Whether in an acute care hospital setting or on an outpatient basis, quality improvement initiatives are significant drivers in the total quality management of the nursing field. Without quality improvement initiatives, the science and art of nursing would lag far behind the rest of healthcare delivery and access, and would stagnate the entire system. Thus, quality improvement initiatives in outpatient care have been a focus during the last several years, improving overall patient experience.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System is one of the nursing hubs that is leading the way in quality initiatives. Its information technology system is making access to tests and procedures more efficient and user-friendly (Weston & Roberts). Motivating the streamlining of access to patient access to their healthcare information is, in large part, due to the model of total patient engagement (Weston & Roberts).
Thus, patients have experienced positive outcomes in their overall care resulting from the implementation of quality improvement initiatives spurred by the necessity for total patient engagement. Furthermore, many of the quality improvement initiatives, such as the improvement of communication via mobile technology, or apps, has been enabled by technological advances in outpatient access to health records. Nowadays, it is especially important to keep up with technological advances, including mobile applications that make it much easier for patients to access their healthcare information on-the-go.
Finally, advancements in healthcare delivery and access to healthcare information has been spearheaded by overall advances in healthcare. Such quality initiatives, namely at the Department of Veterans Affairs, has led to a more “user-friendly” experience by its patients.
Works Cited
Weston, Marla, & Roberts, Darryl W. “The Influence of Quality Improvement Efforts on
Patient Outcomes and Nursing Work: A Perspective from Chief Nursing Officers at
Three Large Health Systems.” American Nurses Association, 18(3),
http://www.nursingworld.org/Quality-Improvement-on-Patient-Outcomes.html, Sep.
2013. Accessed 06 Jan. 2016.
