Nursing conference on quality and safety and the large query “What if?”

Author: Maureen “Shawn” Kennedy, ALL Editor in Chief

“What would quality look like in hospitals if healthcare organizations were as focused on customer service as Disney’s organization?”

Last week I attended the 2015 American Nurses Association Quality Conference in Orlando. A conference that began within the yearbook National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) the conference gathered nearly 1,000 participants. Here’s a transient overview of hot topics and a keynote address from the brand new Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and a note on a key issue for health care quality that I wish I had heard more about on the conference.

(QI) and lots of of them were well done. There were a couple of topics that I hadn’t seen in as much detail, resembling reducing needle stick discomfort, improving gut recovery after surgery, and promoting sleep. However, the sessions were dominated by projects geared toward stopping central tract infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) and pressure ulcers. These are, after all, among the many conditions occurring within the hospital which will end in the hospital being assessed a financial penalty by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). ANA also held several sessions on CAUTI prevention using a tool developed in Partnership for Patients CMS initiative to cut back healthcare-associated infections.

the brand latest Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs touted the services and resources available to the 9 million veterans who access care through the VA system. He surprised me and, if the whispers I heard around me were any indication, many others when he reported that patients within the VA system rate their care higher than patients typically hospitals. Comment from one participant: “Well, I think it’s good once you make an appointment.”

He said the VA is “using last year’s crisis to move forward” and acknowledged that improving access is a priority, noting that the VA has hired 1,578 nurses since last yr.

It seemed appropriate that the standard meeting was held in a spot known for its high-quality customer support. What would quality in hospitals seem like if healthcare organizations were as focused on customer support as Disney’s organization? I’m not talking in regards to the superficial attempts at some hospitals, resembling valet parking and patient service representatives wearing jackets. What would occur if hospitals accepted and acted on the evidence that poor nursing staffing is related to poorer patient outcomes, increased adversarial events and errors, burnout, and better turnover?

Although staff are closely linked to quality and safety, there have been few sessions dedicated to this topic. Better staffing of nurses would allow time for patient teaching to advertise self-care (and maybe reduce readmissions) and for more frequent positioning to forestall pressure ulcers. The quality measures that hospitals strive for will only be achieved in the event that they put money into enough staff to actually meet the needs of their customers.