NURS 417: Informatics

Purpose of the Assignment: The purpose is to compare the outcomes measures of 3 hospitals for outcome measures (surgical care, HCAHPS, pneumonia, & ED wait times) and compare to state and national benchmarks. Students will develop an evidence-based plan to improve 1 outcome measure where benchmarks are not being achieved.

Student Approach to Assignment: I approached this assignment by comparing the following outcome measures (ED wait times, pneumonia death rates, heart failure death rates, and HCAHPS ratings of the following three hospitals: Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, and Riverside Regional Medical Center. In this assignment, I developed an evidence-based plan to improve pneumonia death rates at Riverside Regional Medical Center. 

Reason for Inclusion of the Assignment in the Portfolio: The inclusion of this assignment in the portfolio is important because it demonstrates my ability to identify quality of care measures, understand the importance of performance outcomes within a healthcare setting, and apply evidence to identify gaps in care.

• Domains 2 and 3: Person-Centered Care, Popultion Health
  • (12) Establishes and/or utilizes outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of care.
    • This was demonstrated by utilizing outcome measures and evidence to determine the effectiveness of care by benchmarking three hospitals on the four topics (ED wait times, pneumonia death rates, heart failure death rates, and HCAHPS ratings). After I evaluated the effectiveness of care across the three hospitals, I created an evidence-based plan to improve one of the areas at Riverside Regional Medical Center. 
  • (13) Evaluates nursing care outcomes through the acquisition of data and the questioning of inconsistencies.
    • This was demonstrated in this assignment by utilizing national and state data to identify inconsistencies and gaps in care across three hospitals in the Tidewater area. I compared national and state rates to the three different hospitals to analyze data and inconsistencies.
• Domains 5 and 7: Quality and Safety, Systems-Based Practice
  • (29) Interpret benchmark and unit outcome data to inform individual and microsystem practice.
    • This was demonstrated by comparing three hospitals, interpreting benchmarking data, and creating an evidence-based plan to improve healthcare practice and Riverside Regional Medical Center. 
• Domains 5 and 8: Quality and Safety, Informatics and Healthcare Technologies
  • (30) Accesses and utilizes data and information from a wide range of sources to evaluate patient safety and care outcomes
    • This was demonstrated by utilizing data across different sources (research articles, medicare.gov, and HCAHPS data to evaluate the safety and care outcomes (ED wait times, pneumonia death rates, heart failure death rates, and HCAHPS) at three different hospitals. 
• Domains 2, 3, 10: Person-Centered Care, Population Health, Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development
  • (14) Revises actions plans and goals based on evidence or responses to interventions.
    • This was used in the assignment by utilizing data to implement a plan to revise and improve pneumonia death rates at Riverside Regional Medical Center.