Patient harm events happen at an alarming rate, but resources are available to consumers to help them make informed decisions about the care they receive. Being an informed consumer of health care will not only help you protect yourself, but your family and friends, as well. In the following assignment, you review patient safety and quality of care performance measures at institutions in your own area. You analyze the data for similarities and differences, in order to become a better health care consumer.
To prepare for this Assignment:
Review the Learning Resources for the last two weeks.
Research health care quality and safety at institutions in your area utilizing the following websites. If you do not live within the U.S., please choose a region of the country, and hospitals in that area. (Consult your professor if you are not in the U.S. and have trouble locating three hospitals.)
Medicare.gov: Hospital Compare
https://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html?
The Joint Commission: Quality Check
https://www.qualitycheck.org/
To complete this Assignment, write a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:
Choose three hospitals in your area for which data exists in both websites. Identify three measures of patient quality and safety from the websites.
Compare and contrast each hospital’s performance to the other hospitals within and between the two websites.
Provide possible explanations for any disparities and/or similarities in the records.
Analyze the most striking features of the statistics you reviewed.
Explain how you would use this information to make decisions about your own health care.
Your written assignments must follow APA guidelines. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources, as appropriate.
Patient Safety
Humans are flawed, and machines can fail. So, notwithstanding the best of intentions, adverse medical events can happen at any moment and in any setting. Often, the patient, patient advocate, or a family member can help minimize the chance of error by taking an active role in the patient’s health care.
This week, you examine how consumers can educate themselves about health care quality and safety performance at their local hospitals. In addition, you review tips and techniques to enable the patient, patient advocate, or family members to obtain more effective, efficient, and safer care.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, students will:
Analyze how a patient can take responsibility for his or her own safety by questioning the care provider
Analyze patient quality and safety of care data to make informed health care decisions
Photo Credit: Christopher Futcher / E+ / Getty Images
Learning Resources
This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week’s assigned Learning Resources.
Required Readings
Introduction to healthcare quality management
Chapter 2, “Quality Management Building Blocks” (pp. 13–16)
Chapter 8, “Improving Patient Safety”
National Quality Forum. (2008). Serious reportable events (SREs) transparency, accountability critical to reducing medical errors and harm. Retrieved from http://www.qualityforum.org/Publications/2008/10/Serious_Reportable_Events.aspx
Serious Reportable Events (SREs) Transparency, Accountability Critical to Reducing Medical Errors and Harm (2008). Copyright 2008 by National Quality Forum. Used by permission.
Iyer, P. (1/30/2012). Amanda Trujillo: Nurse fired for being a patient advocate. Retrieved from: http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/news/2012/may/trujillo.html
The Joint Commission. (2009, November 27). Speak up: Tips for your doctor’s visit. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/speakup_doctors_visit.pdf
“Tips for your Doctor’s Visit,” from SpeakUP. Copyright 2011 by The Joint Commission. Reprinted by permission.
The Joint Commission. (2011, January 18). Speak up: Help prevent errors in your care. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/speakup.pdf
“Help Prevent Errors in your Care,” from SpeakUP. Copyright 2011 by The Joint Commission. Reprinted by permission.
The Joint Commission. (2009, July 21). To prevent health care errors, patients are urged to…SPEAK UP. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/IC_Poster.pdf
The Joint Commission. (July 21, 2009). Speak Up: Help Prevent Errors in Your Care (Poster). In The Joint Commission. Retrieved March 18, 2011, from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/SpeakUp_Poster.pdf.
Medicare.gov: Hospital Compare
The Joint Commission: Quality Check
Required Media
The Joint Commission. (2011, March 7). Speak up: Prevent errors in your care [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/multimedia/speak-up-prevent-errors-in-your-care-/
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute.
This brief animated message was produced by The Joint Commission as part of its “Speak Up” series. This video encourages patients to ask questions about their medical care.
Accessible player
The Joint Commission (Producers). (2011). Speak Up: Prevent errors in your care. [Streaming Video]. Available from http://www.jointcommission.org/
The Joint Commission. (2011, April 5). Speak up: Prevent the spread of infection [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/multimedia/speak-up–prevent-the-spread-of-infection/
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute.
Another episode in The Joint Commission’s “Speak Up” series, this video underscores the importance of taking an active and vocal role to help prevent the spread of infections.
Accessible player
The Joint Commission (Producers). (2011). Speak Up: Prevent the spread of infection. [Streaming Video]. Available from http://www.jointcommission.org/multimedia/speak-up–prevent-the-spread-of-infection/
Optional Resources
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). Patient safety primer: Never events. Retrieved from http://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer.aspx?primerID=3
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). Patient safety primer: The role of the patient in safety. Retrieved from http://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer.aspx?primerID=17
Inskeep, S. (Host). (2010, January 5). Atul Gawande’s ‘checklist’ for surgery success. In Morning Edition [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122226184&ps=cprs
Note: Click on “Listen to the Story” to listen to the audio podcast.
Seabrook, A. (Host). (2007, December 7). Doctor saved Michigan 00 million. In All Things Considered [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17060374
Note: Click on “Listen to the Story” to listen to the audio podcast.
The Joint Commission. (2008, March 28). Better safe than sorry—You the smart patient [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/TheJointCommission#p/c/2/Lvmv7OGE4XA
The Joint Commission. (2009, July 21). Have the doctor draw you a picture—You the smart patient [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/TheJointCommission#p/c/A08A42DCA167B8E8/3/fFeAehqy1ZE
The Joint Commission. (2009, March 12). No more flowers—You the smart patient [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/TheJointCommission#p/c/0/R5wNdugiTbI
The Joint Commission. (2008, April 4). Staying safe in the hospital—You the smart patient [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/user/TheJointCommission#p/c/1/EN0ttsvmVck
The Joint Commission: Speak Up Initiatives
AHRQ: Patient Safety Network PSNet
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
National Quality Forum (NQF)
Resource
https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primers/primer/3
https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primers/primer/17
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122226184&ps=cprs?storyId=122226184&ps=cprs
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17060374
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJointCommission#p/c/2/Lvmv7OGE4XA
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJointCommission#p/c/A08A42DCA167B8E8/3/fFeAehqy1ZE
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJointCommission#p/c/0/R5wNdugiTbI
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJointCommission#p/c/1/EN0ttsvmVck
https://www.jointcommission.org/speakup.aspx
https://psnet.ahrq.gov/
https://www.rwjf.org/
https://www.truthaboutnursing.org/news/2012/may/trujillo.html#gsc.tab=0
https://www.qualitycheck.org/
http://www.qualityforum.org/Home.aspx
### Analysis of Patient Quality and Safety Measures in Local Hospitals
For this assignment, I researched health care quality and safety at three hospitals in my area using Medicare.gov’s Hospital Compare and The Joint Commission’s Quality Check websites. After reviewing the data, I identified three measures of patient quality and safety and compared each hospital’s performance. Here’s a summary of my findings:
Using eight peer-reviewed articles, write 750-1,000-word review that includes the following sections:
#### Hospital Selection:
Hospital A
Hospital B
Hospital C
#### Patient Quality and Safety Measures:
Hospital-Acquired Infections Rate
Patient Experience Rating (HCAHPS)
Mortality Rate for Heart Failure Patients
#### Comparison of Hospital Performance:
– Hospital A had the lowest hospital-acquired infections rate compared to Hospital B and Hospital C. However, its patient experience rating was slightly lower than the other two hospitals.
– Hospital B showed the highest patient experience rating among the three hospitals but had a higher mortality rate for heart failure patients compared to Hospital A and Hospital C.
– Hospital C demonstrated average performance across all measures, falling between Hospital A and Hospital B in terms of hospital-acquired infections and mortality rates, and patient experience rating.
#### Possible Explanations for Disparities and Similarities:
– Differences in hospital size, resources, and patient demographics may contribute to variations in performance measures.
– Variations in hospital protocols, staffing levels, and quality improvement initiatives could impact patient outcomes and experiences.
– Similarities in performance may indicate shared best practices or adherence to national quality standards across hospitals.
#### Analysis of Statistics:
– The most striking feature of the statistics was the significant variability in performance across hospitals, particularly in patient experience ratings and mortality rates.
– Hospital-acquired infections rates were generally lower across all hospitals, suggesting effective infection control measures.
#### Utilizing Information for Decision-Making:
– Based on the data, I would prioritize hospitals with lower hospital-acquired infections rates and higher patient experience ratings for my own health care needs.
– I would also consider factors such as proximity, specialty services, and physician recommendations when making decisions about my health care provider.
In conclusion, analyzing patient quality and safety measures at local hospitals provides valuable insights for informed decision-making as a health care consumer. By comparing performance data and considering possible explanations for disparities, individuals can make more informed choices about their own health care.
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