AHRQ Impact Case Study

Randy Davis, M.B.A., NorthCrest's CEO. NorthCrest Medical Center in Springfield, Tennessee includes a 109-bed certified wound care facility that has experienced more than 24 patient safety issues. In addition, some of these issues include Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Costs, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospital Readmissions, Medical Errors, Medication Safety, Patient Safety, Pressure Ulcers, and Health Care Quality. Randy Davis, M.B.A., NorthCrest's CEO and Angela Beard, R.N., M.S.N., vice president and chief nursing officer v along with other bedside staff members implemented the ethics from AHRQ’s Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) to decrease pressure ulcers, catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), and medication inaccuracies (AHRQ, 2017).

There have been significant and positive outcomes as a result of the best practice approach. NorthCrest has experienced a number or errors and patient safety issues for many years and before the implementation of CUSP. Furthermore, in 2011 NorthCrest Hospital experienced almost 200 medication errors, over 300 readmissions and 10 CAUTIs in 2012, however, when CUSP was implemented in 2012, not only was the issues addressed, there were significant changes within 3 weeks. There were less than 50 medication errors that occurred in 2015; merely one instance of CAUTI in 2016; and less than 90 readmissions in 2016 (AHRQ, 2017).






AHRQ Impact Case Study



In addition, staff education and bi- weekly team meetings also played a major role in the effectiveness of the best practice approach. Staff members detected issues and defects; therefore, training is vital to delineate objectives. Dowd, the commentary writer who is professor and injury researcher at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, stated that professionals, such as social workers, psychologists, physicians, and educators, detect and mediate when kids are vulnerable to trauma but included, "They fail to take advantage of the depth and breadth of each other's knowledge and insight" (Foxhall, 2013). Furthermore, it is imperative to work mutually with senior developers to create captivating cases for approaches that can be applied to address the most substantial gaps between research material and health policy/training (Erinoff, Coates, & Nix, 2013).

The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) can be applied effectively within my organization. We can utilize the coaching mechanisms to make patient care safer by enhancing the groundwork of how our doctors, nurses, and other clinical staff associates work collectively and constructing the efforts to address safety problems by merging clinical best methods and the knowledge of safety.

References


AHRQ. 2017. Tennessee Medical Center Uses AHRQ Tools to Reduce Infections, Medical Errors. Patient Safety. Retrieved from https://www.ahrq.gov/policymakers/case-studies/201710.html

Erinoff, E., Coates, V., & Nix, M. (2013). 015 tracking the impact of the agency for healthcare research and Quality’s (AHRQ) effective health care program through uptake by clinical practice guideline and quality measure developers. BMJ Quality & Safety, 22(Suppl 1), A16-A16. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2013-002293.46

Foxhall, K. (2013). AHRQ reports on impact of trauma on children's health.(EYE ON WASHINGTON). Contemporary Pediatrics, 30(5), 8.