NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data 

NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data – Step-by-Step Guide

The first step before starting to write the NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data, it is essential to understand the requirements of the assignment. The first step is to read the assignment prompt carefully to identify the topic, the length and format requirements. You should go through the rubric provided so that you can understand what is needed to score the maximum points for each part of the assignment. 

It is also important to identify the audience of the paper and its purpose so that it can help you determine the tone and style to use throughout. You can then create a timeline to help you complete each stage of the paper, such as conducting research, writing the paper, and revising it to avoid last-minute stress before the deadline. After identifying the formatting style to be applied to the paper, such as APA, you should review its use, such as writing citations and referencing the resources used. You should also review how to format the title page and the headings in the paper.

How to Research and Prepare for NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data 

The next step in preparing for your paper is to conduct research and identify the best sources to use to support your arguments. Identify the list of keywords from your topic using different combinations. The first step is to visit the university library and search through its database using the important keywords related to your topic. You can also find books, peer-reviewed articles, and credible sources for your topic from PubMed, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar. Ensure that you select the references that have been published in the last words and go through each to check for credibility. Ensure that you obtain the references in the required format, for example, in APA, so that you can save time when creating the final reference list. 

You can also group the references according to their themes that align with the outline of the paper. Go through each reference for its content and summarize the key concepts, arguments and findings for each source. You can write down your reflections on how each reference connects to the topic you are researching about. After the above steps, you can develop a strong thesis that is clear, concise and arguable. Next you should create a detailed outline of the paper so that it can help you to create headings and subheadings to be used in the paper. Ensure that you plan what point will go into each paragraph.

How to Write the Introduction for NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data 

The introduction of the paper is the most crucial part as it helps to provide the context of your work, and will determine if the reader will be interested to read through to the end. You should start with a hook, which will help capture the reader’s attention. You should contextualize the topic by offering the reader a concise overview of the topic you are writing about so that they may understand its importance. You should state what you aim to achieve with the paper. The last part of the introduction should be your thesis statement, which provides the main argument of the paper.

How to Write the Body for NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data 

The body of the paper helps you to present your arguments and evidence to support your claims. You can use headings and subheadings developed in the paper’s outline to guide you on how to organize the body. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence to help the reader know what point you will be discussing in that paragraph. Support your claims using the evidence conducted from the research, ensure that you cite each source properly using in-text citations. You should analyze the evidence presented and explain its significance and how it connects to the thesis statement. You should maintain a logical flow between each paragraph by using transition words and a flow of ideas.

How to Write the In-text Citations for NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data 

In-text citations help the reader to give credit to the authors of the references they have used in their works. All ideas that have been borrowed from references, any statistics and direct quotes must be referenced properly. The name and date of publication of the paper should be included when writing an in-text citation. For example, in APA, after stating the information, you can put an in-text citation after the end of the sentence, such as (Smith, 2021). If you are quoting directly from a source, include the page number in the citation, for example (Smith, 2021, p. 15). Remember to also include a corresponding reference list at the end of your paper that provides full details of each source cited in your text. An example paragraph highlighting the use of in-text citations is as below:

The integration of technology in nursing practice has significantly transformed patient care and improved health outcomes. According to Smith (2021), the use of electronic health records (EHRs) has streamlined communication among healthcare providers, allowing for more coordinated and efficient care delivery. Furthermore, Johnson and Brown (2020) highlight that telehealth services have expanded access to care, particularly for patients in rural areas, thereby reducing barriers to treatment.

How to Write the Conclusion for NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data 

When writing the conclusion of the paper, start by restarting your thesis, which helps remind the reader what your paper is about. Summarize the key points of the paper, by restating them. Discuss the implications of your findings and your arguments. End with a call to action that leaves a lasting impact on the reader or recommendations.

How to Format the Reference List for NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data 

The reference helps provide the reader with the complete details of the sources you cited in the paper. The reference list should start with the title “References” on a new page. It should be aligned center and bolded, in sentence sentence care. The references should be organized in an ascending order alphabetically and each should have a hanging indent. If a source has no author, it should be alphabetized by the title of the work, ignoring any initial articles such as “A,” “An,” or “The.” If you have multiple works by the same author, list them in chronological order, starting with the earliest publication. 

Each reference entry should include specific elements depending on the type of source. For books, include the author’s last name, first initial, publication year in parentheses, the title of the book in italics, the edition (if applicable), and the publisher’s name. For journal articles, include the author’s last name, first initial, publication year in parentheses, the title of the article (not italicized), the title of the journal in italics, the volume number in italics, the issue number in parentheses (if applicable), and the page range of the article. For online sources, include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or the URL at the end of the reference. An example reference list is as follows:

References

Johnson, L. M., & Brown, R. T. (2020). The role of telehealth in improving patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 35(2), 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000456

Smith, J. A. (2021). The impact of technology on nursing practice. Health Press.

NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data Instructions

The purpose of this assignment is to examine health care data on hospital-associated infections and determine the best methods for presenting the data to stakeholders. Use the scenario below and the “Hospital Associated Infections Data” Excel spreadsheet to complete the assignment.

Scenario

You have been tasked with displaying Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital quality measures data for a 5-year period on four quality measures at your site. After examining the data, identify trends and determine the best way to present the actionable information to stakeholders.

Assignment

Create a 12-15-slide PowerPoint (not including title and reference slides) presenting the data to the stakeholders. Address the following in your PowerPoint:

1. What conclusions can be drawn for each quality measure over the 5-year period?
2. What trends do you see for each quality measure over the 5-year period?
3. When comparing each quality measure, is the quality measure better than, worse than, or no different from the national benchmark over time?
4. Based on your examination of the data, which of the quality measures should you prioritize and why?
5. Develop a quality improvement metric and related measures to improve care processes, outcomes, and the patient experience relating to the identified area of opportunity.
6. Explain how you would monitor the metric and use collected data for improvement.  

Include a title slide, references slide, and comprehensive speaker notes.

Refer to the resource, “Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations,” located in the Student Success Center, for additional guidance on completing this assignment in the appropriate style.

Use a minimum of two peer-reviewed, scholarly sources as evidence.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be 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 not required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.

Benchmark Information

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competency:

MSN Leadership in Health Care Systems

6.6: Develop and monitor continuous quality improvement metrics and measures to improve care processes, outcomes, and the patient experience.

NUR 630 Topic 7 Benchmark – Hospital-Associated Infections Data Example

Good morning. My name is_. Today’s presentation focuses on quality improvement focused on Center for Medicare and Medicaid hospital quality measure data on Hospital Associated Infections. Continuous quality improvement is significant for quality patient outcomes and safety. Institutional data evaluation helps determine improvement areas and implement corrective interventions. National guidelines and evidence-based practice help manage the identified problems.

Quality Measure – Surgical Site Infections from Colon Surgery

Surgical site infections from colon surgery are common, especially after a perforated gut. Gut microorganisms play a considerable role in these infections, and data from CMS shows that these rates are high nationally and in the facility. Kagawa et al. (2019) note an increase in SSI after open approaches surgeries to abdominal surgeries as opposed to laparoscopic surgeries.

The institution’s overall rates were below the national benchmark in 2011 and 2012 and above in 2014 (2.487) and 2015 (3.55). The SSI Colon surgery dropped between 2011 and 2012 and consistently rose from 2012 to 2015. The rate increased drastically in the facility above the national benchmark showing a systemic failure in their prevention. The efforts to prevent the SSIs have been ineffective; hence interventions are necessary.

Quality Measures – CLABSI

Central-line-associated bloodstream infections are infections not associated with infections from other sites and are potentially fatal. Baier et al. (2020) note that immunocompromised dialysis patients and patients with cardiovascular problems report high rates and higher mortality from CLBSI. Like SSI colon, CLABSI dropped between 2011 and 2012 and rose gradually from 2012 to 2015. CLABSI in a healthcare facility has been at or above the national benchmark and only fell below the national benchmark in 2013. The rates were also highest in 2015 (3.422) and are high nationally and locally. The healthcare facility is doing well for this benchmark based on the national benchmark.

Catheter-acquired urinary tract infection results from the ascension of bacteria into the urinary tract system. The rate of CAUTI has been gradually decreasing over the years. Van Decker et al. (2021) note that CAUTI rates are low, but the number of catheters inserted is high; hence despite the low rate, CAUTIs are significant hospital-associated infections. The highest rate was recorded in 2011 and the lowest in 2015, meaning that hospital has drastically declined the rate of CAUTIs.

Unlike other trends, CAUTIs have constantly been declining, with a similar national trend. The national benchmarks for CAUTIs are also the lowest among the quality measures. The rate of CAUTIs in the facility was high compared to the national average in 2011 and has now been low, which could signify effective management interventions at the local and national levels.

SSI After Abdominal Hysterectomy

Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus, with or without the other reproductive organs, such as the ovaries. The SSI hysterectomy rate has gradually increased from 2011-2015. The highest rate was recorded in 2015 (4.608), and the lowest was in 2011 (1.148). An increase in the rates can be attributed to a rise in Davidson et al. (2020) note that SSI reduction bundles in abdominal hysterectomy are vital in keeping infections at bay.

A rising rate signifies ineffective implementation of preventive interventions. The SSI rate following abdominal hysterectomy was higher than the national rate from 2013 to 2015 and below the national average in 2011. The national average has been cyclic, with a steady rise from 2012 to 2015 (rise slower than the institution’s average). 

Quality Measure to Prioritize

The quality measure to prioritize is Surgical Site Infection from Abdominal Hysterectomy. These infections have been drastically increasing since 2012, and the institution’s average has been significantly higher than the national average (4.608 compared to the national average of 2.703 in 2015). The last recorded rate was also the highest among all other categories. The rate is higher than the national average in more years than other metrics. The national average is also rising similarly high hence the need for interventions to address the problem. Chan and Nimaroff (2022) note that SSI after abdominal hysterectomy is linked to higher mortality and morbidity, especially with the inclusion of internal organs.

Area of Interest and Quality Improvement Metric

Surgical site infections (secondary to abdominal hysterectomy and colon cancer) are generally high. The Interest is reducing surgical site infections generally because infection prevention measures in surgical procedures, from cleaning the area to post-operative care, are closely similar. The quality improvement metric is improved patient safety by reducing surgical site infections.

Chan et al. (2022) note that SSIs are multifactorial; hence challenging to attribute the high SSI rate to specific causes. Burgees et al. (2020) note that patients’ safety measures aimed at reducing microorganism transfer through the stratification of risk factors and their management. Measures represent opportunities for infection prevention, and the rate of their utilization is thus a predictive factor for infection prevention and SSI rate.

Measures and How to Collect Data

There are various measures to consider for patient safety in preventing surgical site infection in abdominal hysterectomy. The first measure is glycemic control. The average glucose level is 6-8mg/dl. Shigematsu et al. (2022) note that hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia perioperatively increase the risk for surgical site infections. However, few studies have proven that rigid glucose control reduces the risk of Surgical site infections. The AHRQ notes that the care providers should record and report the glucose level preoperatively and the highest blood glucose level post-operatively to ascertain the risk for SSI and prevent it accordingly (AHRQ, n.d.).

Measures and How to Collect Data

Prophylactic antibiotics are standard procedures, especially in surgeries involving high infection risks. Shalabi et al. (2022) note that the type of antibiotics used from penicillin, cephalosporins, or macrolides. The dosage must also be appropriate to be effective. According to Shalabi et al. (2022), penicillin and cephalosporins are the best prophylactic antibiotic agents for preventing infections after abdominal hysterectomy due to their high potency.

The correct dose for these medications must also be administered for effective prophylaxis. Research shows that medications administered within 60 minutes before surgery are the most effective in infection prevention. The medication should also be re-dosed within 24 hours post-surgery for quality patient outcomes and effective SSI prevention.

Measures and How to Collect Data

Temperature regulation is a major problem in surgeries, where the environment inclines to lower room temperature for an effective surgery environment. Theatres are cold areas, and temperatures are low to increase the efficacy of surgical procedures. The normal temperature should be 360C and above throughout the procedure. Tserenpuntsag et al. (2023) note that hypothermia increases the risk of surgical site infections. Rauch et al. (2021) note that institutions utilize pre- and intra-procedure warming devices to reduce hypothermia. Thus, their utilization data and temperature readings are significant before, during, and after surgery and temperature at the recovery area (AHRQ, n.d.).

Measures and How to Collect Data

Skin preparation interventions are vital for effective surgical operations. The skin and hair follicles harbor millions of microorganisms. These microorganisms can contribute to severe infections when skin cleansing and hair removal procedures are poorly implemented. The Interest is to ensure the appropriateness and adequacy of these skin preparation procedures and hair removal.

Edmistron et al. (2019) state that hair should only be removed when necessary, and clipping, instead of shaving, should be the gold standard in hair removal. Other measures to monitor are the utilization of chlorhexidine washcloths (theatre gowns the type of skin preparation used (betadine, CholraPrep, DuraPrep, or other methods), and the training in the use of the skin preparation method (AHRQ, n.d.).

Utilization of collected Data for Improvement

These measures will help determine the specific measures affecting surgical site infections in abdominal hysterectomies. Provost and Murray (2022) note that data analysis is a vital predictor of causal relationships, significant to quality improvement. It will also help stratify the risks based on the causal relationships from calculations.

Strongly positive causal relationships will show that the risk is high and vice versa and will thus help provoke actions in managing these problems. National guidelines that dictate the actionable measures with the underperforming benchmarks will be utilized to generate information for better outcomes. In addition, evidence-based best practices will be incorporated in improving these outcomes.

Conclusion

Data evaluation helps care providers identify areas for improvement. Comparison of data with national benchmarks helps give a relative idea of organizational efforts in the specific metric. High national averages can affect organizational averages, and the variations should be considered. The identified area for improvement is surgical site infections related to abdominal hysterectomies.

Interventions directed towards these measures are significant. Specific measures such as glucose control, temperature monitoring, skin preparation, and prophylactic antibiotics will help ensure quality patient outcomes in promoting patient safety by preventing surgical site infections related to abdominal hysterectomy.

References

•Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), (n.d.).  Surgical Site Infection Investigation Tool: AHRQ Safety Program for Surgery. https://www.ahrq.gov/hai/tools/surgery/tools/surgical-complication-prevention/ssi-investigation.html

•Baier, C., Linke, L., Eder, M., Schwab, F., Chaberny, I. F., Vonberg, R. P., & Ebadi, E. (2020). Incidence, risk factors and healthcare costs of central line-associated nosocomial bloodstream infections in hematologic and oncologic patients. PLoS One, 15(1), e0227772. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227772

•Burgess, A., Fish, M., Goldberg, S., Summers, K., Cornwell, K., & Lowe, J. (2020). Surgical-site infection prevention after hysterectomy: Use of a consensus bundle to guide improvement. The Journal for Healthcare Quality (JHQ), 42(4), 188-194. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JHQ.0000000000000224

•Chan, C. W., & Nimaroff, M. L. (2022). Surgical Site Infection after Hysterectomy. Hysterectomy-Past, Present and Future.

•Edmiston Jr, C. E., Leaper, D. J., Barnes, S., Johnson, H. B., Barnden, M., Paulson, M. H., Wolfe, J. L., & Truitt, K. (2019). Revisiting perioperative hair removal practices. AORN journal, 109(5), 583-596. https://doi.org/10.1002/aorn.12662

•Kagawa, Y., Yamada, D., Yamasaki, M., Miyamoto, A., Mizushima, T., Yamabe, K., Imazato, M., Fukunaga, H., Kobayashi, S., Shimizu, J., Umeshita, J., Ito,T., Doki Y., & Mori, M. (2019). The association between the increased performance of laparoscopic colon surgery and a reduced risk of surgical site infection. Surgery today, 49, 474-481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-019-1760-1

•Provost, L. P., & Murray, S. K. (2022). The health care data guide: learning from data for improvement. (2nd Ed.) John Wiley & Sons.

•Rauch, S., Miller, C., Bräuer, A., Wallner, B., Bock, M., & Paal, P. (2021). Perioperative hypothermia—a narrative review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8749. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168749

•Shalabi, F., Swain, M., Arun, J., & Todter, E. (2022). Reducing Surgical Site Infection and Sepsis after Hysterectomy: Cefazolin Compared with Cefazolin Plus Metronidazole. Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, 29(11), S22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmig.2022.09.079

•Shigematsu, K., Samejima, K., Kizaki, Y., Matsunaga, S., Nagai, T., & Takai, Y. (2022). Factors associated with surgical-site infection after total laparoscopic hysterectomy. Laparoscopic, Endoscopic and Robotic Surgery, 5(4), 131-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lers.2022.09.001

•Tserenpuntsag, B., Haley, V., Hazamy, P. A., Eramo, A., Knab, R., Tsivitis, M., & Clement, E. J. (2023). Risk factors for surgical site infection after abdominal hysterectomy, New York State, 2015-2018. American Journal of Infection Control. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2023.01.016

•Van Decker, S. G., Bosch, N., & Murphy, J. (2021). Catheter-associated urinary tract infection reduction in critical care units: a bundled care model. BMJ Open Quality, 10(4), e001534. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001534