NURS FPX 4020 Assessment 4 Improvement Plan Tool Kit

Shahid, R., Shoker, M., Chu, L. M., Frehlick, R., Ward, H., & Pahwa, P. (2022). Impact of low health literacy on patients’ health outcomes: A multicenter cohort study. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 1148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08527-9 

The study assesses the interconnection between patients’ health literacy and health outcomes. The study showed that only 50% of the population had adequate health literacy levels, 32% had moderate literacy, and 18% had minimal health literacy. This indicates that patients with low health literacy are more likely to get readmitted to the hospital within 90 days of discharge and survive adverse health outcomes.

This information is helpful for nurses to educate patients as a priority, specifically at discharge, to minimize the risk of hospital readmissions. In the context of Miami Valley Hospital, nurses can use targeted and individualized discharge education interventions to prevent emergency room visits and improve patient safety. This resource is most valuable as it relates to our scenario and improves the quality of care and patient safety by preventing patient-related medication administration errors. Nurses can provide medication counseling and reminders to prevent errors and encourage adherence. 

Nurses’ Role in Patient Education 

Cengiz, D., & Korkmaz, F. (2023). Effectiveness of a nurse‐led personalized patient engagement program to promote type 2 diabetes self‐management: A randomized controlled trial. Nursing & Health Sciences, nhs.13048. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.13048

A nurse-led patient education program for diabetes management is evaluated in the article, showing that this interventional program significantly improved treatment adherence, enhanced self-efficacy, and encouraged patient engagement, ultimately improving self-management abilities. This article is relevant to general clinical practice, where similar approaches can be utilized to offer personalized education, considering behavioral, mental, and emotional aspects of patient care. This resource provides valuable insights to the nurses for implementing quality and safety improvement plans related to patient education.

This study effectively signifies nurses’ role in improving the quality of care, enhancing positive patient outcomes, and encouraging patient engagement in healthcare practices, eventually maintaining patient safety. In our context, nurses can utilize this resource to develop insights and get motivated to implement the proposed safety improvement plan successfully. Since the plan is helpful for treatment and medication adherence and improving patient engagement in their healthcare, it is valuable for healthcare professionals to acquire insights and tailor educational interventions within the organization to ensure quality and safety. 

Goodman, K. J., Dougan, B. M., Stevens, D. M., Smith, J. R., Mikhail, M. A., & Majka, A. J. (2021). Introducing nurse-led patient education visits: Empowering patients and elevating nursing practice. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 36(1), 43. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000489

This article presents that nurse-led patient education visits have been a valuable tool to empower patients and improve their health outcomes. Simultaneously, it also improves staff satisfaction while maintaining positive patient experiences. These positive experiences include adequate management of health conditions, minimized hospital readmissions, reduced errors, and improved well-being. This resource is valuable for nurses to develop and implement personalized patient education programs to support patients in their healthcare journeys by providing an in-depth understanding of their condition and interventions to manage those conditions.