Nightingale Community Hospital: Tracer Patient's Service Quality Analysis - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the paper at hand, there is a thorough analysis of the patient information to understand how the medical institution, the Nightingale Community Hospital, offers its services to the patients. As such, the tendency of the healthcare institution to offer safe and quality services to the patients will be assessed following the review of the document in which the patient treatment information was recorded. The tracer patient whose medical information is being used is a sixty seven year old woman who suffered from laparoscopic hysterectomy. Her situation had been quite deteriorative since it resulted in readmission. As such, there could have been some errors in the initial surgery. The errors could then have led to secondary infections occurring in the operated areas, paving way for more surgical operations. It serves as an indication of incompetency in the hospital. In the initial case, the patient had laparoscopic hysterectomy that got converted to an open procedure because of excessive bleeding. Due to drainage and fever experienced by the patient, the readmission was conducted for postoperative infection, leading to surgery undertaking that sought to treat the abscess that had formed from her previous surgery. Hence, the healthcare institution could have had some errors on how it approached and treated the patient in the first instance.

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Keely looking at the tracer document, it can be observed that there was an error on how the patient treatment procedure was conducted. In the document, the healthcare professionals approached and treated the patient in four stages. Respectively, from the first to the fourth they are: surgical nursing unit, radiology, Operating Room (OR), and finally the Post-anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) (Joint Commission International & Joint Commission Resources, 2012). The procedure is considered to be the main issue that could have resulted in the readmission issues faced by the patient. It can be observed that the first stage was surgical unit nursing. The process is primarily undertaken on the patients who are recovering from a surgery, which is not the case in the treatment and care at hand. The patient is yet to undergo the surgery instead. The second stage that is also wrongfully placed is radiology, whereby it involves the diagnosis and treatment of the patient using medical imaging (Joint Commission International & Joint Commission Resources, 2012). The procedure is also wrongfully placed, since it is followed by two procedures: surgical operation and post anesthesia care that also involve the treatment and care of the patient in the recuperation period. Thus, the procedure in which the patient is treated is not logical as per the stipulation of the Joint Commission Standards.

Level Treatment

1. Assessing healthcare needs of the patient
2. Planning for the treatment of the patient
3. Treatment of the patient
4. Coordinating patient treatment and care services

However, the procedure should have been logically arranged and implemented in such a way that the surgical area heals smoothly and the instances of readmission should have been done away with effectively. The procedure is indicated in the Joint Commission Standards and involves a four-stage process. The procedure starts with assessing the needs of the patient and followed by the planning care, treatment and services. The stage is followed by the provision of care, treatment, and services (Joint Commission International & Joint Commission Resources, 2012). Finally, the process is wrapped up by coordinating the provided care, treatment, and services. Within the above core processes, there are such care activities including the provision of access to levels of care and disciplines that are necessary to meet the needs of the patient. There is also the activities involved in the interventions that are based on the plan of care, which include the education as well as the instruction of patients with regard to patient care, treatment, and services. Finally, there is the activity involved in the coordination of patient care in the promotion of continuity when the patient is being referred, discharged, or even transferred. In the treatment of the sixty seven year old patient, as provided for in the Joint Commission Standards, the activities in the healthcare practices are provided and undertaken by a wide variety of medical professionals alongside the licensed practitioners (Joint Commission International & Joint Commission Resources, 2012). Thus, the aspects of effective communication, collaboration, as well as coordination are important and essential habits and practices to be performed at work. They must get adopted in such a way that care, treatment, and services are provided in their optimal quality possible. The patient need at hand for her care improvement is developed using the keyword search in the electronic Joint Commission manual, as further explored subsequently.

The care plan for the patient, in tandem with the proposed procedure, and which is poised to optimally promote the care of the patient is highlighted in the Joint Commission Standard labelled PC.03.01.07 (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services & Joint Commission, 2019). The program is aimed at making the hospital to provide care to the patient following the operative or other procedures of high risk and administration of mild or deep sedation and anesthesia. As provided in the care plan, the features of the patient are in tandem with those of sixty seven year old woman who was readmitted after a procedure that was conducted with some errors.

In the Joint Commission Standard PC.03.01.01, there are standards dictating how sedation and anesthesia care do apply in the even the patients receive the medications and care in any route and for any purpose (Joint Commission International & Joint Commission Resources, 2012). Specifically, for the sixty seven year old woman who is also the patient, the care plan is applicable in her first surgery where her problem of laparoscopic hysterectomy is being converted to an open procedure because of excessive bleeding. In the process, in the application of the care plan, smooth healing and recovery of the patient would be witnessed. Post-operative infections forcing readmission would then be phased out in the end.

There are the elements of performance of the care plan. The first one is named that the hospital assesses the physiological status of the patients immediately following the operative or even high risk procedure or when the patient is recovering from deep or moderate sedation or anesthesia. It can be established that the procedure that the patient passes involves anesthesia, and thus there can be the instances where she suffers psychological trauma. Her psychological functioning could be adversely interfered with, calling for corrective measures to be undertaken that reverses the effect. The care is also applicable in the event of operative and invasive procedures that result in the patient’s health deteriorating and finally forcing other procedures to be undertaken in the readmission settings.

Subsequently, as the patient receives post-operative care, the hospital monitors the psychological status of the patient (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services & Joint Commission, 2019). The statuses of other organs including mental status together with the pain levels and the intensity that is consistent with the potential effects of the operative as well as other high-risk procedures, sedation, or the administered anesthesia. As such, the patient is poised to recuperate smoothly. The care process is also applicable in the case of operative and invasive procedures, which is applicable to the woman following her procedures.

Moreover, there is the stage labelled 4, where the qualified and recognized healthcare practitioner, following smooth recuperation of the patient from procedures, discharges the patient from the area of recovery or hospital where she had been under post-operative care (Joint Commission, 2016). In the event a qualified and licensed independent practitioner being absent, the patient will be discharged in accordance with the criteria that are approved by the clinical leaders. The care stage has the attributes of applicability in the operative and invasive procedures. In the end, the patient will have been optimally cared for and attended to after operative procedures, paving way for smooth recovery.

The above procedure is followed by the stage recommended by Joint Commission Standards, and is labeled 7 (Joint Commission, 2016). It has it that for hospitals using Joint Commission accreditation for a deemed status purposes for a post anesthesia evaluation that should be completed and get documented by a person that has the qualification of administering anesthesia. The activity is undertaken in the period of not later than 48 hours after the procedure of surgery where anesthesia has been used. The evaluation will test for the health of the patient after the procedure. Finally, there is the stage labelled 8. It requires that the hospital, which is the Nightingale Community Hospital, which applies the Joint Commission accreditation, should purpose to conduct the post anesthesia evaluation for post anesthesia patient recovery. The activity should get completed according to laws and regulations and the policies, with procedures, which have been approved by the medial staff. In the end, it can be observed that the patent was treated using the correct procedure, alongside being passed through an appropriate post-operative care for smooth recovery.

References

Joint Commission (Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.). (2016). 2016 Hospital Accreditation Standards. Oak Brook, Ill: The Joint Commission.

Joint Commission International., & Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (2012). Joint commission international accreditation standards for long term care. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: Joint Commission Resources.

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (U.S.), & Joint Commission (Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.). (2019). Joint Commission and CMS crosswalk: Comparing hospital standards and CoPS 2019. Oak Brook, IL: Joint Commission Resources.