Introduction
A performance data scorecard is a statistical record that assesses progress towards the achievement of a predetermined performance indicator. It allows decision-makers to combine specific metrics for the purposes of gaining a complete overview of a specific element of the institution’s performance. It is also used to assess factors that are crucial to the organization’s success. The document offers an overview of a health institution’s long-term strategic outcomes, improvement goals. For instance, facilities may aim to reduce the number of readmissions, increase the degree of patient satisfaction and reduce overall turnaround times in a bid to improve service delivery. It is important to use a performance data scorecard to improve the quality of services offered within healthcare institutions.
The Target Population
The unit under review in this context is the trauma nursing unit with 29 beds. It offers specialized services and telemetry for individuals diagnosed with blunt and penetrating injuries. Additionally, the unit cares for patients in need of surgical interventions as a result of abdominal injuries, orthopedic injuries, brain trauma, complicated wounds, and chest injuries. A majority of the patients admitted in the unit often require mobility and cognitive rehabilitation. As a result, speech, occupational and physical therapy is offered to individuals who need it. The nursing staff in the unit include advanced degree nurses and a float pool aimed at facilitating the delivery of quality services. The population being addressed in this performance scorecard is trauma patients in the trauma unit.
Table 1. Outcome Measures.
Processes that Drive Outcome Measures
Quality
Reducing the mortality rate associated with surgical procedures is vital for the success of a trauma unit. Death after a surgical complication is referred to as failure-to-rescue (FTR) (Abe et al., 2020). The institution’s focus should be directed to rescuing patients from the complications associated with surgical procedures. FTR is a vital quality metric that reflects the trauma unit’s mortality rate and indicates its ability to identify and effectively handle complications. It is vital to note that severe trauma patients lose their lives in the first few hours after injury, while individuals who undergo elective surgery have a relatively low mortality rate (Abe et al., 2020).
Therefore, FTR plays a limited role in trauma patients compared to elective surgical cases. Improving the quality of patient care reduces the incidences of complications and facilitates effective rescue from hitches associated with surgery.
Limiting the occurrence of complications after surgical intervention is an important outcome measure in a trauma unit. Implementing changes in surgical intensive care practices and perioperative procedures facilitates improved clinical outcomes. The trauma unit should incorporate electronic surgical consent measures, create dedicated operating room teams, and facilitate improved communication between members of the emergency response team (Maturo et al., 2017). In addition, the standardization of protocols and adherence to evidence-based guidelines ensures that patients receive the best quality of care. Limited complications improve patient outcomes and reduce the unit’s mortality rate.
Performance
Reduced hospital stay is a vital indicator of performance within healthcare institutions. Prolonged hospital stay is associated with an increase in the rate of hospital-acquired infections among trauma patients (Kashkooe et al., 2020). In addition, patients incur high costs, and institutions waste resources on otherwise preventable conditions. Factors such as the efficiency of surgical bookings, the availability of an effective trauma team, and the quality of communication affect the duration of stay within the trauma unit. Additionally, the application of evidence-based procedures limits incidences of wound contamination that lead to complications in post-surgical patients.
Accurate documentation is necessary to eliminate lapses in care, which often prolong recovery times. Adhering to patient care guidelines and protocols reduces the length of stay within the unit, which reduces the cost of admission.
The cost of healthcare services is an important performance measure in hospital departments. Factors that contribute to increased costs include the incidence of complications and the duration of stay in the unit. Ensuring that measures are implemented to limit the occurrence of complications is important because it significantly reduces the resources utilized in inpatient care, which lowers the cost of healthcare for patients.
The length of stay can be reduced by ensuring that nurses adhere to specific schedules and protocols. The nursing team plays an essential role in the management of surgical patients in the trauma unit. An effective management strategy that considers available resources, patient behavior, and local factors must be employed in the unit under review (Gillespie et al., 2020). The nurses in the unit must follow outlined clinical treatment plans when handling the patients. This facilitates the application of evidence-based practices in inpatient care. Adhering to specific timelines and expectations ensures that resources are used effectively, which limits the cost transferred to the patient.
The trauma unit’s nurses must prioritize patient education because it is an essential element of care that facilitates collaboration between patients and the multidisciplinary team tasked with delivering healthcare services in the trauma unit. The unit’s management team should also use available data sources to create an accurate forecast that facilitates the division of the unit’s activities for maximum efficiency. This is essential for the coordination of patient flow from the operating room, managing wound care, and the timely implementation of post-surgical instructions to avoid complications and reduce the overall cost of services. Ensuring that timelines are met, and patients participate in the care process improves efficacy and reduces wastage, which translates to reduced hospital bills.
Safety
Reducing the number of falls within the trauma unit improves safety and increases customer satisfaction. Accidents within the unit occur because of the use of inefficient systems, structural inadequacies, and human factors within the institution (Barakat & Hassan, 2019). It is worth noting that incident reporting is an important tool that can be used to reduce accidents in the department. It can also be used to address areas that predispose patients to falls. Accidents in healthcare settings are a serious nursing problem in view of the fact that there are associated regulatory and legal implications (Shumba & Abraham, 2017).
Medicaid and Medicare policies stipulate that fall injuries sustained by admitted patients are not subject to reimbursement. As a result, healthcare organizations spend approximately 16-19 billion dollars annually treating injuries caused by falls (Shumba & Abraham, 2017). It is essential to apply appropriate measures aimed at reducing the occurrence of preventable injuries.
Maintaining a safe environment is essential in ensuring mishaps are avoided. A comprehensive evaluation of intrinsic and extrinsic factors helps nurses understand how to prevent catastrophic events. For instance, ensuring that beds are maintained at the correct height reduces the incidences of falls. A thorough assessment of patient history during admission is essentials. Individuals with a history of falls must be located in a secure environment with as few risk factors as possible. In addition, people with unsteady gait or balance must be provided with assistive equipment such as crutches, walkers, or canes (Shumba & Abraham, 2017).
Understanding the side effects of various medications administered in the unit is essential. Drugs that cause drowsiness increase the incidence of accidental falls. The use of sedatives, antidepressants, and hypnotics requires aggressive monitoring because they elevate the risk of injury (Shumba & Abraham, 2017). Finally, cognitive deficits contribute to a heightened risk of falls because affected individuals are incapable of making timely judgments. Instituting measures aimed at evaluating the patient’s history, medication, and physiological state is critical when preventing falls in the trauma unit.
Employee Engagement
Increasing job satisfaction among unit employees ensures that services are delivered effectively, which leads to improved patient outcomes. Measures that can be employed include the unit manager’s participation in daily rounds with the nursing staff. This ensures that the members of the team feel supported. Communication between the nurses and their leaders helps address vital departmental issues and facilitates the reduction of anxiety.
The departmental head should create personal relationships with the staff to facilitate the evaluation of the work environment. In addition, including the nursing team in important unit decisions helps them connect with the organization. Recognizing the exceptional efforts of members of the multidisciplinary team by offering rewards boosts morale. It is also essential to provide the team with opportunities for career growth and development. Prioritizing employee engagement ensures that the employees feel valued because their input is appreciated.
Additional Indicator: Management Strategies
Effective management is vital for the delivery of quality services in a trauma unit. A number of strategies can be applied to drive outcomes as part of the institution’s performance scorecard. For instance, a shared governance model encourages managers to collaborate with staff when formulating internal policies that facilitate the delivery of care. Leaders must encourage their staff to participate in initiatives aimed at generating solutions to problems encountered in the trauma unit. It also facilitates the development of partnership, equity, accountability, and ownership (Abood & Thabet, 2018). Management strategies impact employee satisfaction and are pivotal in creating a suitable work environment for all the staff in the trauma unit, which is essential for the delivery of quality services.
Advantages of the Performance Data Scorecard
The aforementioned performance data scorecard has three key advantages. First, it allows nurse leaders to clarify decision-making policies and structure (Gomes & Romao, 2018). Managers often encounter scenarios that necessitate the selection of a specific course of action. A balanced scorecard allows them to overcome time pressure and personal viewpoints when making important decisions. Through the establishment of key objects in order of urgency, leaders are capable of making the most appropriate decision in specific contexts. Secondly, it ensures the improvement of patient outcomes through the delivery of quality services (Gomes & Romao, 2018).
It accomplishes this by noting departmental failures and outlines strategies that can be applied to overcome challenges. A nurse leader is able to understand the trauma unit’s processes, assess them and pinpoint failures that need to be corrected. Finally, a balanced scorecard is instrumental in assessing the department’s performance. It facilitates the crafting of performance objectives and outlines how to monitor progress over a specific period. The department’s leadership can also develop talent, set precise objectives, and incentivize the best-performing nurses. The advantages highlighted above emphasize the importance of performance scoring in determining the trauma unit’s efficiency.
Current Trends in Employee Engagement
Rewards and recognition initiatives are an important current trend in employee engagement. They impact employee performance and are a form of feedback. Nurses desire to feel valued and appreciated after they complete assigned tasks and duties. Employees require intrinsic rewards, autonomy, and influence to function efficiently in an organizational context (Osborne & Hammoud, 2017).
Providing employees with avenues to communicate the challenges they experience or offer input on operational procedures within the institution facilitates competency development. While it is a common belief that payment is enough to motivate and engage employees, evidence suggests that stability and insurance are more important (Osborne & Hammoud, 2017). When competent employees are recognized within institutions, the work environment facilitates the creation of a sense of ownership or outcomes which improve performance. Reward and recognition initiatives facilitate the development of a harmonious environment which encourages employees to enjoy their work.
Employee empowerment is another current trend in employee engagement. Most employees prefer challenging assignments in addition to the need of their leaders to trust their ability to accomplish them successfully (Osborne & Hammoud, 2017). It is also essential to train employees while offering them the resources required to effectively complete tasks. High levels of confidence are associated with improved productivity and efficiency. Therefore, leaders must employ strategies designed to address important employee concerns such as cultural awareness, communication, incentives, and skill development. It is worth noting that empowerment among employees is associated with the belief that opportunities for career development are abundant. For instance, offering quarterly training opportunities for employees ensures they are equipped with the skills necessary to perform efficiently.
In addition, encouraging employees to participate in enhanced developmental programs significantly improves employee engagement. Empowerment creates an atmosphere where individuals thrive, develop a sense of ownership and engage with management for efficient service delivery.
Employee Engagement and Healthcare Quality
Employee engagement significantly impacts the quality of care in healthcare institutions. It is defined as the attachment of individuals to their assigned roles in which they make emotional, physical, and cognitive contributions during role performances (Bataineh, 2019). This means that employees are optimistic and embrace a state of mind characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Engaged employees demonstrate a higher level of motivation and are more involved in their jobs and institutions (Bataineh, 2019). They are armed with the skills required to deal with work-related adversities. For instance, they employ creativity when implementing efficient solutions to prevalent challenges. The desire to explore new territories and learn new techniques facilitates the development of skills that can be applied in new ways (Bataineh, 2019). In addition, these individuals are significantly productive and are willing to give more of their time to guarantee the organization’s survival.
A close evaluation of evolving needs, population growth, and the rising costs of healthcare are essential for both management teams and employees. The quality improvement initiatives initiated in a number of institutions often fail because the planners exclude healthcare expert opinions and proposals. Employees are seldom involved in the development of organizational policies and strategies. Therefore, the introduction of policy initiatives is usually met with resistance and apathy, seeing as professionals view the activities as additional work (White et al., 2017).
Ensuring that members of a healthcare team are fully engaged in the creation of policies aimed at improving the quality of health services ensures that set goals are met within the stipulated time-frame. Implementing a shared governance model ascertains that employee views are incorporated in the policy development process. It is essential that members of a team own the quality improvement initiatives if the proposals are to yield results. In addition, allowing employees to participate in the development process improves morale and is associated with high levels of employee satisfaction.
Current Management Tools
My current institution conducts an annual employee engagement survey with a high participation rate. Each of the workers who take part in the activity is enrolled in a monthly draw where they win assorted prizes. The employees can access the survey at designated points within the organization. The survey questions cover a number of topics that affect operations within the organization. For instance, they evaluate an employee’s intention to stay with the institution. In addition, the nurses’ work environment is analyzed in an attempt to understand how individuals interact with their colleagues and managers.
The organization is keen to determine whether the employees are empowered and are able to apply innovative solutions to a variety of work-related challenges. It is also focused on assessing the level of employee trust and whether they are willing to recommend the organization to other professionals. A survey is a critical tool because it allows managers to gauge the degree of employee engagement and make changes where necessary.
A 360-degree appraisal system is used to collect views from a variety of reviewers who are in constant contact with the unit’s employees. These include managers, coworkers, and clients. The system facilitates the collection of views from a variety of sources, which allows managers to develop comprehensive reports on employee performance and avenues within the unit that need to be improved. These appraisals are an essential element in employee motivation because they can be used to promote qualified employees or increase their earnings. In addition, the appraisal system serves as a platform for employee recognition. These rewards play a critical role in boosting morale and improving job satisfaction.
Employee Engagement Plan
The engagement plan’s objective is to increase job satisfaction among the unit’s employees. The initial step in the plan involves conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the team dynamics within the trauma unit. The information collected will be used to analyze individual engagement levels.
The managers will also collect data on the unit’s turnover rate from the finance office. The second step in the plan involves the creation of intentional and tactical actions designed to create a sense of community in the department. These include the implementation of a shared leadership model, creating opportunities for skills development, rewarding exemplary personnel, and conducting weekly meetings to address issues affecting the unit’s work environment. The shared leadership model will be executed through the creation of a unit practice council whose mandate will be to govern all the employees.
The council will be tasked with comparing employee engagement programs in various hospital departments to determine the most effective course of action. The implementation of a reward strategy and the facilitation of employee empowerment through the creation of opportunities for career development will be the council’s main goals. The unit manager will be expected to conduct daily rounds with the employees and listen to their views on operational challenges, and document their proposed quality improvement initiatives. They will also be required to evaluate the unit’s working conditions and document the staff’s contributions on how to make improvements. Effective implementation of the plan will ensure that morale is improved and the employees are satisfied with their jobs.
Leadership Best Practices
The application of effective leadership strategies allows for the achievement of organizational goals. Managers must consistently cultivate a strategic vision and promote employee dedication to the outlined objectives. They also foster the development of shared customize and harmonize institutional functions to improve overall productivity. Leaders must recognize exceptional employees and reward their efforts. This boosts morale and motivates individuals to focus on their work.
Balancing moral perspectives with employee relationships is an important leadership practice that enhances employee engagement. It is vital that leaders demonstrate clear values and encourage teamwork. In addition, effective communication must be prioritized to enhance the completion of tasks in an organizational setup. Leaders must listen to their employees and develop positive work relationships (Osborne & Hammoud, 2017).
Efficient communication leads to the development of trust, which is essential for the proper running of healthcare institutions. The management team must be willing to collaborate with employees to develop organizational initiatives designed to improve health outcomes. Cooperation improves employee morale and job satisfaction, which leads to the creation of a dedicated workforce. In addition, attending to employee needs facilitates the development of healthy relationships, which significantly impacts the institution’s ability to achieve set goals and objectives.
Conclusion
A performance data scorecard allows decision-makers to combine specific metrics for the purposes of gaining a complete overview of a specific element of the institution’s performance. It accomplishes this by assessing factors that are crucial to the organization’s success. The population under review in this performance scorecard is trauma patients in the trauma unit. The scorecard offers numerous advantages. For instance, it allows nurse leaders to clarify decision-making policies and structures.
In addition, it allows managers to overcome time pressure and personal viewpoints when making important decisions. A nurse leader is able to understand the trauma unit’s processes, assess them and pinpoint failures that need to be corrected. Finally, it is instrumental in assessing the department’s performance. It facilitates the crafting of performance objectives and outlines how to monitor progress over a specific period. Reward initiatives and employee empowerment are important current trends in employee engagement. Leaders must focus on engaging their employees through the institution of specific measures aimed at promoting communication and job satisfaction. This is because engaged employees are productive, dedicated, and focused on delivering quality services.
References
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