Kindly respond to this discussion post.

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In considering the quote, “Things get done only if the data we gather can inform and inspire those in a position to make the difference”, I believe that this is true. People can be resistant to change, so in order to convince them to do things differently for patients and change what they have been doing for years,  data needs to be provided which proves that change will give the patient what they need and improve their outcome. Data can come from many sources including the medical record, unit record keeping, data already collected by a reputable source, observations of patients, administrative data, patient surveys and patient comments. (AHRQ, 2018). Data can be used to make a difference in my organization for example by adopting evidence based practice, instituting quality improvement projects and safety initiatives. It can also assist hospitals in making business decisions. My pediatric unit has seen a significant increase in adolescent psychiatric admissions for suicide, threatened suicide and self- harm patients. In the past they were transferred to a psychiatric facility in one or two days. Now, with increases in suicide and threatened suicides across the country, patients may have to wait for a bed for several weeks. During this time, while competent physical care is being given to these patients, their need to receive patient education related to suicide, is not being met. Most of my colleagues and I do not feel competent in providing this information since honestly, the last time we had any psychiatric education was in nursing school. These patient’s time in the hospital is wasted time when it should be used to provide the needed education for patients. I will present the data to leadership showing the increase in suicidal admissions with long patient stays and the data showing evidence that these patients are not provided the proper education about their condition. I will also use data to show that our hospital does not provide any in-service education to the nursing staff on suicide or mental health issues.  My team project is aimed at working with our nursing research and nursing education councils to develop and/or purchase patient education pamphlets and films which could be shown on our hospital TV system for patients and their families.  The goal for my team and I is to implement patient teaching for our suicidal patients and their families as well as a nursing education series on suicide and mental illnesses for the nurses and certified nursing assistants. The use of the data to achieve the goal will also help to improve communication with patients and their families and meet the standards of providing appropriate patient education.   I would avoid using any data from sites such as Wikipedia, About.com or freelance writers. I would want data that I personally collected from my hospital records or from a professional healthcare organization. 

Reference:

Data sources for health care quality measures. (2018) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Rockville, MD. https://www.ahrq.gov/talkingquality/measures/understand/index.htm