Concept Analysis Template
Name:
Definition/Explanation of the selected nursing concept:
The selected nursing concept for this analysis is nursing sensitive indicators. Nursing sensitive indicators are the elements that represent care and outcomes that nursing care affect. It also refers to the measures of nursing care. The measures can be process, structural and outcome measures. In addition, nursing personnel can influence the outcomes but nursing is not responsible exclusively for them.
Three defining attributes:
One of the defining attributes of nursing sensitive indicators is its focus on patient safety. Nurse-sensitive indicators aim at ensuring the promotion of optimum safety in the care of patients in nursing. The indicators guide nurses in evaluating the effectiveness of the different interventions that are adopted to enhance care outcomes. For example, nurses use indicators such as patient falls, nosocomial infections, and pressure ulcers among others to determine the safety of the care given to those in need.
The second attribute of nurse sensitive indicators is their focus on measures. Accordingly, nurse sensitive indicators focus on structural, process, and outcome measures. The measures evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of care interventions used to meet the needs of the patients. Process measures evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies that nurses utilize to achieve the set patient outcomes. Outcome measures compare the achieved results with the set goals and objectives by the nurses. Structural measures focus on the effectiveness of healthcare systems and processes in enhancing nursing outcomes. It includes the focus on issues such as organizational policies, structure, and guidelines that inform nursing practice. The third attribute of nurse sensitive indicators is that it guides nursing care. Accordingly, nurses base their decisions on nursing sensitive indicators. For example, they implement evidence-based interventions that aim at eliminating identified disparities in a measure such as pressure ulcers and inadequate staffing ratios in an organization.
1 Antecedent and 1 Consequence of the concept:
Antecedents are incidents or events that happen before the introduction of a concept in nursing. Consequences refer to the outcomes or products of the use of the concept in nursing practice. The antecedent of nurse sensitive indicators, as a nursing concept dates to the need for organizational change in the US’s healthcare. There was a rise in the USA’s government expenditure in healthcare in its gross domestic product, which increased the need for a transformative model to ensure cost efficiency while optimizing on care outcomes. The need led to a managed competition model where health organizations aimed at improving patient safety and containing the high healthcare costs. Therefore, nurse sensitive indicators were adopted to guide consumers and health organizations assess the safety, quality, and efficiency of patient care services.
One of the consequences of utilizing nursing sensitive indicators is the establishment of patient safety culture. Nurses understand the need for the utilization of best practices to improve outcomes such as safety, quality, and efficiency. Nurses also build their strategies on the best practices, leading to continuous improvement in safety, performance, and organizational culture. The focus on sensitive indicators such as pressure ulcers, falls, and hospital-acquired infections enable nurses to implement only best practices, hence, sustained culture of safety, quality, and efficiency in an organization.
Model Case:
A model case of the use of nursing-sensitive quality indicators is an organization with high rate of patient falls. Nurses in the organization utilize the indicator to implement evidence-based practice projects to improve patient safety by reducing fall rates. They monitor data to determine the effectiveness of the adopted strategies and potential improvements to eliminate patient falls in the organization.
Theoretical Applications of the Concept:
Nursing-sensitive indicators have theoretical applications. Accordingly, nurses use it to develop or validate new practices in their profession. For example, nurses can examine the effectiveness of hourly rounding in reducing patient falls. A reduction in falls with such an intervention may form part of the best practices for promoting safety in nursing, hence, the generation of a new theory.
Reflection:
Nursing-sensitive indicators are part of the nursing routines. Nurses utilize indicators such as patient satisfaction, pressure ulcer rates, falls, nosocomial infections, and medication errors to determine the effectiveness of the adopted interventions in the organization for patient safety.
References
Grading Rubric Guidelines
Performance Category109840ScholarlinessDemonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions.Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry clearly stating how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisionsEvaluates literature resources to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis.Uses valid, relevant, and reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussionProvides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry but does not clearly state how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions.Evaluates information from source(s) to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis.Uses some valid, relevant, reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion.Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions.Information is taken from source(s) with some interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis.Little valid, relevant, or reliable outside sources are used to contribute to the threaded discussion.Demonstrates little or no understanding of the topic.Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions.Information is taken from source(s) without any interpretation/evaluation.The posting uses information that is not valid, relevant, or reliableNo evidence of the use of scholarly inquiry to inform or change professional or academic decisions.Information is not valid, relevant, or reliablePerformance Category 109840Application of Course Knowledge -Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situationsPosts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources;Applies concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life.Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources.Applies concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real lifeInteractions with classmates are relevant to the discussion topic but do not make direct reference to lesson contentPosts are generally on topic but do not build knowledge by incorporating concepts and principles from the lesson.Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real lifeDoes not demonstrate a solid understanding of the principles and concepts presented in the lessonPosts do not adequately address the question posed either by the discussion prompt or the instructor’s launch post.Posts are superficial and do not reflect an understanding of the lesson contentDoes not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real lifePosts are not related to the topics provided by the discussion prompt or by the instructor; attempts by the instructor to redirect the student are ignoredNo discussion of lesson concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real lifePerformance Category 54320Interactive DialogueReplies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days.(5 points possible per graded thread)Exceeds minimum post requirementsReplies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts three or more times in each graded thread, over three separate days.Replies to a post posed by faculty and to a peerSummarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week.Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate daysReplies to a question posed by a peerSummarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week.Meets expectations of 2 posts on 2 different days.The main post is not made by the Wednesday deadlineDoes not reply to a question posed by a peer or facultyHas only one post for the weekDiscussion posts contain few, if any, new ideas or applications; often are a rehashing or summary of other students’ commentsDoes not post to the threadNo connections are made to the topic Minus 1 PointMinus 2 PointMinus 3 PointMinus 4 PointMinus 5 PointGrammar, Syntax, APANote: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted.Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing.The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition2-3 errors in APA format.Written responses have 2-3 grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors.Writing style is generally clear, focused, and facilitates communication.4-5 errors in APA format.Writing responses have 4-5 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.Writing style is somewhat focused.6-7 errors in APA format.Writing responses have 6-7 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.Writing style is slightly focused making discussion difficult to understand.8-10 errors in APA format.Writing responses have 8-10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.Writing style is not focused, making discussion difficult to understand.Post contains greater than 10 errors in APA format.Written responses have more than 10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.Writing style does not facilitate communication.The student continues to make repeated mistakes in any of the above areas after written correction by the instructor0 points lost -5 points lostTotal Participation Requirementsper discussion threadThe student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different daysEarly Participation Requirementper discussion threadThe student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT.
NOTE: To receive credit for a week’s discussion, students may begin posting no earlier than the Sunday immediately before each week opens. Unless otherwise specified, access to most weeks begins on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. MT, and that week’s assignments are due by the next Sunday by 11:59 p.m. MT. Week 8 opens at 12:01 a.m. MT Sunday and closes at 11:59 p.m. MT Wednesday. Any assignments and all discussion requirements must be completed by 11:59 p.m. MT Wednesday of the eighth week.
