Component in Improving The Quality of Care in The Health Care System Essay

Abstract

The primary objective of the project is to justify the implementation and subsequent use of telehealth to improve patient care outcomes among pregnant women with gestational diabetes in an outpatient clinic in San Diego, California. Because of the increase in communicable diseases in the general public including the highly contagious COVID-19, the use of technology in healthcare has become a visible tool that is used not only to compart the spread of such diseases but also improve access to healthcare by vulnerable groups in the society such as pregnant mothers. The most important finding is that the implementation of telehealth in outpatient clinics is essential in improving care outcomes because it helps to bridge the gap between the healthcare provider and patients hence, the provision of healthcare services becomes seamless. In addition, telehealth helps to improve the quality of care and patient satisfaction while reducing cost. Component in Improving The Quality of Care in The Health Care System Essay

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Introduction

The capstone project is anchored on the health outcomes of implementing telehealth in outpatient clinics in San Diego, California. The target patient population are pregnant women with gestational diabetes which is a health concern among expectant women because it can lead to life threatening events such as stillbirths, preterm birth, excessive birth weight as well as obesity later in life. The essence of implementing telehealth in the said outpatient clinic is to supplement the physical and periodic clinics that are established for antenatal care. While physical clinics are critical for pregnant women, telehealth as an emerging technology is essential because it helps to compliment physical clinics by empowering women to take care of and manage their health conditions at points when there is an emerging issue that can be addressed while at home. Telehealth also helps to incorporate the patient (pregnant women) into their care plan and this helps to improve outcomes, creates a sense of confidence and trust towards the healthcare providers. With the widespread nurse shortage, that has ravaged the whole world, the use of technology has become a vital ingredient averting negative outcomes that are associated with the shortage.

In essence, with the implementation of telehealth, it is possible for a small number of healthcare providers to manage a relatively large number of patients. The implementation of the telehealth will require inputs from the health informaticists as well as the clinical staff. The implementation plan will encompass interprofessional collaboration among stakeholders as well as setting goals that will facilitate the implementation matrix.

Problem Statement

Need Statement

Healthcare has evolved over the decades to meet the increasing patient needs. Some of the changes that have been experienced in healthcare include change in practice to adopt evidence-based practices that have been scientifically proven to solve specific healthcare issues. In addition, technology has been implemented in healthcare to facilitate the provision of evidence-based practices. There are several technologies that have been implemented in healthcare and they include electronic helath records, robotic surgery, cancer immunotherapy among others. One of the most prevalent healthcare technologies that has gained popularity in healthcare is telehealth which has improved patient outcomes as well as healthcare efficiencies among care providers. For this assignment the PICOT question is; In outpatient clinics, how does telehealth visits compared to office visits result in improved patient care outcomes and satisfaction rate within ten months of implementation? A growing body of evidence shows that telehealth can improve health outcomes. Telehealth can also improve access to care by increasing patients’ ability to see a provider from home or other locations. Telehealth can improve access to care, continuity of care, engagement in care, and self-management of chronic conditions. The ability of telehealth to easily serve most of the vulnerable populations has been a major milestone in quality healthcare delivery. Component in Improving The Quality of Care in The Health Care System Essay

Population and Setting

The target population for this capstone project are pregnant women with gestational diabetes which is a helath condition characterized by elevated blood sugar levels among expectant women and goes away shortly after deliver. The setting is in an outpatient clinic in San Diego, California. Gestational diabetes is a form of insulin independent diabetes in that the body produces insulin but the insulin is rendered ineffective by the mother’s system elevating blood sugar levels. In a study by Giannakou et al. (2019), the authors highlighted that increased BMI and hypothyroidism were the common risk factors for the development of gestational diabetes. The condition is also a matter of interest in healthcare because of the associated effects such as premature birth, excessive growth of the fetus and excess amniotic fluid.

Intervention

The proposed intervention for the practicum project is telehealth. The use of telehealth for the identified population is justified by the fact that pregnancy is associated with several complications that require frequent monitoring that may not be practical in terms of physical visits. In addition, some of the pregnant women miss scheduled appointments or the antenatal clinics because of the distance between their homes and the clinic. It is however important to note that the use of telehealth does not replace the physical visits but rather helps to compliment them by addressing emerging issues. Telehealth helps to connect the pregnant women and the caregivers remotely and hence this can be an important time for educational purposes on management of blood sugar levels.

Comparison of Approaches

Several approaches are available and are being utilized by various healthcare organizations to manage gestational diabetes among pregnant women. Despite the application of various approaches that are currently available, none has achieved that which that can be met by the implementation of telehealth. One approach is issuing of test kits to at-risk pregnant mothers and having them conduct their tests at home. The at-risk pregnant women are advised to monitor their diet to prevent elevation of blood sugar levels. One major limitation of this approach is that it does not accommodate the day-to-day conversations with the healthcare providers as is the case of telehealth. Besides, the approach of giving at-risk pregnant mothers and having them conduct their tests at home is a primitive approach because pregnant mothers only follow a schedule that has been issues during their last visit. According to Vora et al. (2020), gestational diabetes can be managed at home by managing one’s diet and physical exercises hence, empowering pregnant mothers can help them in managing this condition while at home using natural remedies. With the implementation of telehealth, it bis therefore possible to monitor patients even when they are far from their facilities.

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Outcome Draft

The main outcome for the implementation of telehealth is to improve patient outcomes while minimizing on cost. With telehealth, it is possible for patients to access quality healthcare services remotely without necessarily traveling to healthcare facilities which helps to save on cost and time. Telehealth can help in managing patients who have challenges in mobility and other financial challenges that can prevent form accessing quality healthcare services during pregnancy. During the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, it became extremely difficult for pregnant women and other special population of patients to access healthcare services due to safety concerns of possibility of contracting the virus. As such, the use of telehealth will help overcome some of the barriers to accessing healthcare services. According to Vasilevski et al., (2022), the scheduling of face-to-face visits and postnatal visits was greatly impacted during the COVID-1 period. These restrictions and challenges to accessing healthcare services can be alleviated through the implementation of telehealth.

Time Estimate

The timeframe for implementing the proposed intervention is ten months, a duration sufficient enough to allow for the implementation of the necessary infrastructure which includes technological input as well as equipment that can support the system and meet the required outcomes. besides, the timeframe has been suggested in a manner that is sufficient to accommodate a relatively large number of users given the increasing number of pregnant women presenting gestational diabetes in the San Diego area and California at large. Training of staff will form part of the implementation program because the staff members who will handle and manage the operation of the system needs appropriate training. Component in Improving The Quality of Care in The Health Care System Essay