The main aim of every study is to find solutions to a certain problem in the society. It is through the understanding of certain challenges in the nursing profession and society in general that long lasting solutions can be realized. The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze and summarize the results of a qualitative and quantitative peer reviewed articles discussing the issue of hospital readmission and patient education. Qualitative study Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a chronic, serious and pricey health condition with a huge medical, social and economic impact. Caring for patients with heart failure is not only about treating the disease’s physical symptoms; it involves educational, supportive, emotional, and cooperative care
Revolutionary Heart is about a passionate advocate of the early women’s civil right movement, the temperance movement, the plight of the unprotected females and children, and the abolishment of slavery. Clarina H. Nichols was an inspiring, strong, maternal woman who crisscrossed the United States pushing for various reforms in the new frontier that impacted the lives of both men and woman who were unaware of the benefits of women’s citizenship and the responsibilities. She lived during the antebellum period and fought for her gender for decades until her death. She was an accomplished writer and delivered one hundred speeches over two decades defending her causes.
Heart failure is a health condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Heart failure readmissions for healthcare agencies continues to be an area of concern due to the cost associated with each readmission. Readmissions to the hospital for heart failure is tied to reimbursement and financial penalties. Developing a plan to combat readmission is a difficult task.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets security standards for safeguarding important patient health information that is being stored and maintained in analog and digital forms. As new technologies continue to facilitate the healthcare industry’s transition to paperless processes, health care providers, insurance companies, and other institutions are also growing increasingly dependent on electronic information systems to manage their HIPAA compliance programs. As a result, the safety and security of sensitive health data has become a major concern across the board. Security Risks and Challenges Today, health care professionals are using technology extensively in almost every aspect of the practice.
Overall, patients are going to be rendered more diagnosis-centered care, with an interdisciplinary look at each case inpatient, as well as outpatient. Patients will be given a work-up and plan for success, no longer as a “quick-fix”, but a long term plan of care to control chronic diseases outside of the acute care setting. Looking at a study from Connecticut, “By revamping the discharge process and working with post-acute providers, UConn Health Center/John Dempsey Hospital, Farrington, CT, reduced thirty-day heart failure readmissions from 25.1% in August 2010 to 17.1% in March 2012. Key initiatives included follow-up appointments within seven days in the hospital heart clinic, revising nursing education, adding automated dietician, social worker, pharmacy, and cardiology consults with the diagnosis order set, and collaborating with the community providers to smooth the transition of care” (“Hospital Initiative”, 2012).
Given the prevalence and burden of heart failure (HF) in the United States, and the impact the condition has on the individual patient’s life, many approaches for quality improvement (QI) implementation and evaluation have occurred (Stella, 2013). Regulatory organizations, professional associations and academic institutions have partnered repeatedly in creating guidelines and programs focusing on providing evidence-based care, partnering with patients and families and establishing quality care transitions; as a result, several beneficial QI strategies were identified (Gregg, Klingner, Casey, Prasad, & Moscovice, 2012). Before discussing possible methods, the context of “quality improvement” needs to be determined. One direction can be gleaned from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Crossing the quality chasm:A new health system for the 21st century, which describes high quality care along the domains of effectiveness, safety, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equity (2001).
Withdrawal of treatment is discontinuing of life sustaining treatments, such as ventilators, feeding tubes, dialysis, CPR, or medications. We often see this in Intensive Care Units across the country. In 1998, a survey of 131 ICUs from 38 states revealed that 70% ICU deaths occurred after withdrawal of treatment, including CPR. (ABC Intensive Care: Withdrawal of Treatment, 1999). Neonatal deaths due to withdrawal of treatment increased in the last thirty years from 14% to 66% (Shooter and Watson, 2000).
Quality Improvement Data Intravenous therapies are at times a necessary evil in the clinical setting today, I have never met a patient that was excited about receiving an intravenous line for medical therapies. The insertion of an IV is traumatic, painful, and intimidating in many clinical situations; there is no better way to destroy the trust your patient has in you after many failed IV attempts and even more seriously phlebitis related to a poor IV insertions. IV therapy is needed for procedures, medication administration, fluid resuscitation, and body nutrition. IV therapy is a necessary component of the medical management of many illnesses, but before that we need to have competent staff initiating IV therapies to ensure patient safety.
Introduction Telehealth, by definition, is technology or digital technology that is used in the healthcare field to manage a patient’s health and well-being. The devices that can be used are mobile devices such as tablets smartphones and computers. Of course, in this telehealth world there can be some advantages and disadvantages. According to our textbook although using telebehavioral health (TBH) have some similarities as in-person sessions, technology can be an issue. There may be disruptions, connection issues, settings and some clients may not be a great fit.
Telemedicine is making the connection between patients and healthcare professionals possible. Individuals that were not able to access health care due to transportation issues, disabilities, or chronic diseases now are able to do it with just a click. These individuals can easily reach required sources by communicating with a health provider either by phone, two-way video conference, or email. “Telehealth is improving patients’ access to care and health outcomes” (Schlachta-Fairchild, Elfrink, & Deickman, 2008). Conclusion
Moreover, they receive 25 patients per day and the majority are women. They treat patients who had and have a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), heart attack, valve replacement, heart transplant, balloon angioplasty and Stens, peripartum cardiomyopathy, pericarditis, heart failure, stable angina, and cardiovascular disease. When patients are in phase three, they provide educational sessions, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoke, nutrition, depression, and other risk factors. Lastly, in this observation lap experience, I learned that cardiac specialists work as a team to assist patients regain their skills, health and independence through a personalized exercise program.
With the help of patient engagement technology, patients become more engaged in subjects pertaining to their health. Educating patients about their health is the key to helping them to better understand their mental and physical states. “As David Wright, chief outcomes officer for GetWellNetwork, sees it, patients who are educated – about both their condition and their care – are also patients who are most likely to get and stay healthy” (Healthcare IT News). Patients who are engaged with their health acquire better understanding of health management, improvement, and cost. According to Geyer, “A 2014 study from the Mayo Clinic showed that patients who used smartphone apps to record weight and blood pressure – and participated in cardiac rehab – lowered cardiovascular risk factors and 90-day readmissions.
An experience in Optum’s case management process if the requirement to address a member’s lifestyle factors telephonically when addressing right care, right providers, and right medications. However, the problem in professional nursing practice, that is of interest, is the need to deliver more person-centered care when addressing lifestyle factors. Moreover, Optum’s mission is to help the health care system work better for everyone by helping members live healthier lives (UnitedHealth Group, 2017). Nurses at Optum understand in order to empower consumers, the quality of care must be improved while lowering costs and increasing satisfaction.
Introduction Patient handovers are defined as “the transfer of information and professional responsibility and accountability between individuals and teams” (Jeffcott, 2009). Patient handover failures are common and can lead to delays in care and often precipitate adverse events. Patient handover is generally composed of the patient’s medical history, their current health presentation and any tasks that still need to be performed. The patient’s historical information provides details about the patient’s diagnosis and anything the team needs to know about their treatment plan such as diet, isolation precautions, assistance needed for daily living and any barriers to education or discharge.
“Concept clarification is an important step in developing useful and useable knowledge in nursing science.” (Tofthagen, 2010). Within the home health field of nursing one of the major and most significant concepts is team work. Simply stated, concept analysis incorporates a method or approach by which concepts that are of interest to a discipline are examined in order to clarify their characteristics or attributes” (Cronin, 2010). Within a home health care team there are Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Home Health Aides, Medical Social Workers, Managed Care Coordinators, and Clinical Managers.
