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For this assessment, you will develop a 3–5 page paper that examines a safety quality issue in a health care setting. You will analyze the issue and examine potential evidence-based and best-practice solutions from the literature as well as the role of nurses and other stakeholders in addressing the issue.
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Introduction
Health care organizations and professionals strive to create safe environments for patients; however, due to the complexity of the health care system, maintaining safety can be a challenge. Since nurses comprise the largest group of health care professionals, a great deal of responsibility falls in the hands of practicing nurses. Quality improvement (QI) measures and safety improvement plans are effective interventions to reduce medical errors and sentinel events such as medication errors, falls, infections, and deaths. A 2000 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report indicated that almost one million people are harmed annually in the United States, (Kohn et al., 2000) and 210,000–440,000 die as a result of medical errors (Allen, 2013).
The role of the baccalaureate nurse includes identifying and explaining specific patient risk factors, incorporating evidence-based solutions to improving patient safety and coordinating care. A solid foundation of knowledge and understanding of safety organizations such as Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and The Joint Commission and its National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) program is vital to practicing nurses with regard to providing and promoting safe and effective patient care.
You are encouraged to complete the Identifying Safety Risks and Solutions activity. This activity offers an opportunity to review a case study and practice identifying safety risks and possible solutions. We have found that learners who complete course activities and review resources are more successful with first submissions. Completing course activities is also a way to demonstrate course engagement.
References
Allen, M. (2013). How many die from medical mistakes in U.S. hospitals? https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/09/20/224507654/how-many-die-from-medical-mistakes-in-u-s-hospitals.
Kohn, L. T., Corrigan, J., & Donaldson, M. S. (Eds.). (2000). To err is human: Building a safer health system. National Academy Press.
Professional Context
As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you will be responsible for implementing quality improvement (QI) and patient safety measures in health care settings. Effective quality improvement measures result in systemic and organizational changes, ultimately leading to the development of a patient safety culture.
The purpose of this assessment is to better understand the role of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse in enhancing quality improvement (QI) measures that address a safety quality issue in a health care setting. This will be within the specific context of patient safety risks at a health care setting of your choice. You will do this by exploring the professional guidelines and best practices for improving and maintaining patient safety in health care settings from organizations such as QSEN and the IOM.
Looking through the lens of these professional best practices to examine the current policies and procedures currently in place at your chosen organization and the impact on safety measures for patients surrounding a specific safety quality issue, you will consider the role of the nurse in driving quality and safety improvements. You will identify stakeholders in QI improvement and safety measures as well as consider evidence-based strategies to enhance quality of care and promote safety in the context of your chosen health care setting.
As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you will be responsible for implementing quality improvement (QI) and patient safety measures in health care settings. Effective quality improvement measures result in systemic and organizational changes, ultimately leading to the development of a patient safety culture.
The purpose of this assessment is to better understand the role of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse in enhancing quality improvement (QI) measures that address a safety quality issue in a health care setting. This will be within the specific context of patient safety risks at a health care setting of your choice. You will do this by exploring the professional guidelines and best practices for improving and maintaining patient safety in health care settings from organizations such as QSEN and the IOM.
Looking through the lens of these professional best practices to examine the current policies and procedures currently in place at your chosen organization and the impact on safety measures for patients surrounding a specific safety quality issue, you will consider the role of the nurse in driving quality and safety improvements. You will identify stakeholders in QI improvement and safety measures as well as consider evidence-based strategies to enhance quality of care and promote medication administration safety in the context of your chosen health care setting.
Scenario
Select one of the safety quality issues presented in the Assessment 01 Supplement: Enhancing Quality and Safety [PDF] Download Assessment 01 Supplement: Enhancing Quality and Safety [PDF]resource and incorporate evidence-based strategies to support communication and ensure safe and effective care.
Instructions
For this assessment, you will analyze a safety quality issue in a health care setting and identify a quality improvement (QI) initiative.
Be sure that your plan addresses the following, which corresponds to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Please study the scoring guide carefully so that you know what is needed for a distinguished score.
Explain factors leading to a specific patient-safety risk in a health care setting.
Explain evidence-based and best-practice solutions to improve patient safety and reduce costs.
Explain how nurses can help coordinate care to increase patient safety and reduce costs.
Identify stakeholders with whom nurses would coordinate to drive safety enhancements with a specific safety quality issue.
Communicate using writing that is clear, logical, and professional, with correct grammar and spelling, using current APA style.
Additional Requirements
Length of submission: 3–5 pages, plus title and reference pages.
Number of references: Cite a minimum of 4 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your findings and considerations. Resources should be no more than 5 years old.
APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Analyze the elements of a successful quality improvement initiative.
Explain evidence-based and best-practice solutions to improve patient safety and reduce costs.
Competency 2: Analyze factors that lead to patient safety risks.
Explain factors leading to a specific patient-safety risk in a health care setting.
Competency 4: Explain the nurse’s role in coordinating care to enhance quality and reduce costs.
Explain how nurses can help coordinate care to increase patient safety and reduce costs.
Identify stakeholders with whom nurses would coordinate to drive safety enhancements with a specific safety quality issue.
Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly, evidence-based strategies to communicate in a manner that supports safe and effective patient care.
Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contains few errors in grammar or punctuation, word choice, and spelling.
Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.

Content Criteria:
Read the case study listed below.
Refer to the rubric for grading requirements.
Utilizing the Week 1 Case Study TemplateLinks to an external site., provide your responses to the case study questions listed below.
You must use at least one scholarly reference to provide pathophysiology statements. For this class, use of the textbook for pathophysiology statements is acceptable. You may also use an appropriate evidence-based journal.
You must use the Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for the management of allergic rhinitis to answer the treatment recommendation questions. The guideline can be found at the following web address: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0194599814561600Links to an external site.. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0194599814561600
You may also use a medication administration reference such as Epocrates to provide medication names.
Proper APA format (in-text citations, reference page, spelling, English language, and grammar) must be used.
Case Study Scenario
A 35-year-old woman presents to the primary care office with a history of nasal congestion that has worsened over time and recurrent sinus infections. She considered herself healthy until about 12 months ago when she began experiencing rhinorrhea, sneezing, and nasal stuffiness that “seems to never go away”. She noticed that her rhinorrhea greatly improved when she attended her family reunion on a two-week Caribbean cruise but returned after being home a few days. She lives with her husband and 5- year-old child. They have two household pets: a dog that has lived with them for the last 4 years and a cat who joined the family 1 year ago. Upon exam, the NP observed eyelid redness and swelling, conjunctival swelling and erythema, allergic shiners (lower lid venous swelling), Allergic crease (lateral crease on the nose) and inflamed nares.
Case Study Questions
Pathophysiology & Clinical Findings of the Disease
Identify the correct hypersensitivity reaction.
Explain the pathophysiology associated with the chosen hypersensitivity reaction.
Identify at least three subjective findings from the case.
Identify at least three objective findings from the case.
Management of the Disease
*Utilize the required Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) to support your treatment recommendations.
Identify two strongly recommended medication classes for the treatment of the condition and provide an example (drug name) for each.
Describe the mechanism of action for each of the medication classes identified above.
Identify two treatment options that are NOT recommended (I.e., recommended against).
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0194599814561600
GRADING RUBRIC
ASSIGNMENT CONTENTCategoryPoints%DescriptionPathophysiology & Clinical Findings of the Disease45%
The student:
Identifies the correct hypersensitivity reaction. 
Explains the pathophysiology associated with the chosen hypersensitivity reaction.
Supports the pathophysiology statement with at least one appropriate, scholarly reference (textbook is acceptable for pathophysiology statements only).
Identifies at least three subjective findings from the case.
Identifies at least three objective findings from the case.
(5 Required Elements)
Management of the Disease 45%
The student:
Utilizes the required Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) to support the chosen treatment recommendations.
Identifies two strongly recommended medication classes for the treatment of the condition and provides an example (drug name) for each.
Describes the mechanism of action for each of the medications identified.
Identifies two treatment options that are NOT recommended (I.e.,recommended against).
90%Total CONTENT Points = 90 ptsASSIGNMENT FORMATCategoryPoints%DescriptionOrganization, spelling, grammar & APA format10%
The student:
Uses the week 1 case study template for case study responses. 
Provides correct in-text citations for responses which match the reference page.
Has minimal spelling, grammar & APA format errors.
1010%Total FORMAT Points = 10 pts100100%ASSIGNMENT TOTAL = 100 points