In pursuit of excellence, Penn Medicine Nursing utilizes evidence-based and best practices to provide a world-class patient and family experience that creates optimal quality outcomes.
The ongoing analysis of current data and trends is the foundation for continuous quality improvement at Penn Medicine and includes the following:
- Evidence-based champion groups composed of clinical nurses led by clinical nurse specialists
- Collaboration with clinician educators from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing to drive new nursing research endeavors and facilitate the translation of research into bedside practice
- Dissemination of outcomes data to nurses and staff at the point of care to enhance accountability and ownership
- A shared governance model that involves clinical nurses in decision making regarding nursing practice and policy, enhancing communication and sharing of best practices
Continuous Success in Clinical Quality Improvements
The process of continuous quality improvement and evaluation supports excellence in patient care through evidence-based practice in a safe, caring and collaborative environment.
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
- Incorporating the Ventilator Associated Pneumonia Prevention Bundle in the SICU daily rounds and successfully reducing rates of VAP
- Utilizing the eICU telemedicine partner to perform routine bed surveillance ensure compliance with HOB elevation.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
- Reducing hospital acquired pressure ulcer (HAPU) rate through the efforts of Ave Preston, MSN, RN, CWOCN, Clinical Nurse Specialist, and her team, which focuses on sustaining the gain and dissemination of new evidence as it becomes available
- Mentoring clinical nurses to be internal experts in skin care and pressure ulcer reduction on their units and become professionally certified in wound care
Pennsylvania Hospital
- Developing and adopting a protocol to reduce discharge document discrepancy (the project, Medication Reconciliation and Discharge Time Out, was submitted by JoAnne Ruggiero, BSN, RN)
Penn Medicine Blueprint for Quality and Patient Safety
The Chief Medical Officer/Chief Nursing Officer Alliance has developed a strategy for improving patient safety and quality outcomes, with the key goal of eliminating all preventable deaths and preventable readmissions by July 1, 2014. This strategy, which has been supported by many individuals and groups throughout Penn Medicine, is called the Blueprint for Quality and Patient Safety.