Case Assignment

Part 1: Hospital I – Patient-Focused Functions

Assignment Overview

After carefully reading through the Module background materials, and Section I – Patient Focused Functions, please answer the following questions:

·  Review Section I –Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of Infection (THE IC STANDARDS ARE COPIED AND PASTED BELOW)*

·  Please elaborate; explain and present examples as to how in practicum you provide evidence of performance to Standards: IC 1.10, and IC 2.10

·  Show how all departments work together to meet these standards.

Part 2: Hospital II – Organization Functions 

Assignment Overview

After carefully reading through the Module background materials, and Section II – Organization-Focused Functions, please answer the following:

We all know that many individuals use the emergency room for non-emergent issues and that this might be the only source for health care that a person has. After reading the background material and doing your own research, discuss in a 5- to 6-page paper how we can limit the overcrowding that we see in the emergency room. Discuss what you would do to improve this situation.

1.  Please outline your points, and then explain them with your own added insight.

2.  Focus on Hospital aspects, not external factors.

3.  Explain how all of your recommendations should be implemented in the hospital ER.

4.  How would your recommendations fall within the Joint Commission standards?

_________________________________________________________________________________

THE IC STANDARD: 

Standards, Rationales, Elements of Performance and Scoring

The IC PROGRAM AND ITS COMPONENTS:

Standard IC. 1. 10

-The risk of development of a health care-associated infection is minimized through a hospital infection control program.

Rational for IC.1.10

-The risk of HAIs exists throughout the hospital. An effective IC program that can systematically identify risks and respond appropriately must involve all relevant programs and settings with the hospital.

Elements of Performance for IC.1.10

1.  A hospital IC program is implemented

2.  Individuals and/or positions with the authority to take steps to prevent or control the acquisition and transmission of infectious agents are identified. 

3.  All applicable organizational components and functions are integrated into the IC program.

4.  Systems are in place to communicate with licensed independent practitioners, staff, students/trainees, volunteers, and as appropriate, visitors, patients, and families about infection prevention and control issues, including their responsibilities in preventing the spread of infection within the hospital.

5.  The hospital has systems for reporting infection surveillance, prevention, and control information to the following:

a.  The appropriate staff with the hospital

b.  Federal, state, and local public health authorities in accordance with law and regulation

c.  Accrediting bodies (see Sentinel Event Reporting, pages SE-8-SE-9, and National Patient Safety Goals, pages APR8-APR10)

d.  The referring or receiving organization when a patient was transferred or referred and the presence of an HAI was not known at the time of transfer or referral

6.  Systems for the investigation of outbreaks of infectious diseases are in place.

7.  Applicable policies and procedures are in place throughout the hospital.

8.  Not applicable

9.  The hospital has a written IC plan* that includes the following:

a.  A description of prioritized risks

b.  A statement of the goals of the IC program

c.  A description of the hospital’s strategies to minimize, reduce, or eliminate the prioritized risks

d.  A description of how the strategies will be evaluated

*Written Plan– a succinct, useful document, formulated beforehand, that identifies needs, lists strategies to meet those needs, and sets goals and objectives. The format of the “plan” may 

include narratives, policies and procedures, protocols, practice guidelines, clinical paths, care maps, or combinations of these. *

Standard IC.2.10

-The infection control program identifies risks for the acquisition and transmission of infectious agents on an ongoing basis.

Rationale for IC.2.10

-A hospital’s risks of infection will vary based on the hospital’s geographic location, the community environment, the types of programs/services provided, and the characteristics and behaviors of the population served. As these risks change over time- sometimes rapidly- risk assessment must be an ongoing process.

Elements of Performance for IC.2.10

1.  The hospital identified risk for the transmission and acquisition of infectious agents throughout the hospital based on the following factors:

a.  The geographic location and community environment of the hospital, program/service provided, and the characteristics of the population served.

b.  The results of the analysis of the hospital’s infection prevention and control data 

c.  The care, treatment, and services provided

2.  The risk analysis is formally reviewed at least annually and whenever significant changes occur in ant of the above factors

3.  Surveillances activities, including data collection and analysis, are used to identify infection prevention and control risks pertaining to the following:

a.  Patients

b.  Licensed independent practitioners, staff, volunteers, and student/trainees

c.  Visitors and families, as warranted

CAMH Refreshed Core, January 2005

__________________________________________________________________________________

Assignment Expectations- PLEASE READ CAREFULLY*****!!!!!!!!

You must cite peer-reviewed journal articles and background materials in your assignment. 

APA FORMAT

(*!!!!!!DO NOT FORGET TO ADD SUBHEADINGS TO SHOW THAT EACH QUESTION IS ANSWERED!!!!!!!*)

POINTS ARE DEDUCTED FOR NOT HAVING SUBHEADINGS!!!!!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

OTHER OPTIONAL READINGS:

All, A. A. L., Safety, R. W. F. P., & Hiatus, P. (2016). Top Standards Compliance Data Announced for 2015. Retrieved from
https://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/16_AHC_and_OBS_Challenging_Stds_for_2015.pdf

Cooper, S. (2017, Mar 03). Doctors call Fraser Health ERs unsafe; overcrowding stopping treatment of patients in ward hallways has made situation worse, doctor says. The Province.

Émond, M., Grenier, D., Morin, J., Eagles, D., Boucher, V., Le Sage, N., . . . Lee, J. (2017). Emergency department stay associated delirium in older patients *. Canadian Geriatrics Journal, 20(1), 10-14.

Global hospital acquired infections industry trends and 2022 foresight report. (2017, Apr 19). M2 Presswire.

How to prevent the joint commission's top life safety findings. (2017). Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, 19(1), 1-6.

Marshall County invests in first UV disinfection robot. (2017, Aug 02). PR Newswire.

Research from Columbia Business School reveals how to shorten emergency room wait time. (2016, Aug 29). PR Newswire.

Robinson, M. (2017, Aug 08). How hospital overcrowding affects paramedics. The Times – Transcript.

Rojas, E., Sepúlveda, M., Munoz-Gama, J., Capurro, D., Traver, V., & Fernandez-Llatas, C. (2017). Question-driven methodology for analyzing emergency room processes using process mining. Applied Sciences, 7(3), 302.

Smith, B., Bouchoucha, S., & Watt, E. (2016). ‘Care in a chair’ – the impact of an overcrowded emergency department on the time to treatment and length of stay of self-presenting patients with abdominal pain. International Emergency Nursing, 29, 9-14.

Solnik, C. (2017). Raising the grades. Long Island Business News.

Todd, L. (2016, Sep 05). A fix for the 'catch-all' emergency room? High Country News.