Hi, I’m Amanda Johns, and I would like to welcome you to our training on nursing-sensitive quality indicators presentation. I’m here to represent Quality Improvement Council and present on the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. As nurses, you will be involved in collecting and reporting valid data to improve high-quality care and data evaluation for NDNQI.
I believe many of you are asking yourselves: what is (NDNQI®)? Well, NDNQI® refers to the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators® (NDNQI®). It is the only proprietary database of the American Nurses Association that collects and analyzes data. The data is specifically on nurses and covers different hospitals in the United States (Yoder-Wise, 2018). The NDNQI® is a national measurement program focused on quality and provides healthcare institutions with performance comparison reports. The reports are consumed at the state, federal and regional levels.
The nursing indicators are developed through a series of steps. First, there is the identification of a potential indicator. It should reflect the nursing care and should not be represented by a present indicator (Yoder-Wise, 2018). A literature review follows, and if there is empirical evidence in support of the indicator, it is sent to experts in nursing. The experts examine the potential indicator’s validity and find out if the collection of data will jeopardize the provision of quality care to the patient. The empirical proving of potential indicators leads to a pilot study in a willing facility.
An unplanned descent to the floor with or without injury to the floor is defined by NDNQI as a fall. The patient can also land on a floor where he could not be expected to be. All falls must be included, whether unassisted or assisted, and whether they too result from environmental or physiological reasons (Yoder-Wise, 2018). Falls have been separated by NDNQI for the importance that healthcare members could understand in the falls, as the data will be categorized accordingly.
An Interdisciplinary Approach
It is a team effort to increase patient safety and satisfaction, despite nurses being considered at the forefront of hands-on patient care. Muscle weakness, low blood pressure, increased age, incontinence, and lack of assistive devices are among the top contributors to fall. Fall risk assessments are done to identify risk factors, and implement assistive measures which should be performed by nurses. CNA’s help carries out activities like toileting, while physical therapists help strength and muscle mass increment, decreasing falls. An interprofessional collaborative team supports safe care and high-quality service to the patients and satisfaction and engagement, as well as organizational innovation and efficiency.
Impact of NDNQI
NDNQI is essential for monitoring because it assists in analyzing the usefulness and performance of the nurses. It also helps understand the quality and quantity of nursing services accorded to the patients (Masters, 2018). It is among essential quality management organizations as it applies across the board. It provides an analysis of registered nurses’ hours per patient day, unlicensed assistive hours per patient day, and licensed vocational or practical nurses’ hours per day (Mangold & Pearson, 2017). Most of nursing performance is also measured by analyzing the nursing hours per patient day.
I also believe that NDNQI maximizes attention and safety according to the patients. If a nurse uses well most of their nursing hours per patient day, it enhances the patient’s safety. Most patients under the care of nurses need constant checkups and assistance in conducting their activities. Some need help accessing the washrooms, whereas others need help while eating, strolling among others (Mangold & Pearson, 2017). It is, therefore, essential to note that the organization fully enhances patient safety, among other vital factors.
Conclusion
As nurses, we play an essential role in supporting accurate reporting and high-quality results through active participation in the data collection process. They also do this by providing valid and verifiable data to the collection entities. I believe that the precise entering of data regarding nursing interventions is vital in ensuring the data collected, analyzed, and presented is correct. Accurate results lead to critical policies and decisions regarding patients and quality service provision (Masters, 2018). False data leads to inaccurate results, which is disastrous to the healthcare industry. It is prudent to have accurate data for proper planning, policy provision, and quality and quantity service provision to the patient
Interview
We did not participate in Press Ganey Surveys or NDNQI data collection after successfully interviewing my quality educator and Risk and Quality Management director. Instead, the data is typically collected and sent to the corporate division for analysis and after review by a joint commission. The collection of quality indicator data is responsible for all team members. In reference to falls and fall prevention, the risk assessment is done by all nurses at the start of their shift. Accurately collected data helps in identifying actions and interventions to be taken whenever a patient scores on the fall risk. I also believe that the accurate data collection increases efficiency and effectiveness in the whole process of Medicare service provision to the patient.
References
Mangold, K., & Pearson, J. (2017). Making sense of nursing-sensitive quality indicators. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 33(3), 159-160. Web.
Masters, K. (2018). Role development professional nursing practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2018). Leading and managing in nursing (7th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.