Introduction NUR FPX 6212 Assessment 1 Quality and Safety Gap Analysis

The field of healthcare strives for quality and safety for all clients and patients.  There is a continuous need for quality staff as well as improvements in the quality of care provided to all clients.  The promotion of a culture of quality services and safety in providing the services through nurse leaders is a must for all health care related businesses.  As nurse leaders, a top priority is to influence others positively and directly participate in in a leadership role to ensure the outcomes promote the quality of care reflected in the mission or vision of the business.  Policies and procedures must be continually monitored and reviewed to remain current with state and federal rules and regulations.  Facilities that do not receive Medicare funds do not have to report readmission rates, but records are maintained.  The 30-day readmission rate is a constantly fluctuating number, and many facilities try to reduce this rate as much as possible.  The readmission rate effects services that patients receive in the home care setting, therefore effecting businesses who provide these services.  This analysis will provide information on current average as well as the desired average for readmissions for a home care agency.  The goal is to identify common concerns in the home care setting and propose improvements in client safety and care that will produce positive outcomes, therefore narrowing the gap between the current level and desired level of services.

Adverse Quality and Safety Outcomes

NUR FPX 6212 Assessment 1 Quality and Safety Gap Analysis

Among patients who receive in home care services, many have the diagnoses of congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  Patients with the diagnosis of CHF have a 26.9% readmission rate (Nair et al., 2020), whereas patients with the diagnosis of COPD have a readmission rate of 22.6% (Portillo et al., 2018).