Quality Improvement Project: Enhancing Diabetes and LDL Screening Rates Essay Paper

Identifying an Improvement Area

1.1 Where do we need to improve patient care?

A substantial shortfall exists in the rates of clinical practitioner-delivered regular diabetes and LDL lipid screening for those on antipsychotic medications within our own healthcare setting. Present data suggests only 43% of these patients are being screened as is comparatively far below national standards (80%). This disparity reveals an important area for enhancement to better support the health needs of this already at-risk population (National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 2022).

1.2 Where are we less efficient than we should be?

We also discovered many places where we are inefficient with our existing processes. A major problem is the fact that there are no screening hours in alignment with patient appointment times. As a result, this misalignment causes gaps between recommended screenings and increase non-compliance rates. Moreover, we lack standardized patient referral and follow-up protocols, which continues to undermine our screening protocol efficiency. Such inefficiencies need to be overcome in order to optimize operations and enhance patient care results (National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 2022). Quality Improvement Project: Enhancing Diabetes and LDL Screening Rates Essay Paper

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1.3 What areas cause frustration for staff or patients?

The current system continues to be a source of frustration for staff and patients alike. Patients tend to be unhappy when they have to remember a second appointment for their screenings (a nuisance and lower compliance in the future). Conversely, employees are equally frustrated tracking and managing screening schedules because of the absence of standardized protocols as well as an efficient data-sharing system. These frustrations have brought the focus on having a more organized approach to patient screening management.

Data Sources Used:

• Electronic Health Records (EHR)
• Patient surveys and feedback forms
• Staff interviews and feedback sessions
• National standards and benchmarks for diabetes and LDL screenings

2. Root Cause Analysis

Problem Statement: Patients on antipsychotic medications are not receiving screenings for physical health comorbidities

Define Your Project

3.1 What are you aiming to improve?

We aim to improve the rate of regular diabetes and LDL screenings for patients over 18 years old with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who are on antipsychotic medications.

3.2 What is your specific target for improvement?

Our specific target is to increase the screening rate from the current 43% to 80% within the next six months.

3.3 How will you measure improvement?

Improvement will be measured through the following methods:

• Electronic Health Records (EHR): We will track the number of patients who receive diabetes and LDL screenings through our EHR system.
• Monthly Data Review: Screening data will be collected and analyzed monthly to monitor progress toward our target.
• Patient Records: We will maintain updated records to ensure that all eligible patients are accounted for and their screening status is documented.
• Staff Feedback: Regular feedback sessions with staff will help identify any barriers to achieving our screening targets and allow for timely adjustments to our strategies. Quality Improvement Project: Enhancing Diabetes and LDL Screening Rates Essay Paper

By using these measurement methods, we will be able to monitor our progress, make data-driven decisions, and ensure that we are on track to meet our improvement goals.

Conclusion

This quality improvement project aims to enhance the rate of regular diabetes and LDL screenings for patients over 18 years old with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who are on antipsychotic medications. By addressing the root causes identified through a detailed analysis, such as the lack of clear protocols, inadequate training, and misalignment of screening hours, we target to increase the screening rate from 43% to 80% within six months.

Implementing standardized procedures, improving staff training, realigning screening schedules, and enhancing data collection methods are critical strategies in this initiative. These efforts will ensure that patients receive the necessary screenings, ultimately leading to better health outcomes and reduced risk of physical health comorbidities.

The potential impact of this project extends beyond the immediate improvement in screening rates. By fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement, we will enhance overall operational efficiency, reduce staff and patient frustration, and improve the standard of care provided. This project serves as a model for other quality improvement initiatives, demonstrating the importance of a systematic approach to analyzing and addressing performance gaps in healthcare settings. Quality Improvement Project: Enhancing Diabetes and LDL Screening Rates Essay Paper

References

National Council for Mental Wellbeing. (2022). Quality Improvement Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Quality-Improvement-Toolkit-1.pdf?daf=375atetbd56.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2015). Funding Opportunity Number CMS-1L1-15-003. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Artiga, S., & Hinton, E. (2018). Beyond health care: The role of social determinants in promoting health and health equity. Health.

Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2019). The social determinants of health: It’s time to consider the causes of the causes. Public Health Reports, 129(2), 19-31.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants.

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020). Healthy People 2030 Framework. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2019). Building a Culture of Health. Retrieved from https://www.rwjf.org/en/cultureofhealth.html.

World Health Organization. (2020). Social determinants of health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/social_determinants.

Quality Improvement in Action
Objective

In this assignment, you will participate in preparing for a quality improvement project, and in learning the steps to ensure adequate planning and design. Quality Improvement Project: Enhancing Diabetes and LDL Screening Rates Essay Paper

Instructions

Read and review the National Council for Mental Wellbeing Quality Improvement Toolkit found at the following link: Quality Improvement Toolkit https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Quality-Improvement-Toolkit-1.pdf?daf=375atetbd56.

Determine a quality improvement project for this assignment. Write a report which includes the following information:

Begin on page 13, include the necessary information to Identify an Improvement Area
Build and develop a Root Cause Analysis, using the template found on page 16. (you may copy or recreate the template)
Complete the assignment by answering the questions on the top of page 19 to Define your Project.

How: Follow the guidelines above. Incude reference

Where the concepts can be applied: Quality improvement will enable you to continually assess and develop stronger practice environments.

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