Quality Assurance
Read the following articles:
Armstrong, D. (2020). Superintendent bragged about VA review of short-staffed Soldiers’ Home. Two months later, 74 veterans are dead. Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved from https://www(dot)gazettenet(dot)com/VA-inspections-of-veterans-homes-34313434
Plaisance, M. (2018). Little explanation offered in federal review of Holyoke Soldiers' Home as survey says facility provides quality care. MassLive. Retrieved from https://www(dot)masslive(dot)com/news/2018/05/little_explanation_offered_in.html
Conduct additional research and in 4-5 pages (excluding title and reference pages) complete the following:
Discuss in general if existing “high-level” quality of care would better prepare an organization to handle a pandemic.
Identify if the lack of quality of care or measures contributed to the spread at the Soldiers’ Home.
Discuss federal review of Holyoke Soldiers' Home. Was it adequate or inadequate?
Rationalize what could have been done differently pre-COVID-19 to ensure a high level of quality.
Discuss how you, as a healthcare leader, should make sure quality of care is being given to the patients at the facility. Identify quantitative and qualitative methods to monitor quality and how the data/information should be distributed to the organization.
Assignment Expectations
Conduct additional research to gather sufficient information to justify/support your strategic plan.
Limit your response to a maximum of 5 pages (title and reference pages are not included in page number count).
Support your report with peer-reviewed articles, using at least 3-4 references. Use the following link for additional information on how to recognize peer-reviewed journals: http://www(dot)angelo(dot)edu/services/library/handouts/peerrev.php.
You may use the following source to assist in formatting your assignment: https://owl(dot)english(dot)purdue(dot)edu/owl/resource/560/01/.
For additional information on reliability of sources, review the following source: https://nccih(dot)nih(dot)gov/health/webresources.
This assignment will be graded based on the content in the rubric.
Quality Assurance
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Healthcare is one of the top priorities in the medical industry, and that includes its quality. Buttel et al. (2008) disclosed that health care is not just a concept that people should know as it is an essential factor for the safety of the patients and as a financial determinant (p. 61). He also added that the definition and understanding of healthcare quality depend on many perspectives. However, it was generalized into three factors: first is a level at which the outcomes have a positive impact, followed by the reliable and steady professional knowledge and customer satisfaction (p. 62). Thus, the importance of high-quality health care is needed, especially during a pandemic.
Pandemic Preparedness
Hamele et al. (2018) stated that planning and preparing systematic strategies as a counter for upcoming crises are essential (p. 344). Their study mentioned different organizations that are planning for possible crises and factors that need to be prepared during those times. In November 2005, Homeland Security Council established a preparedness plan for pandemics in the United States, and three determinants were considered, such as "preparedness and communication, surveillance and detection, and response and containment" (p. 345). They also presented factors that should be thoroughly prepared during pandemics: the 4 "S's," and these are stuff, space, staff, and system (p.347).
In the current crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, McWilliams (2020) disclosed that healthcare weaknesses were brought to light in countries such as the United States. People of different nations felt anxious while enclosed in their homes and, at the same time, knowing and observing the people's sacrifices on the frontlines. Nevertheless, such circumstances also brought forth the representation of unification within the workforce when people continued to help one another grow and improve (p. 1). On the other hand, medical workers are not considered know-it-all individuals and are also prone to mistakes, which leads to the development of different strategies in consideration to the quality improvement of healthcare (p. 3). In support of this, Dubé et al. (2020) presented using the concept of simulation in educating and learning to prepare medical workers for pandemics thoroughly. They stated that simulation is an excellent factor for integrating different factors of changes to improve. Simulation prepares its participants through initiating, planning, executing, and sharing experiences.
Quality of Care in the Soldier's Home
In the news article released by the Daily Hampshire Gazette, during the inspection report last March 10, the superintendent proudly provided statements saying that the nursing home with the capacity of 247-bed has met the health care standards of the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition to this, VA also disclosed only three minor deficiencies, yet these did not address the complex environment and having a short staff in the workplace. Several union officials and veteran advocates voiced their thoughts regarding the matter and the spreading of Covid-19 in the Soldier's Home, where more than 80 workers were infected and the 74 death count (Armstrong, 2020).
In the study of Somashekhar et al. (2020), they presented the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) where it is made for all medical workers' safety. It was elaborated that PPE includes a face shield, goggles, face mask, gloves, gowns, and head and shoe covers (p. 243). While in the news article of Armstrong (2020), when the first case of Covid-19 was found in Holyoke, one nurse only wore a surgical mask and a gown as a precaution while interacting with the patient. This nurse was also accused of using the equipment without permission by the higher-ups, which can be considered nonsense. Besides, since they were short-staffed, management was forced to overload a room of four into six. This only shows that the guidelines of social distancing during the pandemic were greatly affected.
On the other hand, in the news article Masslive by Plaisance (2019), he stated that six out of the 231 categories in the 64-page annual review done by the 13-member national team of the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs was explained. All categories under the review were interpreted as met or provisionally met after the inspection. The six categories that were explained was the following: unfilled receiving forms of medication, a reminder for the recommendation for financial assistance and is not required, insufficient surety bonds to cover accounts, consistent evaluation on the behavior of residents, increased monitoring for hand washing, and the extension of sprinkler system. Nevertheless, these categories did not address the low quantity of staff in the nursing home, and the complex environment said in Armstrong's news article (2020). Knowing that the government mandated it and this was an incomplete federal review to think.
Learning these circumstances, proper management within the institution should be d...