NURS 8300 Week 4 DQ: Specific Measurements in Health Care

NURS 8300 Week 4 DQ: Specific Measurements in Health Care

NURS 8300 Week 4 DQ: Specific Measurements in Health Care

Discussion: Measurement Systems and Methods

The process of constructing a balanced scorecard for either financial goal setting or tracking of patient and employee satisfaction can be controversial. For example, a hospital’s financial scorecard provides a snapshot of gathered data for the hospital but the data may be out of context, which makes it difficult to identify specific problems. It is evident that both scorecards and dashboards have a place in the health care setting; however, will all organizations and accrediting bodies agree on the aspects of implementation, data analysis, and levels of effectiveness?

To prepare for NURS 8300 Week 4 DQ: Specific Measurements in Health Care:

• Consider the various uses of scorecards and dashboards presented in this week’s Learning Resources and media presentation.
• Reflect on how these measurement systems and measurement methods impact organizational goal setting in the areas of overall performance and financial stability.
• Explore the key indicators involved with scorecards and dashboards as well as the external quality standards to which they are compared.
• Ask yourself What do the metrics used in the balanced scorecard and dashboard mean to my organization and nursing practice? Has my organization established goals for these metrics and are they currently being met?

By Day 3 of Discussion: Measurement Systems and Methods, post a cohesive scholarly response that addresses the following:

• Select any setting and describe the extent to which the patient’s experience of care is measured, tracked, and set for improvement goals. 
• Evaluate whether goals at your organization are established for these metrics and whether or not they are currently being met.
• Describe some of the provocative issues that have or will emerge. For example, what has been the impact of CAHPS or HCAHPS in the setting described (if applicable) NURS 8300 Week 4 DQ: Specific Measurements in Health Care

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 7 of Discussion: Measurement Systems and Methods, respond to two of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

• Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research.
• Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
• Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
• Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
• Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
• Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments made by your colleagues.

Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional sources

Click on the Reply button below to post your response.

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 7

Assignment: Measuring Quality Guidelines and Grading Rubric

Use this time to work on Assignment 1, due at the end of Week 5.

There are no recommended IHI Open School modules in Week 4.

Week in Review

This week you analyzed measurement systems and measurement methods within a micro context and evaluated standardized data definitions, external benchmarks, and database comparisons as they relate to an organizational balanced scorecard. Next week you will examine quality metrics pertaining to the management of chronic illness in various health care settings.

NURS 8300 Week 4: Specific Measurements in Health Care

You can’t manage what you can’t measure.

-Unknown

This statement has become an emblem for health care organizations across the nation and around the world. In order to assess-and ultimately improve-health care quality, providers and other agencies must be able to accurately measure appropriate indicators of quality and safety This week, you closely examine organizational tools used for measuring quality within a micro context: balanced scorecards and dashboards.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, you will be able to:

• Analyze measurement systems and measurement methods within a micro context
• Evaluate standardized data definitions, external benchmarks, and database comparisons as they relate to an organizational balanced scorecard

Photo Credit: [Zoonar RF]/[Zoonar / Getty Images Plus]/Getty Images

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Joshi, M.S., Ransom, E.R., Nash, D.B., & Ransom, S.B., (Eds.). (2014). The Healthcare Quality Book, 3rd ed. Chicago, IL: Health Adminisration Press.

• Chapter 9: “Measuring and Improving Patient Experiences of Care”

Frith, K. H., Anderson, F., & Sewell, J P. (2010). Assessing and selecting data for a nursing services dashboard. Journal of Nursing Administration, 40(1), 10–16. doi:10.1097/NNA.0b013e3181c47d45

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases. This article highlights the benefits of nurses using dashboards to help with staffing issues. It considers the sharing of data that dashboard can facilitate from the perspectives of nurses, units, hospitals, and patients.

Grossmeier, J., Terry, P. E., Cipriotti, A., & Burtaine, J. E. (2010). Best practices in evaluating worksite health promotion programs. American Journal of Health Promotion, 24(3), TAHP 1–9. Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases. In this article, the authors discuss how to measure success when analyzing worksite health promotion (WHP). They then cover how to organize these measurements, assess WHP programs, and determine factors related to best-practice evaluation frameworks. NURS 8300 Week 4 DQ: Specific Measurements in Health Care

Stanley, R., Lillis, K. A., Zuspan, S. J., Lichenstein, R., Ruddy, R. M., Gerardi, M. J., & Dean, J. M. (2010). Development and implementation of a performance measure tool in an academic pediatric research network. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 31(5), 429–437. Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases. The details of this article focus on a multi-center research network that initiated an evaluation method using balanced scorecards. The first three years of the measurement tool’s implementation are covered, and the achievements and challenges are discussed.

Required Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement Benchmarking outcomes. Baltimore: Author. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.

In this program, Barbara Epke and Carrie Brady discuss methods that health care organizations use to gather data for measuring outcomes, and explain how data are used to measure key indicators of quality and safety.