Institute of medicine improving healthcare quality
Instructions
How do hospitals ensure they are meeting the needs of vulnerable populations within the communities that they serve? What factors should be considered to ensure that nurses working in acute care settings meet the six Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Aims for Improving Healthcare Quality?
- Lin, Y.-L., Du, Y., Gomez, C., & Ortiz, J. (2018). Does patient-centered medical home Recognition Relate to Accountable Care Organization Participation? Population Health Management, 21(3), 188–195.
- Ryan, A. M., Shortell, S. M., Ramsay, P. P., & Casalino, L. P. (2015). Salary and quality compensation for physician practices participating in accountable care organizations. Annals of Family Medicine, 13(4), 321–324.
- Weeks, W. B., Gregg, J., Fisher, E. S., & Weinstein, J. N. (2015). Accelerating uptake of new Medicare payment models. Hfm (Healthcare Financial Management), 69(4), 104–105.
SAMPLE STUDENT ANSWER
Institute of Medicine Improving Healthcare Quality
Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Populations
There are many vulnerable populations in a healthcare setting. The populations include chronically ill patients and disabled, homeless or low-income individuals, people living in areas far from healthcare facilities, the LGBTQ community, and very old and very young persons. Hospitals should ensure that they provide the best care and needs these populations to require. One way hospitals ensure that they meet the needs of the vulnerable populations is by avoiding discriminating against these people.
For instance, Casey et al. (2019) report that most of the LGBTQ population avoid necessary care services because they fear facing discrimination. Therefore, healthcare facilities often ensure that their setting is free of discrimination. They do this by educating healthcare professionals not to be judgmental when handling such populations. Hospitals also meet the needs of the populations by providing cost-effective care. They provide cost-effective care by making intelligent decisions regarding the patient’s health.
Hospitals are also ensuring that they meet the needs of vulnerable populations by applying technology in providing care. Healthcare technologies, such as remote patient monitoring systems, can make care accessible for groups living in rural areas (Bhatt & Bathija, 2018). Technology can also be used to improve access to health for patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions. Healthcare technologies can also be used to provide cost-effective care and meet the needs of low-income individuals.
Another way hospitals are ensuring that they meet the needs of the vulnerable population is by training and developing the skills of their staff. Healthcare professionals need skills to handle children and older people, and to achieve this; hospitals often sponsor short training and development regarding geriatric and pediatric care. Hospitals also support training and development by providing their staff with leave to further their studies.
The Six Institute of Medicine’s Aims
The IOM put forth six aims nurses should meet to provide quality and safe care. The aims include patient-centered care, equitable care, efficient care, timely care, safe care, and effective care (Armstrong, 2018). One of the factors that should be considered to ensure that nurses in acute care meet the six aims is their level of knowledge and understanding of their roles and the aims. Nurses should know how to provide safe and quality care for them to meet the six aims.

They should also know the nursing processes to achieve the aims. Thus, they should continue training and development to provide safe, patient-centered, and effective care. The second factor is the nurses can connect with the patients. A nurse cannot provide patient-centered care if they do not know how to engage with patients.
The third factor is leadership skills. The six aims cannot be achieved without effective and efficient leadership. A nurse leader in acute care should be accountable by reporting any adverse effect to prevent injuries or diseases. A great nurse leader can also lead the acute care department and avoid waste by making effective decisions.
Amestoy et al. (2017) note that for nurses to perform properly, they must be well motivated, and a nurse leader is responsible for motivating and encouraging the junior staff to perform effectively. Motivation can occur in for of agreeable salaries (Ryan et al., 2015). Therefore, leadership is so important. The last factor is the mental health of nurses in acute care. Nurses need to be in perfect shape both mentally and physically to effectively perform their duties.
References
Amestoy, S. C., Trindade, L. D. L., Silva, G. T. R. D., Santos, B. P. D., Reis, V. R. D. S. S., & Ferreira, V. B. (2017). Leadership in nursing: from teaching to practice in a hospital environment. Escola Anna Nery, 21. https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-EAN-2016-0276
Armstrong, N. (2018). Overdiagnosis and overtreatment as a quality problem: insights from healthcare improvement research. BMJ Quality & Safety, 27(7), 571-575. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2017-007571
Bhatt, J., & Bathija, P. (2018). Ensuring access to quality health care in vulnerable communities. Academic Medicine: Journal of The Association of American Medical Colleges, 93(9), 1271–1275. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000002254
Casey, L. S., Reisner, S. L., Findling, M. G., Blendon, R. J., Benson, J. M., Sayde, J. M., & Miller, C. (2019). Discrimination in the United States: Experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Americans. Health Services Research, 54, 1454-1466. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13229
Ryan, A. M., Shortell, S. M., Ramsay, P. P., & Casalino, L. P. (2015). Salary and quality compensation for physician practices participating in accountable care organizations. Annals of Family Medicine, 13(4), 321–324.