Linking Quality Improvement Practices to Knowledge Management Capabilities - Essay Example

1. The change process through which healthcare providers are supported and work effectively to improve the safety and quality of the patient services involves a series of activities taken by key stakeholders(doctors, nurses, management, clerks, cleaners, patients) working as a (McFadden, Lee, Charles & Sharp, 2014). In our case, the most valued approach to planning for and implementing change will involve Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle.  The main goal of this change approach is to reduce and consequently eliminate Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) cases in the acute care unit.  Key aspects of the PDSA cycle revolve around its ability to allow change agents to test an idea by trailing the entire process and evaluating its impact bit by bit (McFadden, Lee, Charles & Sharp, 2014). In other, words key aspects of the PDSA cycle involve the opportunity to develop, test, and implement change ideas. The three vital steps that deserve particular attention in the PDSA cycle when you strive to translate evidence into practice are the Plan, Do, and Study Stages. The Plan stage provides the opportunity to define goals, predictions, and objectives of the change process. The Do stage allows time to undertake data collection and analysis of the data while the Study stage allows for comparison of data before and after the change process.
2. It is worth noting that practicum experience was an integral part of fieldwork experience as it availed an important opportunity to work closely with a variety of leaders in different healthcare setup key among them doctors, nurses, and administrators. Through practicum experience, undoubtedly I gained unmatched confidence and experience in performing different roles in a multitude of the hospital environment. Additionally, I have improved my teamwork and interpersonal skills significantly as the practical experience provided an opportunity to communicate and collaborate with different healthcare staff frequently on a variety of tasks. Despite the great opportunity to work with different professional healthcare workers I still need to work on my leadership abilities relating to network development as well as health policy and advocacy during this course.

Gaining knowledge on system leadership is critical for advocating for quality care, ethical decision making as well as promoting effective working teams.  With exposure to diverse quality improvement techniques, a healthcare staff stands a better chance to apply tools, methods, principles, and standards that are quality-oriented.