The Institute of Medicine identifies quality health care as care that is safe, time, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient centered. In the ICU, where patients who have complex, high-acuity are at increased risk of complications, morbidity, and mortality, promoting quality-focused case is especially important. This article describes several performance-improvement initiatives that were developed and implemented a Midwestern community hospital during a 4-year period. The initiatives to reduce catheter-associated blood stream infections, to identify early sepsis, and to promote evidence-based care.
Sherry Harrigan, Debra Hurst, Claire Lee, Vickie Christie, R Brian Wolfe, Daryl Morrical, and Ruth Kleinpell.
Ball Memorial Hospital, Cardinal Health System, Muncie, IN, USA. SHarrigan@chsmail.org
Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am. 2006 Dec 1;18(4):469-79, ix.
AbstractThe Institute of Medicine identifies quality health care as care that is safe, time, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient centered. In the ICU, where patients who have complex, high-acuity are at increased risk of complications, morbidity, and mortality, promoting quality-focused case is especially important. This article describes several performance-improvement initiatives that were developed and implemented a Midwestern community hospital during a 4-year period. The initiatives to reduce catheter-associated blood stream infections, to identify early sepsis, and to promote evidence-based care.