Discussion Post: Nurse/Patient Empowerment
As a nurse, you are the individual who has the ability to empower patients in the decision-making process pertaining to their health care. In addition, you are in a unique position to empower your nursing colleagues to improve job satisfaction and use performance indicator data from dashboards to effect social change.
In this Learning Resources, you examined both the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) and the key role nurses play as advocates for patient rights. To assist nurses in being better prepared for this role, programs such as Patient Care Partnership provide guidance.
For this Discussion, you will analyze the use of quality improvement data and discuss how this data can help empower both patients and nurses. Review the Patient Care Partnership information presented in this week's Resources. In addition, reflect on the media presentation and the information shared by Ms. Manna on patients' rights.
Respond to the following:
1) What are the best strategies the nurse can employ to empower patients and support patients' rights to improve quality of care? (Some considerations to keep in mind may include: providing information on effectiveness, risks, and benefits of alternative treatments.)
2) In what ways can NDNQI data from dashboards or quality improvement data be used to support nurse empowerment in practice?
3) How has your institution empowered the nursing staff through the use of quality improvement data?
4) Provide an example of how you have personally empowered either a patient or a fellow nurse.
The response should include a reference list. Using double-space, Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.