Title : The Nurse Executives as a Transformational Leader Inspiring Excellent in Pressure Injury Prevention
Abstract:
Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are a largely preventable complication that negatively affects an organization’s reputation and finances. Practice, knowledge, and education chasms were contributing to waste and an unfavorable trend in HAPIs at Mount Sinai St. Luke's emphasizing the need for robust process improvement.
The Deputy Chief Nursing Officer emerged as a transformational leader by engaging key stakeholders to evaluate current evidence. Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement methodology, nurses in the targeted community led and coordinated a multi-faceted pressure injury prevention program. A needs assessment was completed to identify the root causes of the higher than acceptable pressure injury incidence. An interprofessional team, comprised of twenty-one key stakeholders, was convened for a collaborative approach to addressing identified gaps. The team employed lean methodology, current evidence, and innovative solutions to structure and streamline care delivery, health professional education, and products to reduce pressure injuries hospital-wide. The electronic health record was modified to reflect expected practice and improve documentation accuracy. Routine rounding was executed to assess, reinforce, and measure compliance. Pre- and post-intervention pressure injury incidence and cost outcomes were measured. In 2018, HAPIs decreased from a total of 19 HAPIs in February to 7 HAPIs in September, representing a 63.2% reduction. An estimated $483,000 was saved in treatment costs, and an estimated 84 hospital days avoided and reportable pressure injuries were reduced from 5 to zero. This presentation will provide highlights of transformational leadership, process standardization, product implementation and outcomes of the Inter-professional Collaboration.
