NRS 433 Topic 3 DQ 2 Describe sampling theory and provide examples to illustrate your definition. Discuss generalizability as it applies to nursing research.

NRS 433 Topic 3 DQ 2 Describe sampling theory and provide examples to illustrate your definition. Discuss generalizability as it applies to nursing research.

Both the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses identify participation in quality improvement (QI) efforts as part of a nurse’s role (Whiteman et al.,2021). In the hospital I work, nurses are strongly encouraged to participate in quality improvement programs in order to improve quality of care and patients’ safety. Nurses who provide direct care to patients are in a unique position to identify areas of improvement. Solving complex problems, however, requires in-depth exploration of both the issue and the factors contributing to it. Nurses can utilize hospital data and reports (quality or risk reports) to gather additional information for the areas of improvement and nursing management always willing to share this data with nursing staff.

QI initiatives can also arise from interactions with patients and families or from new knowledge as well. I want to share my experience of participating in QI project on my unit. The goal of this QI effort was to improve nursing knowledge of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (AWS) and adhering to our hospital new Alcohol Withdrawal Policy which was implemented in 2019. With the help of QI department, I was able to collect the data showing overwhelming noncompliance with the new policy in regards of assessment, implementation and documentation. as a result, patients who were diagnosed with ETOH withdrawal were not managed and treated correctly and were at risk for complications, increased length of stay and transfers to higher levels of care. Pre-educational survey of our nursing staff revealed that nurses caring for this patient population were unaware of psychology of AWS and DTs and lacked confidence of caring for these patients. In addition, nurses expressed confusion with the use of assessment tools and documentation according to the new policy. Together with education department and pharmacist, we created an educational binder and TIP sheet to increase adherence to the policy. In addition, I conducted small group “workshops” on our unit to make sure that no gaps are left in knowledge. This QI project was very successful. I received positive feedback for QI department and from nurses on our unit.

From my personal experience I can confirm that Quality Improvement requires an interprofessional team effort. I had very good support from other departments while working and implementing this project. This QI could be potentially a further research opportunity. After reviewing and researching number of studies I came to the conclusion that there is no universal approach of treating AW patients and Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome is overlooked and mismanaged, therefore many hospitals have different protocols of AWS.

Reference

Whiteman K, Jaglowski J, Stephens K (2021). Critical Thinking Tools for Quality Impro