Implementing Standardization and Systems to Promote Resource Utilization for Quality Patient Outcomes

Purpose: American Nurses Association Standards of Professional Practice: Education, Quality of Practice, and Resource Utilization all support the use of structured and organized resources to enhance the quality and delivery of nursing care (ANA 2015). These resources encompass staff education, standardized patient education, institutional workflows, policies, contact information, forms, and templates. Ambulatory care nurses at a large academic outpatient institution with multiple campuses identified a gap in the organization and accessibility of clinical resources integral to the clinical teams’ delivery of care. Resources were stored in multiple online locations and were not standardized across sites. Many resources had been developed by individual staff members and lacked appropriate validation and mechanisms for regular review.
Description: Two unit-based nurse experts began with a synthesis of national quality standards and analysis of institutional practices. They reviewed and organized online job aids and resources, along with policies and procedures for standardization and consolidation. The team created an Excel spreadsheet to organize the content and identify categories of information. Documents and resources were then validated by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy. The team then partnered with an IT analyst to develop an electronic repository (using InfoPoint, a Microsoft product) to centrally locate validated resources on topics needed by clinical staff. This repository was named General Oncology Finding Information and Documents Online (GO FIDO). Information on the site was organized into the following categories: general resources, EMR, surgery clinics and in-clinic procedures, medications, and helpful links. Within each of these categories, the team created "articles” or individual sites where the validated information was posted. The articles also include key contacts and links to related sites, staff education, patient education, and associated policies/procedures.
The GO FIDO site provides easy navigation including a home page with large category icons, a search feature, a document library, and a mechanism for staff to provide feedback if an article is incorrect or a link is broken. Content is maintained with automatic review dates which turn red when review is due and sends emails to the site owners to alert of an upcoming review date.
Evaluation/outcomes: The GO FIDO site was successfully implemented using the following strategies: communication through staff meetings, newsletters, links sent via team chats, and training to the resource during new hire orientation. “GO FIDO Updates” are posted in the clinic’s weekly newsletter. This resource has been well utilized by all clinical staff, especially leadership, new staff, and float personnel. GO FIDO was implemented July 2020 and has since had 40,000+ site visits and over 700 unique viewers (as of November 1, 2022). Integrating ANA standards, ambulatory care nursing expertise, and IT systems has optimized quality, safety, and efficiency for clinical practice which positively impacts patient outcomes.
References
American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD.:Nursesbooks.org,
American Academy Ambulatory of Nursing Care Nursing https://www.aaacn.org/practice...