3806NRS Professional Nursing
Practice Trimester 1, 2020 Assessment Item 2
Written Assignment (Individual): Quality and Safety
2,000 words
Weighting 50%
Due Date: Tuesday 5th May 2020 at
17:00hrs
TASK RATIONALE / AIM:
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) leads and coordinates national improvements in safety and quality in health care. It has developed a framework for safe and high quality care with three core principles – that care is consumer centred, driven by information, and organised for safety (ACSQHC, 2010).
In addition to this framework, ACSQHC have developed National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards to ‘protect the public from harm and to improve the quality of health service provision’ (ACSQHC, 2017, p. 5). The Registered Nurse is integral to every standard that has been developed by the ACSQHC.
This assessment is designed to enable you to demonstrate an understanding of quality and safety in health care through the critical discussion of one of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards. This assessment will address learning outcome 2.
TASK INSTRUCTIONS:
This task requires you to write a 2,000-word assignment. Before you write your assignment, you will need to:
• Choose one of the following National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (ACSQHC, 2017) as the topic of your assignment.
• Clinical governance (Standard 1)
• Partnering with consumers (Standard 2)
• Preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infection (Standard 3)
• Medication safety (Standard 4)
• Comprehensive care (Standard 5)
• Communicating for safety (Standard 6)
• Blood management (Standard 7)
Please note the following NSQHS standard is not included as topic choice.
• Recognising and responding to acute deterioration (Standard 8).
• Identify the type of process and outcome data that could be collected, analysed and fed back for improvements in care relevant to your chosen standard. (You may wish to refer to the article by Donabedian, 1988, as a starting point). This area for action aligns with step 2.2 of the Australian Safety and Quality Framework for Health Care (ACSQHC, 2010).
• Research the topic of quality and safety in health care in Australia then identify and analyse scholarly literature that is relevant to your assignment topic, namely your:
• chosen standard,
• a clinical care activity relevant to this standard,
• process and outcome data required to monitor outcomes/improvements relevant to the standard.
• Following these steps, write your assignment. Your assignment should include:
1. An introduction or first paragraph that clearly introduces the topic, identifies the NSQHS standard (from the allocated options), outlines what will be covered in the assignment and provides a thesis statement (what to expect in the assignment).
2. A critical discussion of quality and safety in the Australian health care system, supported by scholarly literature (at least five sources published after 2015).
3. A critical discussion of a clinical care activity relevant to your chosen standard, including the risks or impact of low quality care and how it can be improved. Discussion is supported by scholarly literature (at least five sources published after 2015).
4. A critical discussion of how process and outcome data could be collected, analysed and fed back for improvements in clinical care. Discussion is supported by scholarly literature (at least five sources published after 2015. However, you are allowed to use Donabedian’s (1988) article in this section).
5. A conclusion which summarises your argument without introducing any new information.
References:
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC). (2010). Australian safety and quality framework for health care. Retrieved from https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated/AustralianSandQ-Framework1.pdf
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC). (2017). National safety and quality health service standards (2nd ed.). Sydney, Aust.: Author.
Retrieved from https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/assessmentto-the- nsqhs-standards/
Donabedian, A. (1988). The quality of care: How can it be assessed? JAMA, 260(12), 1743- 1748. doi:10.1001/jama.1988.03410120089033
OTHER ELEMENTS:
• Always refer to the Griffith Health Writing and Referencing Guide
• Provide one reference list at the end of your written assignment which presents at least 15 references from scholarly literature in alphabetical order.
• State your word count (excluding your reference list) on the Assignment Coversheet.
• Do not exceed 2,000 words. Words over 2,000 will not be marked.
• Submit your DRAFT assignment via Turnitin as per the instructions on your Learning@Griffith course site. [Submit in the ‘Assessment’ tab].
• Examine the Turnitin report for your draft assignment. If you have textmatching identified in the written section of the assignment, this may be used as the basis of reporting an academic integrity concern.
• Submit your FINAL assignment via Turnitin as per the instructions on your Learning@Griffith course site. [Submit in the ‘Assessment’ tab]. Keep your Turnitin receipt as evidence of successful submission. Check you have submitted the correct assignment file.
• Email yourself a copy of your final assignment file so you have a contemporaneous record of your submission.
MARKING CRITERIA POSSIBLE
A2 Quality and Safety MARKS
1. Introduction (Approx 250 words)
• The first paragraph clearly introduces the topic, identifies the NSQHS standard (from the allocated options), outlines what will be covered in the assignment and provides a thesis statement (what to expect in the assignment).
5
2. Quality and Safety in the Australian health care system (Approx 500 words)
• Critically discusses quality and safety in the Australian health care system.
• The explanation demonstrates critical thinking and analysis of the issues;
e.g. why quality and safety are important considerations and how these are addressed as part of the core business of health care organisations.
10
3. Clinical care activity (Approx 500 words)
• Identifies and critically discusses a clinical care activity central to the chosen NSQHS standard.
• The discussion demonstrates critical thinking and analysis of the issues; e.g. the risks or impact of low quality care and how quality can be improved.
10
4. Driven by information (Approx 500 words)
• Defines process and outcome data and provides examples of each.
• Critically discusses how process and outcome data could be collected, analysed and fed back for improvements in clinical care. The discussion demonstrates critical thinking and analysis of the issues.
10
5. Conclusion (Approx 250 words)
• Summarises the argument without introducing any new information. 5
6. Evidence and referencing
• Demonstrates ability to apply research concepts and principles such as use of databases, critique of quality, relevant and up to date literature.
• Discussion is supported by at least 15 relevant, high quality, evidence- based, scholarly sources from 2015 onwards. However, you are allowed to use Donabedian’s (1988) in this section.
• Referencing (in-text citations and reference list entries) as per APA Referencing Guidelines (APA Style 7th Edition).
• Provides at least 15 references from scholarly literature, in alphabetical order, in one list which starts on a separate page.
5
7. Academic writing and presentation
• Assignment is well presented, with correct spelling, grammar, well-constructed sentences and appropriate paragraph structures.
• Uses academic language throughout.
• Conforms to the Assignment Presentation Formatting Guidelines.
• Meets the 2,000-word length requirements (excluding reference list).
5
Total marks 50