Response 1
Patient safety is one of the primary concerns in the field of healthcare. There are multiple reasons why errors and safety concerns are still affecting stakeholders on so many levels. Many of the previous issues have been eradicated or minimized with certain efforts and new implementations. One example is the significant risk of infections. According to researchers, the early policies to increase safety levels were based on hospital safety (Bates & Singh, 2018). This included infections acquired in the setting of medical facilities and other environment-related risks. However, the safety issue regarding wrong diagnosis and prescription of medication is still a significant problem that concerns patients daily.
Implying that more effective educational practices for DNP-prepared nurses will reduce cases of misdiagnosis is a plausible solution to safety issues. This would ensure a level of knowledge and skills to diagnose patients based on their symptoms. Moreover, the medications that the patient will be prescribed would not compromise their health but mitigate the symptoms/diseases. Another important aspect of education is the need for improvements in practices experiences (Tovar et al., 2019). This additional concept suggests learning and practicing using real-life situations and simulations. Such methods will address the practical and theoretical side of education in regards to diagnosis, quality care, and safety practices.
Another essential suggestion is the development of specific guidelines for DNP-prepared nurses in terms of diagnosing patients. This implementation would create a direct plan that would help medical professionals come to conclusions by following specific steps within the diagnosis process. The proposition has the potential to contribute to the improvement of safety practices by ensuring DNP-prepared nurses follow a proper protocol to mitigate the risk of misdiagnoses.
References
Bates, D. W., & Singh, H. (2018). Two decades since “To Err Is Human”: An assessment of progress and emerging priorities in patient safety. Health Affairs, 37(11), 1736–1743. Web.
Tovar, E., Ossege, J., Farus-Brown, S., Zonsius, M., & Morrow, L. (2019). DNP program faculty and graduates’ knowledge and use of QI and safety processes. Nurse Educator, 45(1), 11–16. Web.
Response 2
Improving patient safety has a direct correlation with quality healthcare, which makes this a primary concern that requires attention. This is why implementing new strategies or improving the existing ones is crucial for raising the bar in regards to safety, mitigating errors, and ensuring the level of patient satisfaction is high. One solution is having hourly rounding. Hourly rounding is essential for minimizing certain concerns such as patient falls and call light usage. While this is an effective strategy that can be useful in any medical setting, it has to be monitored. According to researchers, it is essential for nursing managers to ensure the staff complies with the policy either by observation or documentation (Brosinski & Riddell, 2020). This method will guarantee the staff will follow the plan, creating more accurate future results during the examination of the efficacy of the new implementation.
As mentioned before, hourly rounds are designed to increase patient safety, including the minimization of the rate of patient falls. It has been highlighted that frequent and direct communication with the patient is vital for safety and overall patient satisfaction. Moreover, researchers illustrate the importance of monitoring patients through surveillance to avoid patient falls (Sun et al., 2020). This is a concept that correlates with hourly routs, and it can be mentioned in the paper.
The idea that hourly rounds are efficient in creating a safe medical environment and improving patient satisfaction is accurate. The central premise is mitigating certain risks and complications, which is one of the main aspects of safety. The research would show evidence that this practice is effective, which will prove that implementing hourly rounds is essential for the well-being of the patients.
References
Brosinski, C., & Riddell, A. (2020). Incorporating hourly rounding to increase emergency department patient satisfaction: A quality improvement approach. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 46(4), 511–517. Web.
Sun, C., Fu, C. J., O’Brien, J., Cato, K. D., Stoerger, L., & Levin, A. (2020). Exploring practices of bedside shift report and hourly rounding. Is there an impact on patient falls? JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 50(6), 355–362. Web.