentage of cases (Khera et al., 2020). For instance, data analysis revealed that the readmission rate increased during the last month, and more than one-third of patients are related to the emergency injuries treatment unit (Khera et al., 2020). Tunneling the results to a certain department allows understanding who made the decisions for the affected patients and directly addressing possible issues.
Risks and Goals of Readmission Rate Measuring
Several risks occur during the readmission rate measurement, and they are related to the quality improvement gaps identification and the external factors influence underestimation. Indeed, the reasons for the score increase might be explained incorrectly, leading an organization to improve, changing, or restructuring the wrong segment. The risk of excluding the external environment factors severely affects the data analysis outcomes (Hasan et al., 2020). For instance, the increased frequency of returning after the infection episode might be considered readmission rate growth, yet in reality, this circumstance is tied to the local spread of a certain contagious disease.
If a healthcare organization aims to excel in its marketplace, analyzing the readmission rates must be the priority goal for them. As the calculation requires analysis for the cases of return, it becomes a foundation for identifying factors that threaten a facilitys efficiency. The goal of addressing these weak points at a certain period can be created to enhance overall performance or to become the best healthcare provider in a certain treatment category (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2018). For instance, the readmission rate at a region with more diabetes patients than the average can be considered by a facility that would like to be a market leader in diabetes treatment quality. Moreover, identification of practice gaps can be timely found and addressed through additional education for the involved employees. Lastly, an organization with a purpose to improve its position in the market can rely on the readmission rates for analyzing the effectiveness of the quality improvement approaches.
Readmission Rate Measure in Acute Care Organization
Acute care organizations have a significant dependence on the readmission rate because this measurement can be performed in a more precise manner. Indeed, the range of cases of patients unplanned returns can be broke down based on hospital departments, diseases, procedures received, and medication is taken (Khera et al., 2020). For example, the Kindred Hospital in San Francisco Bay Area guarantees assistance with chronic diseases and injuries, allows to extend a post-surgery recovery, and provides an objective Medicare spending explanation (Kindred Hospital, n. d.). Indeed, if the facilitys wound care department has 33 total readmissions per month and 12 of them tend to be unexpected. If the number of unplanned returns increases to at least four patients, it is reasonable to investigate if the procedures quality decreased.
Influence of Readmission Rate on Healthcare Delivery Quality
Readmission rate directly relates to the cost of poor quality as the increased frequency of visiting an acute care facility is expensive. It influences the overall cost of healthcare delivery because the treatment expansions require additional spending and working hours to address. For example, injuries with surgery have a certain price for the Medicare program participants (Hasan et al., 2020). If the healing process goes unwell and requires additional help, the facility and client would have to use the money they could avoid spending if the procedures were performed correctly from the beginning. Patient safety can also be related to the readmission rates because the increase of percentage means that the clients received healthcare of lower quality than usual, and their welfare could have been threatening.
Percentage Discharge Against Medical Advice Measure of Quality
The percentage of patients leaving a healthcare facility despite the recommendations to stay is also called the Discharge against Medical Advice (DAMA). This rate-based measure of quality addresses clients safety because if the quantity of such cases increases, it means that there are certain issues in the services. Besides, DAMA, if not taken under control on time, would lead to higher mortality, readmissions, and additional costs of providing healthcare (Ashrafi et al., 2017). As a quality measurement, the rate can be identified as a premature discharge without a significant reason. DAMA can be influenced by the lack of clear communication between personnel and patient, the lack of respectful treatment, or an unsafe environment (Ashrafi et al., 2017). All these factors define the low quality of services offered by a healthcare facility.
Numerical Description and Data Collection
Although DAMA rate calculation does not include specific formulas, it requires registering each case and including patients data and their conditions description. In general, to retrieve the DAMA rating, the percent ratio between the total number of discharges and the unadvised cases must be counted (Bhoomadevi et al., 2019). Data collection is crucial for registering and addressing the results of DAMA measurements because accurate information leads to finding and eliminating the root cause of poor healthcare quality. Ashrafi et al. (2017) state that the information needed to carry out the study including variables related to the patients, as well as the reasons for the DAMA based on a research-made checklist were extracted (p. 4565). Moreover, personal characteristics such as age, gender, race, socioeconomic status must be collected and checked to identify if the threat of discrimination could occur. The DAMA measurement can be compared to actual rates based on the overall national percentage of the cases and differentiated by the types of facilities and diagnoses. For instance, the patients of lower-income groups tend to leave hospitals against medical advice due to the costs associated with a longer stay.
Risks and Goals of Discharge Against Medical Advice Measuring
DAMA measurement of quality is risk-adjusted because of the outcomes the increasing number of patients who leave has on a facilitys reputation. Moreover, clients who refuse to stay and complete treatment are likely to worsen their conditions or receive incomplete service. Consequently, if an organization aims to take leading positions in its market, it must track each case of DAMA and calculate the rates with a certain frequency. It is necessary to timely notice and address the changes or identify the quality improvement gaps in the current practices (Hash et al., 2019). For instance, an acute care hospital might set a goal to enhance its patient-centered treatment approach. To achieve it, the representatives will receive additional education and practice on the patients who are most likely to leave against advice (Ashrafi et al., 2017). The information about such clients characteristics and the efficiency of novel strategies can be identified through the DAMA measurement of quality.
Discharge Against Medical Advice Rate Measure in Acute Care Organization
Acute care organizations are the most affected by the severe outcomes of DAMA among their clients. Indeed, the patients receive longer treatment and stay at a facility for the time sufficient to make conclusions if they need to complete the suggested program or not. Consequently, issues such as lack of support, misunderstanding, poor quality of a certain procedure, or other negative experiences can force an individual to leave regardless of their health conditions (Hash et al., 2019). Bhoomadevi et al. (2019) suggest that to increase awareness regarding the dangers and consequences of leaving the hospital, effective communication should be established and strengthened between patients, physician, and other medical staff (p. 3862). For instance, Kindred Hospital is an acute care organization located in San Francisco an area with a diverse population (Kindred Hospital, n. d.). Miscommunication with a person who represents a minority group can lead to their DAMA and threaten the quality of services offered.
Influence of Discharge Against Medical Advice Rate on Healthcare Delivery Quality
DAMA rate is the measure of quality that directly relates to patient safety as it reveals if staying at a facility is more threatening than being at home with an injury or disease. Moreover, the increased percentage correlates with the costs of healthcare delivery growth, forcing people to try avoiding extra spending (Bhoomadevi et al., 2019). The poor quality of treatment that causes DAMA is a significant challenge for acute care facilities because various factors from client-physician to the quality of nursing services influence it.
Infection Control Measure of Quality
Infection control is crucial because of its influence on the overall conditions, environment, and safety of the patients and staff. The quality improvement gap in that aspect can be displayed in the lack of knowledge about sterilization practices. Thandar et al. (2021) state that many infections occur due to the use of invasive devices, central lines, urinary catheters and ventilators (p. e044971). Assessing the quality of control can help prevent the severe consequences and, in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, address the challenge of keeping patients safe. The measure can be defined as the frequency of occurrence of infection cases in a population during a certain period.
Numerical Description and Data Collection
Keeping the cases of contagious diseases outbreaks on track is vital for any healthcare facilitys quality assessment. Infection control measurement is constructed via the identification of the percentage rate between the average census and the number of cases, limited by a certain timeframe (Nasiri et al., 2019). The calculations can also be performed to identify the rating based on the resident days, multiplying the ratio by the necessary duration of hospitalization.
Data collection for infection control is based on the daily analysis of patients conditions and timely registration of any deviations. Indeed, the information is gathered from analyses such as body temperature, blood pressure, and basic physical checkups performed and registered every day. Moreover, data aggregation via the internal basis is a modern technology that can help collect information and predict the threat of contagious disease spread based on the changes in patients conditions (Nasiri et al., 2019). The measurement is different from other settings because patients with weakened immune systems who receive procedures with invasive devices might catch an infection quicker than in another setting (Jeanes et al., 2020). A facilitys internal rates can be higher or lower than the average, depending on the practices performed among personnel and quality improvement strategies utilized.
Risks and Goals of Infection Control Measuring
The measure of infection control as a quality indicator for a healthcare facility is adjusted to risk because contagious diseases can occur and spread regardless of the preventative practices. Indeed, the COVID-19 outbreak revealed that even extreme hygiene, sterility, and safe procedures performance could not eliminate the chance of the virus spreading (Jeanes et al., 2020). However, the risks related to the lack of the measures listed above must be considered and practiced by all healthcare providers.
Facilities that strive to have a competitive advantage at infection control and seek to excel in the marketplace must address that quality measure from various aspects simultaneously. The personnel would need additional education and practice, sufficient protective equipment must be provided, and the patients must be educated and motivated to maintain hygiene (Jeanes et al., 2020). The goals related to measuring infection control require specific percentage aims and realistic approaches for achievement. For example, it is challenging to predict the respiratory contagious disease prevention effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, the goal should be to decrease the risk by 5% rather than 20%.
Infection Control in Acute Care Organization
Acute care organizations must maintain the high quality of infection control among all units because otherwise, the patients would be at risk of worsening their conditions. Measuring the rate of disease cases is also critical for noticing the patterns and timely isolating people who might carry infection. For instance, the Kindred Hospital has specialized regulations for contagious disease control and might decline hospitalization if a person threatens the overall safety (Kindred Hospital, n. d.). Acute care facilities have infection units, personnel of which must continuously analyze if the quality of controlled measures requires improvement.
Influence of Infection Control Rate on Healthcare Delivery Quality
The quality rate of infection control is vital for evaluating healthcare delivery at an organization. Indeed, the low risk of developing a caught disease has a direct relation to the patient safety index. Measurement tools and data collection require daily attention, working hours, and sufficient equipment; therefore, it influences the cost of healthcare delivery (Jeanes et al., 2020). In the case of poor quality for infection control, a hospital will not be able to operate properly. Frequent measuring of personnels willingness to maintain a safe environment and checking if the patients are motivated to keep hygiene a priority is critical for the healthcare facility.
Conclusion
The proper use of quality measurement tools is crucial for the successful performance of acute care facilities. The rates such as readmission, percentage of patients leaving against medical advice, and infection control are the indicators of how well the patients are treated, what conditions are at the hospital. Measuring quality to identify if there are threats to patient safety, employees satisfaction, or risks of worsening the treatment is the modern approach of maintaining high efficiency in a facility.
Nash, D. B., Joshi, M. S., Ransom, E. R., & Ransom, S. B. (Eds.). (2019). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools (4th ed.). Health Administration Press.
In healthcare, marketing strategies are applied to advertise new medical products or programs. This can be advertising in scientific publications with a large circulation, or through the internal distribution of government websites such as CDC ( Health marketing basics, 2021). Further, information about the program or product spreads through the hierarchical vertical and reaches the communities and patient groups that receive health services. This paper aims to discuss the benefits of the two-sided message marketing strategy for healthcare campaigns.
Notably, the two-sided messages are widely used in marketing to persuade the customers and cause attitude changes. The essence of this method is that the advertiser represents not only the positive but also the negative aspects of the product (Ferreira, 2020). Paradoxically, this approach increases interest in the product and the demand for it. Since, firstly, it causes sympathy, making the product or service more human, and, secondly, it increases the message credibility, which represents both positive and negative sides.
Healthcare marketing strategies go through several stages an information campaign, or the presentation of a product or service to the public as a result of research or program policy, the opportunity to test a product for free or at a reduced price, offering a product or service in places with a large volume of potential buyers, and, finally, the presentation of the product or service to the media and the public. At each stage, the receiving party will decide how successful the product or service is or how socially useful and significant it is. Therefore, at each stage, the presenting party must use effective strategies.
The two-sided message strategy is most appropriate to use in the last step when the product or service is being presented to the general public. In the previous stages, the messages were more specific and were aimed at more informing the consumer about the product or service and convincing them to try it. Now you need to reach a wider audience and use less memory and space. Since the public is already somewhat familiar with the concept of a product or service, they will understand the general idea from a shorter advertising message.
This message can contain a two-sided message to convince potential customers and induce particular behavior or decision. Many health care services are uncomfortable or make prospective patients feel uncomfortable. However, they can be necessary for the health of each individual and the nation as a whole, so two-sided messages can be used to convince the audience. For example, an ad message might contain the following text: cancer screening will not brighten up your lunch break, but it will help you live ten years longer.
Another example is a visit to the dentist: people ask friends to visit the dentist for them, but your smile will help you find a beautiful girl. In other words, the essence of the two-sided message is to grab attention, share information and appear more authentic in front of customers. Finally, if the public health system has developed a serious campaign to improve the health of citizens, it can put up billboards with motivating slogans that will firstly be remembered by all potential visitors to clinics, and secondly, they will cheer them up.
Thus, the benefits of the two-sided message marketing strategy for the healthcare campaigns were discussed. They can be effectively used in different healthcare campaigns like governmental healthcare programs and newly tested products like anti-COVID vaccines. The marketing campaigns in healthcare include several stages, and in the final stage, when the product or strategy is presented to the broader audience, the two-sided messages work best. This is especially true for medical products since they are supposed to arise trust in patients.
Complete and reliable statistical information is the necessary foundation on which the management and organization of health care in all countries is based. All information of medical relevance is ultimately processed and analyzed using medical statistics. Medical and statistical data make it possible to determine the incidence of certain types of pathology, highlight the most priority areas for the preventive work of doctors, identify the main trends in the development of diseases, and predict the outcome of epidemics.
The development of modern medicine is largely due to the ongoing statistical research, which makes it possible to assess the level of health of the population, periods of rising and fall in morbidity. It helps to determine the ratio of healthy people and disabled people, the effectiveness and availability of health care personnel, equipment, the frequency of occurrence of new diseases, and much more. Based on medical statistics, forecasts are created, and problem areas are identified, for which new ways and methods of solution need to be sought. Currently, medical statistics are constantly being modernized. The annual change in federal statistical observation and the introduction of new monitoring contribute to obtaining more detailed indicators for further analysis in the healthcare sector.
The statistical application assesses the level of risk in a patient with one pathology or another, analyzes the patients condition, and chooses the most rational treatment method to investigate the level of health of both an individual patient and a selected group (up to the health of the nation. It helps to examine the populations standard of living and its relationship with the level of fitness as selection is a fundamental problem in survival analysis (He, 2020, p. 3). It is essential for determining the influence of environmental factors on the state of the patients body and other medico-social, medico-biological, medico-economic, and medico-statistical phenomena and processes.
Mastering statistical methodology is one of the conditions for the medical market conjuncture, the study of trends and forecasting, making optimal decisions at all activity levels. Statistical methods can be different and are based on disproportionality analysis, traditional pharmacoepidemiological designs (e.g. self-controlled designs), sequence symmetry analysis (SSA), sequential statistical testing, temporal association rules, supervised machine learning (SML), and the tree-based scan statistic (Arnaud, et al., 2017, p. 722). The final, analytical stage of the research is complex, laborious, and responsible. At this stage, the average and distribution indicators are considered, the population structure is analyzed, the dynamics and the relationship between the studied phenomena and processes are investigated. At all stages of statistical research, statistics use various methods. Therefore, full knowledge of the foundations of medical statistics is the indispensable condition for successful medical practice.
In medical statistics as a scientific and practical discipline, three main interrelated components can be distinguished: public health statistics, statistics of the health care system, theoretical and methodological foundations of medical statistics. Additionally, during the construction process of figures on health and healthcare, choices are made on definitions of what is counted and measured, which inclusion and exclusion criteria are used, and which methodology is applied; moreover, interests of the involved parties may influence the results (Gerrits, et al., 2018, p. 1). The purpose of the activities of medical organizations is to preserve peoples health, reduce mortality, morbidity, and disability of the population with the optimal use of financial, material, and human resources.
Effective health care management is associated with the need for timely receipt and analysis of complete, reliable, scientifically grounded statistical information on social, economic, demographic, environmental, and other social phenomena in the field of public health protection. Statistics play a fundamental role in the populations quality, safety, and health promotion as the true data values are synonymously used actual or observed data (Sabharwal, 2021, p. 23). Health statistics analyze data on medical institutions and their activities and evaluates the effectiveness of various organizational measures to prevent and treat diseases. Population health statistics develop specific methods and techniques for collecting, processing, analyzing, and assesing medical and statistical information about all processes and phenomena that characterize the state and dynamics of the health of the population.
Currently, I get statistics from surveys: direct observation; documentary way; survey forwarding, questionnaire, attendance, correspondence. Statistical methods of data analysis are used whenever necessary to obtain and substantiate any judgments about a group with some internal heterogeneity. In statistical methods of data analysis, it is advisable to distinguish three types of scientific and applied activities (according to the degree of specificity of methods associated with immersion in specific problems): development and research of universal methods without considering the specifics of the field of application.
Moreover, it is a development and research of statistical models of natural phenomena and processes by the needs of a particular field of activity; the use of statistical methods and models for statistical analysis of specific data in solving applied problems, for example, to conduct sample surveys. A lot of statistical knowledge is used for everyday life: the collection of information, the ability to distribute it, and based on this, make decisions. Statistics are vital for making a decision since the most optimal choice will depend on the data obtained, which will help make a decision. Thus, statistics play one of the most crucial roles in the health care system. On its basis, decisions are created and made regarding the work of organizations and the general health of the population, which helps to improve the health of the nation and humanity as a whole.
He, X. (2020). Statistical detection and survival analysis with applications in sensor networks and healthcare (Publication No. 22693) [Masters thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology]. Georgia Tech Theses and Dissertations
Sabharwal, C. L. (2021). Cohens Kappa Statistic and newKappaStatistic for Measuring and Interpreting Inter-Rater Agreement. International Journal of Research in Engineering and Science, 2320(9364), 23-28.
The nurse manager or the nurse leader can re-engineer healthcare and may take responsibility for changing current policies, practices, and procedures. A good example is a massive transformation many hospitals underwent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was necessary to create new procedures for observing safety and avoiding infection to resolve the situation. According to Popejoy et al. (2020), designed to improve hospital discharges, the Reengineered Discharge program (RED) prepares hospitalized patients for discharge back to their homes (p. 158). Therefore, all internal logistics for implementing these procedures became the nurse leaders and managers responsibility.
Another example of nursing managers performing reengineering is when implementing new strategic vaccination programs for the population. According to Bloom et al. (2017), vaccines are now widely regarded as an effective and cheap tool for improving health (p. 214). To implement the governments vaccination requirements, it was necessary to fully establish a new workflow where nurses could vaccinate all wishing patients. Sometimes the vaccinations took place outside the territory of hospitals, which somewhat complicated the task. Therefore, it can be said with confidence that nursing managers and leaders perform essential healthcare reengineering functions.
References
Bloom, D. E., Canning, D., & Weston, M. (2017). The value of vaccination. In Fighting the Diseases of Poverty. Routledge. pp. 214-238.
Popejoy, L. L., Wakefield, B. J., Vogelsmeier, A. A., Galambos, C. M., Lewis, A. M., Huneke, D., & Mehr, D. R. (2020). Reengineering skilled nursing facility discharge: Analysis of RED implementation. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 35(2), 158. DOI: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000413
HealthPartners, a non-profit health care provider located in Minnesota, merged with Park Nicollet Health Services in 2013 (HealthPartners, 2014).
Points important to discuss:
changes in goals and the mission;
the role of leadership in the process;
reasons to merge;
the mergers impact on the organization.
HealthPartnerss merger led to:
integrating cultures;
new approaches to the coordination of patient care;
implementing new strategies in the process of care delivery.
Organizational Overview: HealthPartners
HealthPartnerss Past and Current Mission
Past Mission: To provide high quality, efficient, and affordable care for patients (HealthPartners, 2014).
Current Mission: To improve health and well-being in partnership with our members, patients and community (HealthPartners, 2014).
HealthPartnerss Past and Current Vision
Past Vision: Excellence of diagnosis and treatment.
Current Vision: Health as it could be, affordability as it must be, through relationships built on trust (HealthPartners, 2014).
The Organizations Past Goals
to improve the care for patients in the community;
to improve the family support;
to improve the patient care delivery;
to make patients healthier;
to make the health care in Bloomington affordable for the community members.
The Organizations Current Goals
to double the number of patients who can achieve optimal health as measured by improved healthy lifestyle behaviors (HealthPartners, 2014);
to improve the quality of preventive services and chronic disease treatment;
to reduce socioeconomic and physical environmental barriers to better health (HealthPartners, 2014).
Leadership Traits Necessary for Strategic Shift
Rationale for the Strategic Shift
Better experiences;
More affordable care for community members;
Becoming a leading healthcare organization in the community;
Significant efficiency in services;
Improvement of the technological base;
Improvement of geographic distribution;
Improvement of the overall care of provided services (Boffeli, Thongvanh, Evans, & Ahrens, 2012, p. 20).
HealthPartnerss Strategic Shift: Merger
The merger: two organizations combine through mutual agreement to form a single new organization (Swayne et al., 2009, p. 221).
Features:
the use of existing resources;
expansion of the impact;
the increase of the competitive advantage (Chreim, Williams, & Coller, 2012, p. 215; Zismer, 2013, p. 169).
Impact of Strategic Shift
Impact on Governance and Structure
the establishment of the centralized organization;
uniting the clinics under the name of HealthPartners;
centralized governance with the focus on the consumer-governed board of directors (Creasy & Kinard, 2013, p. 59).
Shifts in Strategies
focus on patients in Minnesota and Wisconsin;
policies to address the needs of the increased number of patients (AHRQ, 2014).
Integration of Cultures
Similar cultural paths, ethical codes, and values.
Delivery and Character of Services
No changes in the delivery;
Improved access to general and special services.
Quality
Improvement of the quality;
Advanced technologies (HealthPartners, 2014).
Health Care Professionals Activities
Focus on expanding the services (Zuckerman, 2011, p. 4).
Figure 1. Organization Changes (Culture and perfomance, 2014)
Conclusion
The analysis focused on
the steps associated with the merger;
shifts in the organizations direction;
changes in the number of public targeted and served by HealthPartners;
changes in the number and character of performed tasks.
The organizations achieved the success while
combining the similar cultures;
formulating new mission and goals;
proposing new strategies to organizing the work of health care professionals.
References
AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Qualitys. (2014). Web.
AMA: American Medical Association. (2014). Web.
Boffeli, T., Thongvanh, K., Evans, S., & Ahrens, C. (2012). Patient experience and physician productivity: debunking the mythical divide at HealthPartners clinics. The Permanente Journal, 16(4), 19-25.
Chreim, S., Williams, B., & Coller, K. (2012). Radical change in healthcare organization. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 26(2), 215-236.
Creasy, T., & Kinard, J. (2013). Health care mergers and acquisitions: Implications of robbers cave realistic conflict theory and prisoners dilemma game theory. Health Care Management, 32(1), 58-68.
Culture and performance. (2014). Web.
HealthPartners. (2014). Web.
Isham, G., Zimmerman, D., Kindig, D., & Hornseth, G. (2013). HealthPartners adopts community business model to deepen focus on nonclinical factors of health outcomes. Health Affairs, 32(8), 14461452.
Swayne, L. E., Duncan, W. J., & Ginter, P. M. (2009). Strategic management of health care organizations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Zismer, D. (2013). How might a reforming U.S. healthcare marketplace threaten balance sheet liquidity for community health systems? Journal of Healthcare Management, 58(3), 168-172.
Zuckerman, A. (2011). Healthcare mergers and acquisitions: Strategies for consolidation. Frontiers of Health Services Management, 27(4), 3-12.
