NUR 630 GCU Topic 5 DQ 1

Sample Answer for NUR 630 GCU Topic 5 DQ 1 Included After Question

Measurement is required to determine the success of your CQI project. What is the difference between outcome and process measures? Which are more important? Why? Support your reasoning with an example.

Knowledge Check

Why is measurement an important concept to understand with your CQI project? What are reasons for standardized measurements?

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NUR 630 GCU Topic 5 DQ 1

Title: NUR 630 GCU Topic 5 DQ 1

Measurement is a critical concept to understand in a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) project because it allows organizations to track progress and determine the effectiveness of their improvement efforts. Standardized measurements are particularly important because they allow for consistency and comparability across different settings and contexts.

According to the American Society for Quality (ASQ), standardized measurements are essential for effective quality improvement because they “provide a common language for describing and understanding performance” (ASQ, 2021). By using standardized measures, organizations can accurately assess their performance and identify areas for improvement.

For example, in a healthcare setting, standardized measures such as the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) are used to track and compare the quality of care provided by different healthcare organizations (NCQA, 2021). By using standardized measures, healthcare organizations can identify areas where they are underperforming and develop targeted improvement initiatives to address those areas.

Reference:

American Society for Quality. (2021). Standardized measures. Retrieved from https://asq.org/quality-resources/standardized-measures

National Committee for Quality Assurance. (2021). HEDIS. Retrieved from https://www.ncqa.org/hedis/

A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: NUR 630 GCU Topic 5 DQ 1

Title: NUR 630 GCU Topic 5 DQ 1

When discussing a CQI project, both outcomes as well as process measures are vital. Process measures refer to the steps that are taken or missed during a patient encounter while providing care. Process measures are meant to encourage the providers to do items such as screening for risk factors, assess for underlying conditions which can help with the treatment process. Skipping these steps can be detrimental to the patient and their overall outcome.

When discussing the outcome, how it turns out solely relies on the process and approach selected. It is true that the outcome is the ultimate goal and monitoring the outcome is vital as it can tell you what may or may not be working with the process selected (SRG, 2021).  Even though both are important, measuring and monitoring the outcome can help on levels that would affect the patient, providers, and organization as well as the overall financial impact.

If the outcome is not measured and monitored for effectiveness and sustainability, the actions could be a moot point costing the patient setbacks and the organization money. An example of this is tracking the rates of tracheostomy infections with re admission rates. By doing so, it can help determine where a breakdown in the process which can cost the facility money and more importantly put the patient at a risk for additional complications (O’Donnell & Gupta, 2023).

References:

O’Donell , B., & Gupta, V. (2023). Continuous Quality Improvement  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559239/

SRG. (2021). Process vs outcome measures. https://solidresearchgroup.com/process-vs-outcome-measures/