Nursing Hospital Readmissions

Nursing Hospital Readmissions
What tangible and intangible resources will be needed to implement your project?
The ability to deal with readmissions requires changing the culture inside the facility. This means that various resources need to be utilized in conjunction with each other to have the greatest impact. The most notable include: improved training, coordination, focusing more on the small details and having a philosophy that is patient centric. These intangible resources are necessary to ensure improved collaboration throughout the process (Fox, 2013).
In the case of tangible resources, a standard policy must be created where the nurses will plan to discharge someone within 24 to 48 hours prior to the actual event occurring. This means establishing a protocol of different steps to follow and monitor. They will need greater access to various computer systems and files to ensure there is strong communication and collaboration. For example, prior to discharge the duty nurses will state that they want to discharge the patient in the next 24 to 48 hours. Other staff members will monitor their condition using the steps that were created in the basic plan. If there are sudden changes, they will note this in the system and communicate what they found with their colleagues. This ensures that everyone is watching to see what is happening and can determine if the individual is capable of being away from the facility without having any complications (Fox, 2013). These resources are utilized in conjunction with the intangible ones to provide a better understanding about what is happening. This is the best avenue to make certain the patient receives the highest quality of care possible.
What improved outcomes do you anticipate will occur that could indicate the project produced a successful return on investment (ROI) of these resources?
The improved outcomes can be seen by monitoring the readmission rates. This will show how the program is working over the longer term. To have an improved ROI, requires creating certain metrics which can determine if certain milestones are reached along the way. For instance, one possible solution is to have staff members and patients provide their insights in the form of surveys. They can see what is happening and offer advice about the effectiveness of these new procedures (Lepping, 2014).
How will you communicate your plan for change with key decision makers so that they will support the allocation of the resources you are seeking?
To communicate the plan for change, involves a variety of stakeholders from around the facility working together. They will form a committee. These individual can work with each other on the team level to understand critical challenges and implement new ideas into the program for effective monitoring. This approach requires having flexibility and actively listening to what others are saying. At the same time, it entails each person on the committee serving as an advocate for change. They will show the importance of the plan and the long term benefits it provides in improving care (Lepping, 2014). These techniques ensure the readmission plan receives the resources it needs to be successful. This means working with staff members and demonstrating the significance these changes to improving quality in the long term.
Thoughts?
My thoughts are that a hospital is a bureaucracy. However, it is different with the staff members caring about the patients and wanting to bring about lasting changes. The key for doing this requires showing how the approach will benefit everyone in the long term. This entails bringing all employees and administrators on board. They have to realize how certain milestones can help measure performance in the short term and expand upon it. This entails having strong communication, coordination and flexibility. The keys for success involve working with stakeholders to bring about these transformations one step at a time.
References
Fox, M. (2013). Effectiveness in Early Discharge Planning. BMC Geriatrics, 13 (70), 2 – 9.

Lepping, A. (2014). Preventing Hospital Readmissions. JAMA, 174 (7), 1095 – 1105.