Fall Quarter 2015 Term Calendar - 11 WeeksAugust 31, 2015 - Novemb.docx

Fall Quarter 2015 Term Calendar - 11 Weeks
August 31, 2015 - November 15, 2015
This course starts on Monday, August 31st
Week
Dates
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Day 6
Day 7
1
08/31/15 - 09/06/15
08/31/15
09/01/15
09/02/15
09/03/15
09/04/15
09/05/15
09/06/15
2
09/07/15 - 09/13/15
09/07/15
09/08/15
09/09/15
09/10/15
09/11/15
09/12/15
09/13/15
3
09/14/15 - 09/20/15
09/14/15
09/15/15
09/16/15
09/17/15
09/18/15
09/19/15
09/20/15
4
09/21/15 - 09/27/15
09/21/15
09/22/15
09/23/15
09/24/15
09/25/15

09/26/15
09/27/15--
5
09/28/15 - 10/04/15
09/28/15
09/29/15
09/30/15
10/01/15
10/02/15
10/03/15
10/04/15
6
10/05/15 - 10/11/15
10/05/15
10/06/15
10/07/15
10/08/15
10/09/15
10/10/15
10/11/15
7
10/12/15 - 10/18/15
10/12/15
10/13/15
10/14/15
10/15/15
10/16/15
10/17/15
10/18/15
8
10/19/15 - 10/25/15
10/19/15
10/20/15
10/21/15
10/22/15
10/23/15

10/24/15
10/25/15
9
10/26/15 - 11/01/15
10/26/15
10/27/15
10/28/15
10/29/15
10/30/15
10/31/15
11/01/15
10
11/02/15 - 11/08/15
11/02/15
11/03/15
11/04/15
11/05/15
11/06/15
11/07/15
11/08/15
11
11/09/15 - 11/15/15
11/09/15
11/10/15
11/11/15
11/12/15
11/13/15
11/14/15
11/15/15
1.
WEEK 2
Discussion: Post on or before Day 3
a brief description of an issue or problem in a health care
setting that required, or requires, a change. Explain how you, as

a nurse leader-manager, could apply both emotional intelligence
and appreciative inquiry strategies to address this issue and
facilitate positive results that lead to improved quality.
·
If you have not already done so, follow the instructions in the
course text,
Emotional Intelligence 2.0
to complete the online assessment.
·
Consider the results of the assessment. Review your strengths
and opportunities for growth related to self-awareness, self-
management, social awareness, and relationship management.
What insights, questions, or concerns arise as you think about
these results?
2.
Avedis Donabedian’s work generated a pivotal means of
assessing organizational performance relative to structure,
process, and outcomes. However, it is clearly not sufficient to
view health care quality merely in terms of outcomes—the
structures and processes that facilitate these outcomes are
equally as important.
In this Discussion, you consider multiple frameworks that can
be used to analyze an organization. As you proceed, consider
how these frameworks allow you to examine the interplay of
interdependent and related parts and processes that comprise the
systems within an organization, as well as the arrangements or
structures that connect these parts.
To prepare:
·
Investigate and reflect on the systems and structures of an
organization with which you are familiar. Consider the
following:

o
What is the reporting structure?
o
Who holds formal and informal authority?
o
How many layers of management are there between the frontline
and the highest office-holders of the organization?
o
How are interdisciplinary teams organized?
o
How is communication facilitated?
o
How well integrated is decision making among clinical
personnel and administrative professionals?
o
How are particular service lines organized?
o
Which departments, groups, and/or individuals within the
organization are responsible for monitoring matters related to
performance, such as quality and finances?
·
Select two of the following frameworks:
o
Learning organizations, presented in the Elkin, Haina, and Cone
article
o

Complex adaptive systems (CAS), presented in the Nesse,
Kutcher, Wood, and Rummans article
o
Clinical microsystems, presented in the Sabino, Friel, Deitrick,
and Sales-Lopez article
o
Good to great, presented in the Geller article
o
The 5 Ps, presented in the ASHP Foundation article
·
Review the Learning Resources for each of the frameworks that
you selected. Also conduct additional research to strengthen
your understanding of how to use each framework to assess an
organization.
·
Compare the two frameworks. How could each framework be
used to identify opportunities to improve performance? In
particular, how would you use each of these frameworks to
analyze the organization that you have selected?
WEEK 3
an analysis of the systems and structures of the organization
you selected, sharing specific examples. Explain insights that
you gained by comparing the two frameworks, and how each can
be used to assess an organization, identify a need for
improvement, and, ultimately, enhance the performance of an
organization.
3.
PROJECT Complete instructions are provided in this week’s

Learning Resources.
In this course, you develop a comprehensive Course Project:
Promoting Health Care Quality. To initiate this project, this
week you examine the systems and structures of an organization
with which you are familiar. This analysis will serve as a
foundation for developing a plan to address a quality
improvement issue.
Section 1: Organizational Systems and Structures Evaluation
When a problem related to health care quality and patient safety
arises, there can be an inclination to focus on a specific event
rather than to examine the larger context surrounding it.
Analyzing the systems and structures within an organization
provides a foundation for generating a fuller understanding of
how and why the event occurred and for developing strategies to
address the underlying issues. Perhaps more importantly, such
an analysis can be used to proactively identify potential
challenges and improve organizational systems and structures in
order to promote positive outcomes.
In the first section of your Course Project, you analyze the
systems and structures of a health care organization with which
you are familiar.
To prepare:
·
Identify a health care organization with which you are familiar;
one that you will be able to sufficiently analyze to complete the
full scope of the Course Project. (Refer to the Course Project
Overview as needed.) This may be the same organization that
you addressed in this week’s Discussion.
·
Select two or more of the following frameworks:
o
Learning organizations
o

Complex adaptive systems (CAS)
o
Clinical microsystems
o
Good to great
o
The 5 Ps
You may use the same frameworks that you addressed in this
week’s Discussion.
·
With these frameworks in mind, analyze the systems and
structures of the organization. Be sure to research and consider:
o
Mission, vision, and values
o
Strategic plan, goals, and objectives, if possible
o
Key operational processes and patterns
o
Information technology use
o
Organizational priorities and investments, as indicated by
financial data
In Week4, you will receive instructions for integrating an
analysis of organizational culture into development of Section 1
of your Course Project. Once you have completed your

evaluation, you will write a 3- to 5-page paper, which is due
by Day 7
of
Week 4.
Sections 1 and 2 of your Course Project are due next week.
There are two project areas in Week 4 and both sections are due
by
Day 7
, so be sure to check both the
Week 4 Project 1
and
Week 4 Project 2
areas for further instructions and to submit your project
assignments on time.
·
Review the information on organizational culture in this week’s
Learning Resources.
·
Reflect on the culture of an organization with which you are
familiar. Consider the following:
o
What elements of the organization’s culture seem most
prominent or significant to you?
o
What beliefs, dispositions, and/or actions seem to be most
valued? Why do you think so?
o
What do you notice about the expectations, assumptions, and

more demonstrated among people within the organization?
o
What artifacts provide clues about the culture?
o
How do these cultural elements contribute to or detract from the
organization’s ability to meet prominent goals and objectives?
·
Consider how you, as a nurse leader-manager, could apply your
knowledge of this culture to facilitate quality improvement
initiatives within this organization. How would you leverage the
strengths of the culture, and address limitations or obstacles
that may arise within it?
WEEK 4
an analysis of the culture of the organization that you selected.
Explain how you think this particular culture contributes to or
detracts from the organization’s ability to meet goals. Explain
how you, as a nurse leader-manager, could utilize your
knowledge of this culture to facilitate quality improvement
initiatives within this organization.
Read
a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
PROJECT: Section 1: Organizational Systems and Structures
Evaluation
As you continue your evaluation of a health care organization, it
is essential to pay attention to culture. Organizational culture
provides the context in which all interactions and processes
occur, and is therefore central to any effort to enact change.
To prepare:
·
Continue to analyze your selected organization, as indicated in
Week 3 (Section 1 of the Course Project).

·
In addition, consider the ideas and information exchanged in
this week’s Discussion. Continue to analyze essential elements
of organizational culture and evaluate the influence of culture
on the ability to achieve goals within your selected
organization.
To complete:
Write a 3- to 5-page paper in which you:
·
Provide a description of the organization you selected
·
Present your analysis of the organization with attention to:
o
Its mission, vision, values
o
Strategic plan, goals, and objectives
o
Key operational processes and patterns
o
Information technology use
o
Organizational priorities and investments, as indicated by
financial data
o
The essential elements of the organization’s culture
o

The influence of culture on meeting organizational goals
Due by Day 7.
PROJECT PART 2: As Edgar Schein points out in his seminal
work
Organizational Culture and Leadership
, both the Egyptians and the Mayans built pyramids. It would be
easy to make the assumption that the building of pyramids must
have similar meaning. However, in some cultures, pyramids
housed tombs, while in others, they were temples. Within each
culture, the meaning of the pyramid was likely evident, but to
an outsider’s eye, incorrect assumptions could be made rather
easily.
Last week, you began to analyze an organization’s systems and
structures as groundwork for promoting patient safety and
health care quality. The culture of an organization is also
critically important. Leader-managers must understand the
nuances of an organization’s culture to effectively address
organizational issues.
This week you examine the influence of culture on the
organization, and on efforts to promote positive systems-level
change.
In addition, this week you continue your evaluation of a health
care organization and identify a quality improvement issue to
inform development of your Course Project.
Objectives
Students will:
·
Analyze essential elements of organizational culture
·
Evaluate the influence of organizational culture on achieving
organizational goals
·
Analyze strategies for aligning organizational culture with

quality improvement initiatives
·
Identify a quality improvement issue in a health care setting
Please proceed to the Resources.
4.
WEEK 5
To prepare:
·
Review the information in this week’s Learning Resources,
including the first chapter in Pascale, Sternin, and Sternin book
and the Bradley, Curry, Ramanadhan, Rowe, Nembhard, and
Krumholz article.
·
Reflect on health care quality problems or issues that warrant
systems-level change. Consider the significance of each
problem/issue. Identify one, in particular, that you would like to
focus on for this Discussion.
Note:
You may use the quality improvement issue that you selected
for your Course Project, if appropriate.
·
With this problem or issue in mind:
o
How would you apply the principles of positive deviance to
address this problem/issue? What specific steps would you take
to move from identification of the problem/issue through
evaluation of outliers to implementation of a larger scale change
to improve quality?
o

What examples of positive deviance, if any, are you aware of
related to this problem/issue? Conduct research as necessary to
see if you can locate one or more instances of positive deviance.
Post on or before Day 3
a brief description of the health care quality problem or issue
you selected and explain how it could be addressed using the
principles of positive deviance.
PROJECT:
Reminder:
Section 2: Quality Improvement Issue:
You will need to integrate Instructor feedback on your proposed
quality improvement issue (submitted in Week 4) before
proceeding with subsequent sections of the Course Project,
which will be assigned in Weeks 6–10.
Week 6:
Discussion:
To prepare:
·
Review the information in the Learning Resources, especially
the chapters in the Sadeghi, Brazi, Mikhail, and Shabot course
text, focusing on how quality is or could be defined and
measured.
·
Think about a health care organization with which you are
familiar. It may be the same organization you are focusing on
for your Course Project, or a different one. How do you think
various stakeholders in this organization would define quality?
How would you define quality as it relates to this organization?
·
Review the information on quality standards and / or aims in the
Learning Resources, and consider the following:

o
Which outcomes related to quality are currently being
monitored in the organization that you have selected?
o
How is related data collected and evaluated?
o
Does the organization use health information technology in this
regard? If so, how?
o
How is quality-related information (e.g., data, needs for
improvement) communicated throughout the organization?
o
What do you consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of the
current approach to quality in this organization?
Discussion Post on or before day 3
a definition of quality for your selected organization. Describe
at least one quality-related measure that is currently being
monitored within the organization. Summarize the data
collection process for this measure, and explain how this
information is communicated to or among the staff. Identify at
least one strength and one weakness related to how quality is
defined, measured, and/or monitored within the organization.
PROJECT:
Course Project: Promoting Health Care Quality
Section 3: Quality Measurement and Assessment
Measuring and assessing quality provides a foundation for
identifying needs for improvement, developing effective
interventions, and then monitoring progress toward desired
results.
In the Sadeghi, Barzi, Mikhail, and Shabot text, the authors
assert that an effort to improve quality “calls for setting

outcome and performance targets (goals and expectations)
beginning with the end in mind, and then formulating initiatives
and actions (processes) that can serve as a bridge to take the
organization from its current performance to its desired
performance” (p. 182).
Having this “end in mind” can provide justification for
dedicating valuable resources toward the effort, and help to lay
a clear, concrete path that takes the organization from
uncovering gaps between current performance and evidence-
based targets to actually achieving those goals.
In this section of the Course Project, you focus on what you
would measure—and how you would measure it—relative to
your previously identified quality improvement issue.
Note:
This section of the Course Project will serve as the Portfolio
Assignment for this course.
To prepare:
·
Review the Learning Resources. Also conduct a search of the
literature related to your selected quality improvement issue and
complete the Evidence Matrix (provided in this week’s Learning
Resources).
·
Evaluate the evidence presented in the research literature and
the quality standards proposed by various organizations,
including the IOM’s six aims for quality improvement.
·
Based on this review and your knowledge of the organization
that you have selected, determine appropriate measures and
indicators of performance related to your identified quality
improvement issue.
·

Consider how you could gather and use historical evidence of
the organization’s performance related to the quality
improvement issue. Also consider methods for gathering and
assessing current quantitative and qualitative data, including
those currently in use by the organization (e.g., chart audit data,
staff surveys, quality indicators that are monitored,
observations). If possible, examine actual data to assess your
selected organization’s performance related to the issue.
·
Think about what, specifically, you would like to achieve
related to this issue. Establish realistic, evidence-based quality
performance targets.
·
Analyze gap(s) between the organization’s current performance
and the performance targets.
·
As you do this, you may wish to create a graphic
organizer/alignment chart for your own use that illustrates:
o
The measures and indicators that you would evaluate
o
Current and historical data related to this quality issue—either
actual data or methods for how you would collect and analyze
the data
o
Methods for collecting and analyzing data in the future
(including when you would do this)
o
Realistic, evidence-based targets

Additional instructions for Section 3 are presented in Week 7.
To complete this Assignment, you will write a paper introducing
your quality improvement plan. This Assignment is due
by Day 7
of
Week 8
.
Week 7:
DISCUSSION:
Using Improvement Science Models to Promote Quality and
Safety
…while all changes do not lead to improvement, all
improvement requires change.
—United States Agency for International Development
Improvement science models bring together research and
evidence-based practice to identify the most effective ways to
promote quality and safety in health care. As a central tenet of
quality improvement, attention must be paid to the processes
that contribute to outcomes.
In this Discussion, you examine quality improvement models
and evaluate how they could be applied to address specific
issues within health care organizations.
To prepare:
·
Review the improvement models presented in the Learning
Resources.
·
Evaluate each of the models and select two on which to focus
for this Discussion.
·
Consider how each of the two models could be utilized in a
health care organization to promote quality and safety. Think
about the following:

o
How does the model bring together research and evidence-based
practice to facilitate quality improvement?
o
How does the model contribute to a culture of quality and
safety?
o
How does it address changes in process?
·
Reflect on the quality improvement issue and the health care
setting that you are addressing for your Course Project. Of the
two models that you have selected, determine which one you, as
a nurse leader-manager, would use to address this issue. Also
consider how this would relate to one or more of the IOM’s six
aims for quality and safety.
Post on or before day 3
your analysis of how the two improvement models that you
selected could foster a culture of quality and patient safety and
facilitate changes in process that promote positive outcomes.
Explain how you would use one of these models to address the
quality improvement issue in the organization that you have
selected for your Course Project, and how doing so would relate
to one or more of the IOM’s six aims for improving quality and
safety.
PROJECT:
This week you continue working on Section 3 of your Course
Project, which was introduced in Week 6. Through your work in
previous weeks of this course, you have likely gained critical
insights into the organization that serves as the focus for your
quality improvement plan. Integrating this knowledge of the
organization into your plan for addressing a quality

improvement issue is essential for successfully facilitating
change.
As you deepen your analysis of your selected organization,
consider how the information presented in this week’s Learning
Resources relates to strategic priorities as well as to the
uniquely collaborative and competitive dynamic that binds
organizations in health care.
To prepare:
·
Think about the quality improvement issue that you are
addressing and the associated plan that you are developing.
Consider the following:
o
What is the overall purpose, or aim, of doing this work?
o
What would you hope to achieve for the organization by
undertaking this project? What are the objectives of this
initiative?
o
What value would this work add to the organization?
o
How would this work improve practice and create outcomes
with impact?
·
Review Chapter 7 of the Sadeghi, Barzi, Mikhail, and Shabot
course text. Consider how addressing this quality improvement
issue would align with the organization’s mission, vision,
values, and strategic goals and objectives. How does it relate to
regulatory issues, and other matters that are significant for the
organization? If you notice a misalignment, use this as an

opportunity to refine your focus.
·
With this in mind, continue to hone your development of this
Assignment, integrating the concepts addressed here into
Section 3.
To complete:
Write a 3- to 5-page paper that includes:
·
An introduction to your quality improvement plan, including the
overarching aim of this initiative and an explanation of how it
aligns with the mission, vision, values, and strategic goals and
objectives of the organization, as well as regulatory issues and
other matters that are significant for the organization
·
An overview of the current situation with regard to this quality
improvement issue in the organization
·
A description of measures and indicators
·
A presentation on data related to this issue, including:
o
Actual historical and current data and/or a description of the
methods that you would use to collect and analyze the data
o
Methods for collecting and analyzing data in the future,
including when you would do this
·
A description of realistic, evidence-based targets

Be sure to cite evidence from the literature to justify your
selection of the measures and indicators, as well as the
performance targets. This section of the Course Project serves
as the Portfolio Assignment for this course.
Due by Day 7
of
Week 8
.
Section 4: Quality Improvement Strategies
Through your work on Section 3 of the Course Project, you have
examined the gap between current performance and evidence-
based targets and considered how addressing this gap relates to
organizational priorities and large-scale aims for quality
improvement.
In this section of the Course Project, you begin to think about
quality improvement strategies that could help to bridge this
gap. As noted in the Sadeghi, Barzi, Mikhail, and Shabot text,
this is referred to as performance-driven planning.
Since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s report
“Crossing the Quality Chasm,” a good deal of attention has been
paid to the need to examine processes that contribute to
outcomes (Ernst, Wooldridge, Conway, Dressman, Weiland,
Tucker, and Seid). As the USAID has noted, interventions “will
not create the desired outcome to improve the quality of care
unless the overall process of care delivery is also improved.”
Therefore, attention to process redesign is a central aspect of
cultivating strategies for improvement.
To prepare:
·
Refer to the modified Donabedian model (access, structure,
process, outcome, and patient experience) presented in Chapter
9 of the Sadeghi, Barzi, Mikhail, and Shabot text.
·
Recall the performance targets that you identified for Section 3

(in Week 6). What does the recommendation that performance-
driven planning should “begin with the end in mind” suggest
given your established goals?
·
Review the information presented in Chapter 9 of the Sadeghi,
Barzi, Mikhail, and Shabot text, and think about how you would
assess the organization’s strengths and weaknesses related to
the performance gaps you identified in Section 3 (Week 6).
·
Based on the above, start to think of specific evidence-based
strategies that could be implemented to close/minimize the
performance gaps you have identified. Consider both
interventions (what) and processes (how). Focus on strategies
that are supported by the latest research and could create
systems-level change. These may be tentative for now, but be
sure to identify at least one that specifically lends itself to a
change in process (i.e., practice, protocol, pathway, activity).
Additional instructions for Section 4 are presented next week.
To complete this Assignment, you will create a process map and
write a paper describing quality improvement strategies. This
Assignment is due
by Day 7
of
Week 8
.
REMINDER:
There are two project areas in Week 8 and both sections are due
by
Day 7
Week 8 Project 1
and

Week 8 Project 2
WEEK 8
DISCUSSION:
Using Process Maps for Quality Assessment and Improvement
Given the synergistic relationship between process and
outcomes, leader-managers and other team members need to
evaluate processes related to care delivery, customer service,
and other matters in order to diagnose problems and effectively
improve quality.
A process map is a visual representation that illustrates
activities and practices as they occur, which serves as a
valuable resource for identifying trouble spots. It is important
to note that process maps can also be used for evaluation after
an intervention has been implemented. For instance, looking at
a process map following an intervention may help leader-
managers to note discrepancies between what was planned and
what is actually being practiced, or to see that a process has in
fact improved, even if the outcomes have not met the targets.
In this Discussion, you examine how process mapping could be
applied to your Course Project.
To prepare:
·
Review the Learning Resources, focusing on the use of process
maps for improving quality and safety.
·
Bring to mind your work on your Course Project thus far. How
could you use a process map to diagnose problems and inform
strategies for improvement? In addition, think about how using
a process map could inform and enhance your data collection
efforts.
·

Conduct additional research on this topic to support your
thinking.
an explanation of how using a process map could inform and
facilitate quality assessment and improvement, including data
collection efforts, related to your Course Project. Support your
response with evidence from the literature.
PROJECT part 1:
Review the complete Assignment description presented in
Weeks 6 and 7.
Submit
Section 3 by Day 7
.
PROJECT PART 2:
Section 4: Quality Improvement Strategies
Throughout this course you have been considering the
relationship between structure, process, and outcomes as it
relates to health care quality. Looking at outcomes, alone, may
not tell the “whole story.” For instance, if you are concerned
with improving fall rates, evaluating the process—related
activities or practices—can help you identify factors that
contribute to outcomes and develop strategies for improving
them.
For this section of your Course Project, you create a process
map to examine a current process related to your quality
improvement issue. You will use the results of the process
mapping to redesign a process to help minimize or close the
performance gap(s). As you proceed, keep in mind the
importance of maintaining a patient-centered focus so the
patient experience is not negatively affected by any changes in
process.
To prepare:

·
Review the instructions provided in the Learning Resources for
creating a process map.
·
With your quality improvement issue in mind, as well as the
other work you have completed on your Course Project thus far,
think about how creating a process map could help you to better
understand your quality improvement issue and redesign an
associated process.
·
Create a process map using Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.
·
Refine the strategies for promoting systems-level change to
minimize or close the performance gap(s) that you began to
think about in Week 7. As part of this, identify a way to
redesign at least one process based on your analysis of the
process map that you have created.
To complete:
·
Write a 2- to 3-page paper in which you describe quality
improvement strategies that you selected related to your quality
improvement issue.
·
Finalize your process map, which will be submitted along with
the paper.
Submit
your paper and process map
by Day 7
.
WEEK 9:

DISCUSSION:
Using Evaluation Tools to Assess Quality Improvement Efforts
Like most other things in life, outcomes are the bottom line
with respect to measurement of success along the path of
quality improvement. However, without a careful analysis of the
link between access, process, and structure of care,
improvements in outcomes seem unattainable.
—Sadeghi, Barzi, Mikhail, & Shabot, 2013
In this Discussion, you consider how to collect and analyze
qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate the results of
quality improvement initiatives. In addition, you discuss the
significance of evaluation and how you, as a nurse leader-
manager, can contribute in an organization to the large-scale
goal of facilitating quality improvement.
To prepare:
·
Review methods for measuring and evaluating quality
improvement efforts presented in the Learning Resources. Pay
particular attention to how and why it is important to measure
outcomes.
·
Select one evaluation tool and analyze its benefits and relevance
for the quality improvement plan you are developing for your
Course Project.
·
Consider how you, as a nurse leader-manager, can use the
results from the evaluation to support the organization’s
overarching goals for quality improvement.
a brief description of the evaluation tool that you selected.
Explain the benefits of applying this tool as part of your quality
improvement plan in the Course Project. Also explain how you
could use the results from the evaluation to support the

organization’s overarching goals for quality improvement.
PROJECT:
Section 5: Evaluation Plan
With the recognition of the bidirectional link between quality
and finance in a healthcare organization, it follows that any
changes to one can have an echo in the other. To determine the
net result of a change in overall performance status of the
organization, one must determine the point where the results of
echoes will reach equilibrium.
—Sadeghi, Barzi, Mikhail, & Shabot, 2013
This week you have been examining evaluation tools and how
they can be used as part of a plan to promote quality and safety.
As you develop an evaluation plan for your Course Project,
consider the insights you have gained through your analysis of
your selected organization, as well as the highly regulated and
competitive health care environment.
To prepare:
·
Review the information on evaluation, including data
representation and quality monitoring, presented in the Learning
Resources.
·
Review your work on the Course Project thus far, particularly
Sections 3 and 4.
·
Think about how your quality improvement initiative could be
evaluated. Consider the following:
o
Which stakeholders need information related to this initiative?
What do they need this information for?
o

How would you assess the outcomes in the short-term and long-
term?
o
How would you analyze related processes, including but not
limited to the one you redesigned in Section 4?
o
How should an analysis of organizational structures be
integrated into your evaluation?
o
How would you identify and evaluate any unintended
consequences that may arise?
o
What metrics should the organization use to gauge progress and
the effectiveness of the quality improvement initiative? How
would these metrics incorporate the measures and indicators
that you identified in Section 3? Are there additional measures
and indicators that you now think should be included?
o
How should the organization track and display data for an
interdisciplinary audience? How could the use of a dashboard or
balanced scorecard be of value?
o
How could the organization create an integrated view of
performance that links finance and quality?
To complete:
Develop a 2- to 3-page evaluation plan that includes the
following:
·

An outline of the methods that you would propose for
evaluating the quality improvement initiative and the financial
implications
·
A description of specific metrics that integrate your previously
identified measures and indicators and any others that you have
deemed important
·
A recommendation of how the organization could represent data
related to this quality improvement issue for ongoing
monitoring and to determine the value or success of the
initiative
·
An explanation of how the organization could create an
integrated view of performance that links finance and quality
This Assignment is due
by Day 7
of
Week 10
.
Section 6: Quality Improvement Action Plan
An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning
into action rapidly is the ultimate competitive advantage.
—Jack Welch as quoted by Kerrigan
Think back to when you first identified the quality improvement
issue for your Course Project. What insights related to quality
measurement, improvement strategies, and evaluation have you
gained since then? How have these insights informed your view
of the issue and shaped your understanding of how to promote
positive outcomes for your selected organization? How would
you suggest the organization proceed based on the outcomes of
your investigation?
In this section of the Course Project, you synthesize your

analysis and recommendations into an action plan for
implementing the quality improvement initiative.
To prepare:
·
Begin to develop a plan for implementing your quality
improvement initiative, including the redesigned process that
you identified in Section 3. Consider the following:
o
How would you undertake the process of determining a timeline
for planning, implementing, and evaluating this quality
improvement plan?
o
What are some reasonable milestones for this initiative? What
are the daily, weekly, monthly steps/goals?
To complete:
·
Write a 2- to 3-page summary of your quality improvement
action plan.
This Assignment is due
by Day 7
of
Week 10
.
REMINDER:
There are two project areas in Week 10 and both sections are
due by
Day 7
Week 10 Project 1
and

Week 10 Project 2
WEEK 10:
Evaluating Interdisciplinary Collaboration Skills
The achievements of an organization are the results of the
combined effort of each individual.
—Vince Lombardi
Collaboration is a critical component of quality improvement. It
is also a central tenet of your endeavors as a scholar-
practitioner in this Walden University Master’s program. To
succeed in your role as a nurse leader-manager, it is important
to engage in ongoing development of collaborative skills and to
help foster a culture that values collaboration.
In Weeks 1 and 2 of this course, you analyzed your strengths
and considered how to leverage these strengths for effective
leadership. In a similar vein, this week you evaluate your
strengths and areas for growth with regard to interdisciplinary
collaboration.
To prepare:
·
Review the competencies described in the Interprofessional
Education Collaborative report and in Chapter 9 of the Hickey
and Brosnan text.
·
As you reflect on the competency statements outlined for each
domain, think about which ones reflect your strengths. Which
competency statements point to areas for growth?
·
Consider the benefit of working with interdisciplinary teams for
addressing quality improvement initiatives.
·

Conduct a search of the literature and select at least one article
that illustrates the benefits of interprofessional collaboration for
nurse leader-managers as it relates to improving quality.
Note:
Think about a potential connection between the concepts
presented throughout this course (i.e. systems-level change,
quality, etc.), and a Practicum Project that you might focus on
in NURS 6600. Consider how you might use interprofessional
collaboration in your practicum setting.
an analysis of your strengths and areas for growth related to
interprofessional collaboration competencies. Explain the
benefits of interprofessional collaboration for meeting quality
improvement goals. Support your response with examples from
current literature.
PROJECT 1:
Section 5: Evaluation Plan
Review the complete Assignment description presented in Week
9.
Submit Section 5 by Day 7
.
PROJECT 2:
Section 6: Quality Improvement Action Plan
Review the complete Assignment description presented in Week
9.
Submit Section 6 by Day 7
.
WEEK 11:
DISCUSSION:
Spreading Innovation
An organization may be generally amenable to innovations but
not ready or willing to assimilate a particular [Evidence-Based
Practice] EBP …If there is tension around specific work or
clinical issues and staff perceive that the situation is
intolerable, a potential EBP is likely to be assimilated if it can
successfully address the issues and thereby reduce the tension.

—Titler, 2010
Adoption of evidence-based innovations in nursing practice is a
critical facet of promoting quality and safety. As a nurse leader-
manager, you play a pivotal role in evaluating these innovations
and promoting those that will positively impact outcomes.
To prepare:
·
Review the information on diffusion of innovation presented in
the Learning Resources.
·
Visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Qualities’
Innovation Exchange website (listed in the Learning Resources).
Click on “Innovations & Quality Tools” or “Browse by Subject”
then read through a selection of descriptions of innovations.
·
Evaluate how each of these innovations addresses a problem,
and determine if you could integrate the innovation (or a similar
one) into your organization or one with which you are familiar.
·
Select one of the innovations on which to focus for this
Discussion. Think about how you might introduce this
innovation in your selected organization, and strategies that you
might use to facilitate communication and engagement needed
to sustain the innovation.
a detailed review of one innovation that you found of particular
interest on the AHRQ Innovation Exchange. Explain the
problem being addressed, the innovation, and the outcomes and
how you might introduce a similar innovation in your
organization or one with which you are familiar. Outline
strategies you would employ to sustain the innovation.

I AM COMPLETELY CONFUSED BY ALL OF THIS AND
HAVE NO IDEA. NEED ALL PAPERS IN APA FORMAT
AND WITH AT LEAST 4 CITATIONS ON ALL PAPERS AND
2 ON EACH DISCUSSION.

Fall Quarter 2015 Term Calendar - 11 WeeksAugust 31, 2015 - Novemb.docx

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