Write a 3–4-page safety score improvement plan for mitigating concerns addressing a specific patient safety goal that is relevant to quality patient care. Determine what a best evidence-based practice is and design a plan for resolving issues resulting from not maintaining patient safety.

Quality improvement and patient safety are health care industry imperatives (Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, 2001). Effective quality improvement results in system and organizational change. This ultimately contributes to the creation of a patient safety culture.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 1: Identify nursing leadership priorities using a systems perspective.
Identify a patient safety issue.
Competency 2: Apply systems theory and systems thinking to facilitate health care delivery and patient outcomes.
Apply systems thinking to explain how current policies and procedures may affect a safety issue.
Explain a strategy to collect information about the safety concern.
Explain a plan to implement a recommendation and monitor outcomes.
Recommend an evidence-based strategy to improve the safety issue.
Competency 4: Evaluate how power relates to health care organizational structure, behavior, and leadership.
Describe the influence of nursing leadership in driving the needed changes.
Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is consistent with the expectations of a nursing professional.
Write content clearly and logically, with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
Correctly format citations and references using current APA style.
Reference
Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Context

Quality improvement and patient safety are health care industry imperatives (Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, 2001). Effective quality improvement results in system and organizational change. This ultimately contributes to the creation of a patient safety culture.

Quality improvement and patient safety are central to the nursing leadership role. They are analyzed from many perspectives. Types of quality improvement and patient safety programs may range from internal, organization-based quality improvement team reports to external benchmarks from The Joint Commission, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Magnet, and numerous other organizations.

A landmark publication by the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Quality of Health Care in America (2001) identified the imperative to focus on quality care and patient safety. The initiative to create cultures of patient safety and quality care remain at the forefront of the health care leadership landscape. Nursing leadership sub-competencies include the understanding of components and use of effective tools for successful quality improvement programs within the practice setting.

For a more recent snapshot of progress in the arena of patient safety, you may review a recent executive summary database report on safety cultures from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (n.d.). Lessons learned and tools presented within the directed readings provide a rich set of resources from which to draw for improved nurse leadership in the area of patient safety.

References
Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). HHS.Gov. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/

Questions to Consider

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the health care community.

Consider a performance measurement criteria or best practice guideline used in your work setting (or one that you are familiar with).

How was this criterion or guideline implemented?
Has it been successful?
Is it used consistently?
What evidence-based practices were used in developing the criteria or guideline?
How was nursing involved in the criteria or guideline development?