Search the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Guideline Clearinghouse website at http://www.guideline.gov / for a quality guideline that pertains to the area of nursing in which you are interested. Describe the guideline and how the information could be used in a process improvement project. Reference the website.
Quality Guideline: Pressure ulcer prevention. In: Evidence-based geriatric nursing protocols for best practice at http://www.guideline.gov/content.aspx?id=43935.
With the elderly segment of the American population growing more rapidly than any other, there are going to be a number of age-related infirmities that will require informed healthcare services in the future. This quality guideline sets forth best evidence-based practices for the prevention and care of pressure ulcers and skin tears for the clinical specialties of nursing, family practice and geriatrics with intended users including advanced practice nurses and nurses. The stated guideline objectives are to provide a standard of practice protocol for: (a) prevention of pressure ulcers and early recognition of pressure ulcer development and skin changes; (b) prevention of skin tears in older adult clients; (c) identification of clients at risk for skin tears and (d) fostering healing of skin tears (Pressure ulcer prevention, 2013, para. 2).
Elderly patients that are identified at being at risk for pressure ulcers are the target population of the quality guideline. Risk factors include incontinence, being bed- or chair-bound, those with friable skin, under- or malnourished, darkly pigmented skin, impaired cognitive ability and older adults that are at risk for skin tears. Assessment protocols include a complete assessment of skin integrity and an evaluation of associated risk factors using three assessment instruments with known validity and reliability. The quality guidelines sets forth appropriate management, treatment and prevention methods, and well as associated optimal clinical outcomes. In addition, nursing strategies and interventions are also discussed.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2014). CUSP Toolkit. Retrieved May 11, 2014 from http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/education/curriculum-tools/cusptoolkit/index.html
Safety in the workplace is everyone's responsibility and preventing the spread of increasingly resistant infectious agents represents a timely and valuable enterprise. One straightforward method that has been used to good effect to help coordinate the actions of all healthcare practitioners is the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) toolkit. This training program for healthcare providers is intended to promote teamwork and improve communication levels in ways that reduce the risk of infection and improve the safety of healthcare delivery systems.
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