NURS FPX 4020 Assessment 1 Enhancing Quality and Safety Capella university NURS-FPX 4020 Improving Quality of Care and Patient Safety

NURS FPX 4020 Assessment 1 Enhancing Quality and Safety

Enhancing Quality and Safety Inadequate pain management in healthcare settings is a quality and safety issue of great importance. This issue is interlinked with substantial healthcare costs, leading to healthcare disparities. This assessment focuses on analyzing a specific quality and safety issue in a healthcare setting and elaborating on evidence-based best practices to address the risk factors leading to the concern. Moreover, the paper discusses how nurses play an influential role in maintaining care coordination in such situations by collaborating with various stakeholders.  Factors Leading to the Safety Problem To better understand inadequate pain management as a quality and safety issue, the case study of a particular healthcare setting presented below delves into the factors that lead to the safety problem, requiring prompt interventions. This scenario is from AdventHealth, Winter Park, where Ms. Johnson was admitted for her hip replacement surgery, which was deemed necessary due to severe osteoarthritis. Her condition required emergency surgery as it was affecting her mobility and overall quality of life. Through collaborative and expert efforts from the surgeons, the surgical procedure was successful, and Ms. Johnson was transferred to the postoperative care unit for recovery. However, the surgeon didn’t adequately communicate postoperative orders for pain management with the nursing staff. Upon arrival in the postoperative care unit, Ms. Johnson was kept under the care of a novice nurse. A few hours later, the patient reported significant pain, scoring it at an 8 out of 10 on the pain scale. Lack of expertise in pain evaluation led to an incomplete and inaccurate pain assessment. This improper assessment, along with poor communication about post-op pain management orders, resulted in delayed pain management. Moreover, the patient received her pain medication late as the nursing staff faced challenges with coordinating the pharmacy, resulting in prolonged discomfort and, overall, a stressful situation for the patient.  Several factors lead to inadequate pain management in healthcare settings. Lack of adequate training and inappropriate pain assessment, as highlighted in the scenario, may directly impact pain management in healthcare settings. Insufficient knowledge and training related to pain assessment and management may contribute to a lack of pain identification, leading to delayed administration of analgesics and suboptimal use of non-pharmacological pain management strategies (Cao & Hull, 2021; Hämäläinen et al., 2022). Other factors identified in the case scenario are lack of communication and coordination among healthcare professionals. Poor coordination leads to delayed implementation of pain management plans. The literature claims that a multidisciplinary approach is fundamental for developing and implementing individualized pain management plans to address patients’ needs adequately. This approach requires adequate communication and collaborative efforts among healthcare professionals (Atthayasai et al., 2023).  Evidenced-based and Best-practice Interventions Post-operative pain and discomfort are common in approximately 47% of individuals worldwide. This pain has significant consequences on patients’ emotional well-being, leading to emotional distress, depression, and stress. Additionally, pain impacts patients’ daily routines and capabilities, leading to poor quality of life (Gao et al., 2023). Effective pain management is correlated with patient satisfaction. Thus, adequate pain management is essential to improve patient safety, quality of life, and patient satisfaction to increase patients’ trust in healthcare providers and improve their treatment adherence. Comprehensive staff training programs and implementation of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are effective evidence-based and best practice solutions to address inadequate pain management as a patient safety and quality issue.  Comprehensive Training Programs Training programs for healthcare professionals related to effective pain management should cover various topics, including standardized pain assessment techniques, understanding the usage of analgesics, effective use of non-pharmacological strategies, and patient communication methods (Evans, 2021). Ongoing sessions will enhance their abilities to address the subjective nature of pain and tailor interventions accordingly, preserving patient safety and reducing the risks of errors and oversights. Additionally, well-trained professionals are more likely to follow evidence-based practices, which results in optimized outcomes and reduced complications. Hence, minimizing the costs associated with prolonged hospital stays a