Outcome and Process Measures
Assessment Description
In a 1,000-1,250-word paper, consider the outcome and process measures that can be used for CQI. Include the following in your essay:
At least two process measures that can be used for CQI.
At least one outcome measure that can be used for CQI.
A description of why each measure was chosen.
An explanation of how data would be collected for each (how each will be measured).
An explanation of how success would be determined.
One or two data-driven, cost-effective solutions to this challenge.
Use a minimum of three peer-reviewed scholarly references as evidence.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.
Benchmark Information
This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competency:
MSN Leadership in Health Care Systems
6.5: Generate data-driven, cost-effective solutions to organizational challenges.
Outcome and Process Measures
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Outcome and Process Measures
CQI or in full Continuous Quality Improvement is a philosophy that seeks to paint a picture of the desired future in the present. However, CQI does not simply paint a picture; it goes to the next step of requiring the development and adopting of measures and initiatives that can be used to help an organization attain its desired future (McCalman et al., 2018). The National Learning Consortium (2013) notes that CQI mainly moves people to ask questions like “can we do it more efficiently? Can we be more effective? Can we do it faster? Can we do it in a more timely way?” The idea behind CQI is to create a culture that encourages growth and continuous improvement. To develop a CQI that enhances the effectiveness of an organization, there is a need to ensure a deep understanding of the current state and the desired state. For example, an organization must know what is currently working and what is not working. Further, a CQI outlines how best to measure the processes and outcomes to assess the effectiveness of the changes being adopted.
Different types of measures are used to assess the progress organizations are making regarding healthcare quality. The three main measures often used are process, outcome, and structural measures.
Process Measures
Process measures mainly entail what an organization is planning to do or is currently doing to improve the healthcare of the sick and the healthy in a population. These measures mainly assess or seek to inquire whether a healthcare organization is on track to attain its desired results. Some of the questions that these measures ask include: Are our efforts in line with the desired outcomes? Are the steps being followed leading to the desired goal? Is everything performing as it ought to? These questions or measures form a crucial part of the CQI and are often considered more important than outcome measures because they assess the means while outcome measures only assess the end.
CQI is a holistic philosophy. Therefore, while determining process measures, it is crucial to adopt measures that capture events in various departments or sections of a healthcare organization. Provided below are two process measures to help determine or assess access of healthcare professionals and the rate of hospital-acquired infections.
* Percentage of patients who are able to book appointments, be scheduled, and see a healthcare professional.
* The percentage of patients developing complications from contracting hospital-acquired infections within the intensive care unit.
These measures are quite crucial in any healthcare sector. Access to healthcare professionals is one of the elements that determine patient satisfaction. How accessible are the healthcare professionals? How credible are the appointments, and are they all actualized, or have there been patients who book appointments and then have them rescheduled? These are some of the questions that can be asked based on this particular measure. The efficiency of a healthcare organization starts with the administrative duties and tasks. Therefore, it is crucial to determine how efficient is the scheduling process and whether patients get to see physicians and nurses as scheduled.
The second measure is crucial since it helps determine how negligent a healthcare organization is about protecting its patients. Here, one question that a healthcare organization can ask is, how exposed are the patients? What are some of the implications of a rise in hospital-acquired infections? Hague et al. (2018) note that in the U.S., there are about 1.7 million patients who contract hospital-acquired infections. Further, a total of 98,000 of these patients end up dying as a result of these complications every year. This is a big number that ought to cause action within a healthcare organization, and therefore, the justification for choosing this parti...