In a 1,000-1,250-word paper, consider the outcome and process measures that can be used for CQI. Include the following in your essay:
At least two process measures that can be used for CQI.
At least one outcome measure that can be used for CQI.
A description of why each measure was chosen.
An explanation of how data would be collected for each (how each will be measured).
An explanation of how success would be determined.
One or two data-driven, cost-effective solutions to this challenge.
Use a minimum of three peer-reviewed scholarly references as evidence.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion
Benchmark Outcome and Process Measures
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
Benchmark Outcome and Process Measures
Healthcare organizations strive to provide quality care that effectively addresses patients’ needs and controls costs. To be able to achieve this goal, healthcare organizations must put in place the necessary structures and processes that will enable them to achieve the desired outcomes (Aggarwal et al., 2019). The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2020) utilizes the Donabedian Model to classify healthcare quality measures into structural, process, and outcome measures. Nurses and other healthcare professionals should understand the differences between these measures including how they would be used to determine success (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2022). The purpose of this assignment is to describe examples of outcome and process measures that can be used for continuous quality improvement.
An Example of CQI Initiative
An organization that is recording rising incidences of medication errors should implement a continuous quality improvement (CQI) project to improve medication prescription and distribution and maximize patient safety. As Aggarwal et al. (2019) explain, healthcare organizations usually implement CQI initiatives in order to address operational challenges that are negatively affecting their performance and patient outcomes. An evidence-based CQI intervention that an organization can implement to address rising rates of medication errors is a Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) technology. A study conducted by Shah et al. (2016) confirmed that BCMA technology has helped healthcare organizations to reduce serious medication administration errors. To be able to assess whether a BCMA technology is successfully addressing the quality gaps, an organization must document outcome and process measures to be tracked over time during a CQI project implementation period.
Examples of Process Measures That Can Be Used For CQI and Rationale
In a CQI project, process measures are the steps or the interventions that an organization is implementing to improve a given performance challenge. From the CQI example given above, process measures comprise the efforts that a healthcare organization is taking to keeps incidences of medication errors low. Examples of process measures that a facility can evaluate in the given scenario are the number of computers integrated with BCMA software and the number of nurses that are trained to effectively use BCMA technology to prescribe and distribute medications to patients (Sha et al., 2016). These measures must be evaluated together because both of them must be met for the desired improvement to occur in the organization.
The number of computers integrated with BCMA software and the number of nurses trained to use the technology are very crucial process measures to evaluate in a facility that is implementing a BCMA technology to address rising cases of medication errors. The rationale for choosing the first process measure is that a facility needs computers integrated with a complete BCMA software as the initial point towards improving the current situation. Besides, the rationale for choosing the second process measure is that nurses need to be trained on how to use the new technology to ensure its successful implementation (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.). Essentially, adequately trained nurses and computers with effectively working software will enable an organization to achieve the goal of eliminating medication errors.
Examples of Outcome Measures That Can Be Used for CQI and Rationale
Outcome measures in a CQI project are impacts of the actions or the interventions an organization is taking on patients. From the CQI example given above, outcomes measures comprise the patient-related impacts associated with the use of BCMA technology to prescribe and distribute medications in the facility. Examples of outcome measures that a facility can evaluate in the given scenario are the percentage of patients who develop drug reactions over a certain period of time after BCMA implementation and the number of patients who are cared for using the BCMA technology (Sha et al., 2016). Like in the case of process measures, the named outcome measures must be evaluated together because both of them must be met for the organization to realize its objectives.
The percentage of patients who develop drug reactions over a certain period of time after BCMA implementation and the number of patients who are cared for using the BCMA technology are crucial outcome measures to evaluate in a facility that is implementing a BCMA technology to address rising cases of medication errors. The rationale for choosing the first outcome measure is that the facility expects to observe changes in the number of patients who develop drug reactions by implementing the BCMA technology. Again, the rationale for choosing the second process measure is that patients should be able to receive care related to medication prescription and distribution after its implementation (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.). Ideally, when nurses can successfully use the technology to provide care to patients, the organization should expect to observe improvements in the rates of medication errors going forward.
An Explanation of How Data Would Be Collected For Process and Outcome Measures
To be able to evaluate both outcome and process measures, a healthcare organization must collect relevant data during the implementation of a CQI project. Two crucial components of a quality measure are the numerator and the denominator. These components usually form the center of focus when collecting data to express process and outcome measures (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2022). For example, to collect data related to the number of computers integrated with BCMA software, the organization will identify the total number of computers that it has to integrate with the BCMA software (denominator) and the number of computers successfully integrated with the software during the measuring period. Again, to collect data regarding the percentage of patients who develop drug reactions over a certain period of time after BCMA implementation, the organization should have the desired percentage and compare it with the percentage of patients after BCMA implementation (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2022). The organization should collect the data over time until the measurement period is ended.
Determining Success and One Data-driven, Cost-effective Solutions to the Challenge
When evaluating both process and outcome measures, organizations usually determine success when the collected data reflect improvement or positive results. For example, with the two process measures, success would be determined by a high number of computers being integrated with BCMA software and a large number of nurses having been trained to use the technology (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.). Moreover, with the two outcome measures, success would be determined by a significantly reduced percentage of patients who develop drug reactions over a certain period of time after BCMA implementation and the rise in the number of patients who are cared for using the BCMA technology (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, n.d.).
Conclusion
Healthcare organizations usually implement CQI projects in order to address patient care challenges. They use outcome and process measures to evaluate such projects for success. By understanding how to collect and analyze data related to each type of measure, nurses are able to help their organizations to determine whether they are achieving success with the continuous quality improvement interventions being implemented.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). Barcode medication administration: Lessons learned from an intensive care unit implementation. https://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/advances/vol3/wideman.pdf
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2022). Types of health care quality measures. https://www.ahrq.gov/talkingquality/measures/types.html
Aggarwal, A., Aeran, H., & Rathee, M. (2019). Quality management in healthcare: The pivotal desideratum. Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research, 9(2), 180–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobcr.2018.06.006
American Academy of Family Physician. (2022). Quality measures. https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/practice-and-career/managing-your-practice/quality-measures.html
Shah, K., Lo, C., Babich, M., Tsao, N. W., & Bansback, N. J. (2016). Bar code medication administration technology: A systematic review of impact on patient safety when used with computerized prescriber order entry and automated dispensing devices. The Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 69(5), 394–402. https://doi.org/10.4212/cjhp.v69i5.1594
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Bar-coded medication administration. https://digital.ahrq.gov/bar-coded-medication-administration