NU_503 WEEK 5 Discussion Question 1
NU_503 WEEK 5 Discussion Question 1
NU_503 WEEK 5 Discussion Question 1
Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) can work in a host of settings, especially with increased reforms on scope of practice authority. Many are likely to work in rural outpatient settings and must understand how these facilities define health care quality. The health organization in this case is an outpatient clinical in rural area in the state. Healthcare in rural areas is mainly funded by state and federal governments. Imperatively, the outpatient clinic in the rural area is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) as it gets reimbursements from the institution implying that it is financed by the federal government under the Affordable Care Act 2010.
Defining Quality Care
The clinic, like other facilities, defines quality care as encompassing different aspects. The facility describes quality
NU_503 WEEK 5 Discussion Question 1
care as safe, effective, prompt, efficient, equitable and patient-centered care provided by physicians, nurses, and other professionals within its operations.
Patient safety is part of the definition as the clinic asserts that quality care must be safe and ensure that patients do not encounter adverse events like medication errors (AHRQ, 2020). The clinic asserts that its providers strive to prevent errors and learn from them to enhance overall quality. The clinic does not use the term evidence-based practice but acknowledges that patient safety and quality care are critical aspects of effective care and demonstrate efforts to improve health equity.
Patient outcomes are the results, experiences and satisfaction derived from services they get in healthcare facilities. The outcome measures focus on experiences and feedback from patients on different processes within the setting to improve care provision.
The facility should implement policies on care delivery, especially those encouraging cultural competence among providers since this is a rural setting (Busse et al., 2019). The facility should also encourage policies on preventive care and health promotion. The procedures to be implemented should those ones focusing on quality and increased access like having more routine check-up clinics for different patient populations. It should also have patient education and community outreach programs to enhance access to care.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (2020). Understanding Quality
Measurement. https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/quality-resources/tools/chtoolbx/understand/index.html
Busse, R., Panteli, D., & Quentin, W. (2019). An introduction to healthcare quality: Defining and
explaining its role in health systems. Improving healthcare quality in Europe, 1. [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549277/