Healthcare Innovative Strategies: Changing Outcomes for Lewis Blackman
The “Lewis Blackman Story” told by Helen Haskell, a person who continues to advocate for change and improved quality of care. Lewis Blackman the son of Helen Haskell died at age fifteen after developing complications after surgery that included incorrect administration of a medication and a nursing team who failed to see the changes in patient’s condition and effectively and sufficiently respond to the change in a timely manner ultimately resulting in failure to rescue and the patient’s death. More specifically, the staff failed to recognize the signs of shock that this patient. Likewise, no rescue plan was in place. Lastly, failed protocols and failed leadership resulted in an unnecessary death of a patient. Much can be learned from this tragedy including the need for improved quality of care with implementation of innovative strategies. Nurses need to continue to work effortlessly to make the patient the center of care and work as a team with multiple disciplines to provide the best outcome for the patient.
Helen Haskell noted that the characteristics that make up a “good” professional nurse and/or physician included those that had proper training, the ability to rescue in emergency situations, orientation for nurses to deal with emergencies, continue to improve critical thinking skills, empathy for patients and families, and gain knowledge and have backup. From the Lewis Blackman story several innovative strategies can be deemed appropriate and likely have prevented this devastating scenario from occurring.
First, patient-centered care would have resulted in different outcomes. While this patient was a minor, patient-centered care also encompasses fami...
... middle of paper ...
.... ISBN: 978-0-7637-9788.
The Future of Nursing Focus on Education. (2010). Institute of Medicine (IOM). Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing/Nursing%20Education%202010%20Brief.pdf.
Institute of Medicine, Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm. Retrieved from National Academy Press website: http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10027&page=R1.
Long, K. A., Bernier, S., & Aiken, L. H. (2004). RN education: A matter of degrees. Nursing,
34(3), 48-51; discussion 50-51. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204624353?accountid=45760.
Ridley, R. (2008). The relationship between nurse education level and patient safety: An integrative review. Journal of Nursing Education, 47(4), 149-56. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/203930168?accountid=45760.
Nursing, as a crucial part of the health care system, keeps evolving while dealing with an increasingly complex clinical situation that involves quality of patient care. Therefore, to successfully handle these scenarios, nursing needs to become more advanced, clinically and academically. A DNP degree is needed in this situation because according to Dunbar- Jacob, Navito & Khalil (2013), a DNP degree is considered to have more impact on nursing than a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree due to the advanced clinical education a DNP provides (p. 425). Hence, the DNP degree has an enormous impact in nursing practice especially in terms of improving clinical care, promoting leadership roles, and improving educational status.
The national shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) has helped generate formidable interest in the nursing profession among people entering the workforce and those pursuing a career change. According to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service in 2002, the national population is continuing to grow and age and medical services continue to advance, so the need for nurses will continue to increase. They report from 2000 to 2020 the predicted shortage of nurses is expected to grow to 29 percent, compared to a 6 percent shortage in 2000. With the projected supply, demand, and shortage of registered nurses and nursing salaries ever-increasing, the nursing profession can offer countless opportunities. But first one must determine which educational path to pursue, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Associate Degree in nursing (ADN). Most will initially be educated at the associate degree level, even though the American Organization of Nursing Executives (AONE) has recommended a baccalaureate level as a minimal for entry-level nurses. With the expanding number of RN to BSN programs available there is always the option to further one’s education at a later date. The benefits for acquiring a BSN over an ADN include a better knowledge for evidence-based practice, an increased advantage for promotion, and the necessary gateway for higher education.
Megginson, L. (2008). RN-BSN education: 21st century barriers and incentives. Journal Of Nursing Management, 16(1), 47-55.
The development of ADN programs has allowed many to reach their career goals by offering a shorter and less expensive way to complete their degrees. Some believe that Associate’s degree programs lack strong nursing theory and understanding of the actual science of nursing (Auerbach, Buerhaus & Staiger,
Institute of Medicine (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change advancing health Retrieved from http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12956&page+R1
McGlynn, E, Asch, S, Adams, J, Keesey, J, & Hicks, J. (2003). The quality of health care delivered to adults in the united states. The New England Journal of Medicine, 248(26), 2635-2645.
Most APNs or NPs posses a master’s degree; however the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) member institutions voted to change the current level of preparation for advanced nursing practice from a masters degree to a doctorate level by 2015”. “An individual who wished to apply for a license must meet the following requirements; a complete application, pass the NCLEX, provide any felony or misdemeanor conviction information, any drug related behavior, functional ability deficit and license fee to Virginia State Board of Nursing”. Most RNs gain their clinical experience by working a staff nurse before entering into a graduate program for their nurse practitioners, but once they gain a significant of experience as a nurse t...
There are several drivers that affect the functionality of health care systems. These entities or controllers move medical services in different directions and substantiate the need for change in organizations around the world. One pressing issue that has caused concern for the United States and other nations is demographics (Drivers of change). Demographics is defined by the growth and age of the people, as well as the diversity of the community (Drivers of change). In the U.S., the average age of the public has increased substantially due to longer life spans (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012). This results in a maximization of hospital visits and cost to society (Shi & Singh, 2012). Unlike other countries, our health practices do not offer the best care at free or manageable cost (Reid, 2008). This nation is expected to continue to expand by 25% at the end of 2025 (Drivers of change). As a result, health disparities will require diversification of access, utilization, quality, and the health environment (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012). A need for cultural integrity must be instituted for all people based on race, ethnic background, religion, and class (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012).
There is a shortage of all health care professions throughout the United States. One shortage in particular that society should be very concerned about is the shortage of Registered Nurses. Registered Nurses make up the single largest healthcare profession in the United States. A registered nurse is a vital healthcare professional that has earned a two or four year degree and has the upper-most responsibility in providing direct patient care and staff management in a hospital or other treatment facilities (Registered Nurse (RN) Degree and Career Overview., 2009). This shortage issue is imperative because RN's affect everyone sometime in their lifetime. Nurses serve groups, families and individuals to foster health and prevent disease.
The shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States has been a cyclical topic dating back to the 1960s. Only recently have employers in certain regions of the nation stated a decline in the demand for RNs. Consequently, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2014) report on 2012-2013 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, American nursing schools denied admission to 79,659 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2012. The reported decrease in job availability and rejected admissions has left many individuals to question if the nursing shortage still exists. On the other hand, some experts project that the United States will be short more than one million RNs by 2020 (Dolan, 2011). Although some parts of the country are in less of a demand than others, it is undeniable that there is a national shortage of RNs.
Registered Nursing is a well-known job here in the United States and many other countries as well. RN’s play an important role in today’s society and contribute to the community a lot. Their job consist of keeping people healthy and caring for the ones who need it. I chose this topic for my research paper because I feel that it would be an interesting job and I would love to learn more about the field itself.
The role that the government plays to ensure that these challenges are mitigated and that health care is available to all American citizens is also discussed. Among these problems, poor quality of care is perhaps the most visible and troubling, resulting in nearly 100,000 preventable deaths each year (Institute of Medicine, 1999) and reduced quality of life for millions of Americans due to non-fatal yet serious adverse events such as wrong-limb amputation, hospital-acquired infection, and medication errors (Institute of Medicine, 2006; Leape, 1997). Health care must be fully accountable for quality, and the patient experience is simply the patient's perception of quality. Society should question and debate how healthcare organizations should show improvement for consumers. This can help organizations create reliable health coverage costs and evaluate medical performance for families and individuals in the future.
Reforming the health care delivery system to progress the quality and value of care is indispensable to addressing the ever-increasing costs, poor quality, and increasing numbers of Americans without health insurance coverage. What is more, reforms should improve access to the right care at the right time in the right setting. They should keep people healthy and prevent common, preventable impediments of illnesses to the greatest extent possible. Thoughtfully assembled reforms would support greater access to health-improving care, in contrast to the current system, which encourages more tests, procedures, and treatments that are either
According to the article Who Np’s Are and What They Do, more than ninety percent of nurse practitioner education programs at colleges and universities confer the ...
The Institute of Medicine has released a report that discusses the future in nursing. The IOM has developed four key messages that outline the barriers that need to be overcome, so that nurses can work effectively and to their fullest ability.