Clinical Question
The question in the research involves establishing whether the use of qualitative research designs is more effective compared to developing the Agency of Healthcare Research and quality indicators. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) designs Quality Indicators (QIs) to measure the quality of care provided in healthcare organizations (DiCenso, Guyatt, & Ciliska, 2014). The indicators play a critical role in collecting data to improve the quality and safety of care provided in healthcare facilities. The problem under study involves the effective mechanisms to evaluate the level of quality of services provided in healthcare organizations (Houser, 2018). Leaders in the settings should have accurate Quality Indicators (QIs) to establish the current level of quality and implement interventions to improve it to ensure higher patient satisfaction. Therefore, the problem is significant because it will help health care professionals to design useful Quality Indicators (QIs) using the most suitable research approach (qualitative or quantitative) to achieve continuous quality improvement. The purpose of the assignment is to evaluate and interpret two articles identified as most relevant to the topic, AHRQuality Indicators, and their application in various health conditions affecting women.
Description of Findings
Research evidence plays a vital role in answering the clinical question and addressing the identified problem. Adam et al. (2019) studied the use of systematic reviews as a source of evidence in proposing quality interventions for diverse patient groups. They focused on Web-based interactive presentation of systematic review reports in interpreting research evidence for use in practice. Adam et al. (2019) used an open-source Web-based interactive that would help participants to generate their reports from the review information. They used data from a broad-scope systematic review. The study did not involve human participants, used data from systematic reviews of research conducted on nonsurgical treatments of urinary incontinence (UI) in women. They also used systematic review, which did not involve the use of a research tool.
Other similar studies have focused on different topics through the use of AHRQ PSIs. Gregory, Korst, Lu, and Fridman (2013) studied the use of quality indicators on a largely ignored area, health care for pregnant women. The research used the 2009 California Patient Discharge Dataset (N= 508,842) to determine the possibility of including healthcare for women in PSIs. The researchers used the hemorrhage and infection PSIs calculated using hierarchical models. They used revised indicators with proven reliability and validity. The study affirmed the feasibility of hospital-level PSIs, although the coding practices for pregnancy-related hospitalizations differed from those of non-pregnancy women.
Purpose and Way Forward
The two articles relate to the “Purpose” question of the study, which was to evaluate the use of quality indicators in various health care issues, such as the treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) and hemorrhage and infection in pregnant women. Evaluation of published research is one of the most effective ways of investigating the use of quality indicators in practice. The articles provided evidence of the efficacy and feasibility of the quality indicators. The next step for the group is to design and use a quality indicator using AHRQ guidelines that can be used in practice for establishing the level of safety and quality of care for a specific group of patients, such as the care of pregnant women.
Conclusion
The purpose of the assignment is to evaluate studies that indicate the use of AHRQuality Indicators in practice. The studies reveal the feasibility and efficacy of the quality indicators in the treatment of various conditions affecting women. Researchers have used the quality indicators in various studies to evaluate their applicability in the care of patients with different medical conditions. Besides, the researcher focused on studied using different research designs, such as systematic review and documentary evidence, to evaluate the application of the PSIs in practice. They also focused on safety questions, which is a critical quality indicator, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Therefore, the study results’ interpretation indicates the usability to support nursing practice. They are useful in improving the quality of care for women and other patient populations as long as the care providers can use them appropriately.
References
Adam, G. P., Balk, E. M., Jap, J., Senturk, B., Sanders-Schmidler, G., Lallinger, K., …Trikalinos, T. A. (2019). AHRQ EPC series on improving translation of evidence: Web-based interactive presentation of systematic review reports. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 45(9), 629-638. Retrieved https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2019.05.001
DiCenso, A., Guyatt, G., & Ciliska, D. (2014).Evidence-based nursing-e-book: A guide to
clinical practice.New York, NY: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Gregory, K. D., Korst, L. M., Lu, M. C., &Fridman, M. (2013).AHRQ patient safety indicators: time to include hemorrhage and infection during childbirth. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 39(3), 114-AP2. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/s1553-7250(13)39017-5
Houser, J. (2018). Nursing research:Reading, using, and creating evidence (4th ed.). Sudbury,
MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Appendix
Article |
Reference |
Purpose
Hypothesis Study Question |
Variables
Independent(I) Dependent(D) |
Study Design | Sample
Size and Selection |
Data Collection
Methods |
Major Findings |
1
|
Adam, G. P., Balk, E. M., Jap, J., Senturk, B., Sanders-Schmidler, G., Lallinger, K., …Trikalinos, T. A. (2019). AHRQ EPC series on improving translation of evidence: Web-based interactive presentation of systematic review reports. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 45(9), 629-638. | To develop an open-source Web-based interactive report presentation of a systematic review to enable users to generate their own “reports” from information that the review produced. | I-web-based interactive presentation
D-translation of evidence |
Qualitative | Review of literature | Systematic Review of evidence | Support for the use of quality indicators in the treatment of urinary incontinence (UI) in women |
2 | Gregory, K. D., Korst, L. M., Lu, M. C., &Fridman, M. (2013).AHRQ patient safety indicators: time to include hemorrhage and infection during childbirth. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 39(3), 114-AP2 | To establish the foundation of the PSIs to develop a methodology by which hemorrhage and infection could be monitored as safety indicators for pregnant women. | D-Hemorrhage and Infection During Childbirth
I-AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators |
Qualitative | The 2009 California Patient Discharge Dataset (N [total] = 508,842) | Review of documentary evidence | Support for the feasibility of PSIs in the treatment of hemorrhage and infection in pregnant women. |