Quality Improvement Initiative: NUR550 Topic 5 Discussion Posts
Topic 5 DQ 1
Identify either a safety or quality improvement initiative related to improving population health. Explain how translational research can influence the development of the initiative. Include a specific example to support your response.
Sample student response one
Currently, there are concerted efforts to have people vaccinated against COVID-19. With the rising cases from the Omricon variant, having more people vaccinated means that we are likely to be fewer cases of severe disease. My quality improvement initiative on population health involves improving vaccine acceptance, especially in communities with high levels of vaccine hesitancy. Eniola and Sykes (2021) explain several reasons that result in most cases of vaccine hesitancy.
One of the reasons is distrust of the government and health organizations, and this is mainly due to misinformation held by a section of the public on vaccination, or certain types of vaccines. Safety and efficacy issues, autonomy, and preference for physiological immunity are the remaining reason cited by Eniola and Sykes (2021). There are also cultural factors that are usually common in rural areas that contribute to high levels of vaccine hesitancy.
Understanding the reasons for vaccine hesitancy can help create targeted interventions that enhance vaccination rates, and as a result, better population health outcomes. Translational research can play a significant role in developing the initiative. Translational research can help explain some effective approaches to improving vaccine acceptance. An example is a research by Atkinson et al. (2019) that reviewed the effectiveness of the application of digital technologies in improving vaccine uptake. I
n the research, the authors found that digital strategies show great promise in improving vaccine uptake, especially with increase use and interactions with digital platforms. Therefore, translational research provides a great source of reference on effective interventions that could improve population health outcomes.
References
Atkinson, K. M., Wilson, K., Murphy, M. S., El-Halabi, S., Kahale, L. A., Laflamme, L. L., & El-Khatib, Z. (2019). Effectiveness of digital technologies at improving vaccine uptake and series completion–A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Vaccine, 37(23), 3050-3060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.03.063
Eniola, K., & Sykes, J. (2021). Four reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among health care workers, and ways to counter them. Quick Tips, A Blog from FPM Journal. https://www.aafp.org/journals/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/countering_vaccine_hesitancy.html
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Sample student response two
Healthcare is constantly changing, improving and at a quick pace. In order for the world to keep up with healthcare and the technology that goes with it, people need to be proactive with their health (Delgado et al., 2021). Being proactive with one’s health not only prevents disease or catches it in the early stages, leading to better patient outcomes, but is also cost effective. Individuals, institutions, providers and communities need to work together to be proactive. While working together, it is important to understand communities and populations, thus adjusting care that is needed.
By collecting data that has been collected, allows health systems to come up with strategies and plans to reach the greatest benefits (Delgado et al., 2021). By collecting data for a certain community such as race, language and ethnicity allows providers and health systems to be able to focus on that particular group. For example, if there is a language barrier, it would be extremely difficulty to communicate vital information to a patient that allows them to truly understand the process, diagnosis and treatment for that particular person.
The health system would need to adjust to this population, either with providers that speak the same language or provide interpreters to ensure the patient understands. One of the great things about health care is along with it continually changing for the better, health care workers are able to adapt and “go with the flow” so easily. It takes special people to be able to adapt so quickly and professionally.
Reference:
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n966
Topic 5 DQ 2
Identify a quality improvement initiative from your workplace. What were some barriers to implementation? What are common barriers for translating research into practice?
Sample student response one
The quality improvement initiative in my workplace involves implementing an assessment program to identify school-going children who are likely to undergo depression. Working in DCFS, a lot of cases we handle has some form of trauma to the children. In some cases, persistent exposure to such trauma can lead to depression, which affects several aspects of the child’s wellbeing, including normal growth and development of the child ad interactions with peers (Omkarappa & Rentala, 2019).
Therefore, implementing a structured assessment program for such children exposed to high risk of developing depression can help create early interventions that will prevent poor outcomes. Some of the implementation barriers include resource availability, more so, human resource. With only a limited number of providers working in the facility, it becomes challenging to implement a comprehensive program that includes follow-up, ensuring that positive outcomes are achieved. Another challenge is the lack of family support.
Dealing with depression in school-going children requires significant input from the family, and not having them part of the program presents a major barrier to success (Gondek & Lereya, 2016). Lack of community awareness on depression among school-going children and how they can help also presents as a barrier. Several barriers emerge when translating research into practice. One of the common barriers is inadequate resources. Most quality improvement initiatives require resources, that is, financial, human, and technology. Failure to have adequate resources cripples the translation of research into practice. Another barrier is inadequate support from key stakeholders.
Stakeholders play a critical role in advocating for the implementation of research into practice and ensuring the success of the initiative (Curtis et al., 2017). Failure to have their support can potentially lead to resistance to change. Organizational culture is also a common barrier, especially in organizations that do not embrace change.
References
Curtis, K., Fry, M., Shaban, R. Z., & Considine, J. (2017). Translating research findings to clinical nursing practice. Journal of clinical nursing, 26(5-6), 862–872. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13586
Gondek, D., & Lereya, T. (2018). What Are the Challenges Involved in the Prevention of Depression in Schools?. Contemporary School Psychology, 22(4), 395-400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0136-z
Omkarappa, D. B., & Rentala, S. (2019). Anxiety, depression, self-esteem among children of alcoholic and nonalcoholic parents. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 8(2), 604–609. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_282_18
Sample student response two
It is critical for every organization’s productivity to enhance workplace quality. Employee engagement is one of my organization’s most critical quality initiatives, intending to improve the overall quality of service provided (Sony et al., 2021). Every quality expert knows the importance of involvement in establishing a quality culture. Not only do engaged employees have a clearer understanding of their responsibilities, which leads to fewer workplace disputes, reduced inefficiency, and reduced expenses, but they are also more proactive.
As a result, customers will have a better experience, get more recommendations, and have more significant customer loyalty. The barriers to implementing engagement strategies and the common barriers to translating research into practice will be discussed in this essay.
Despite the significance of workplace engagement and participation across all stakeholders, there are still several obstacles to overcome. Communication gaps, lack of top management commitment, difficulties assessing employee satisfaction, terrible work-life balancing, and toxic workplace culture are challenges to successful employee engagement. For example, in the case of communication gaps, when workers are unaware of what is happening inside their business, their engagement levels plummet.
Similarly, they would get demotivated if they do not have enough opportunities to communicate with their peers or receive adequate credit for their efforts (Sun & Bunchapattanasakda, 2019). Organizations that openly support a first-in-last-out culture and those that prohibit holidays or lunches away from the workplace are doing aiding in hindering employee engagement efforts. Workers deserve moments away from the workplace to relax and recharge so that they may return even more energized, rejuvenated, and ready to work.
Translation of research findings into practice is frequently characterized as a process that begins with awareness and progresses towards acceptance and adoption (Curtis et al., 2017). Interpreting the complicated structure and vocabulary of findings, debunking complex information, and a lack of institutional commitment to make changes are recognized hurdles limiting the translation of new information and research into practice.
References
Curtis, K., Fry, M., Shaban, R. Z., & Considine, J. (2017, March 26). Translating research findings to clinical nursing practice. PubMed Central (PMC). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5396371/
Sony, M., Antony, J., Douglas, J. A., & McDermott, O. (2021). Motivations, barriers and readiness factors for quality 4.0 implementation: An exploratory study. The TQM Journal, 33(6), 1502-1515. https://doi.org/10.1108/tqm-11-2020-0272
Sun, L., & Bunchapattanasakda, C. (2019). Employee engagement: A literature review. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 9(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijhrs.v9i1.14167
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