Training Session for Policy Implementation
A policy and practice guidelines for the improvement of underperforming metrics at Mercy Medical Center are important to improve the quality of services. The successful implementation of the policy and practice guidelines will be accomplished after a comprehensive staff training session. Training will enable the interprofessional team to acquire the skills necessary for the implementation of the policy. This paper provides a summary of evidence-based strategies for working with a role group to obtain their buy-in. The paper explains the impact of the new policy and justifies the importance of the policy in the improvement of the quality of care. The training initiative outlined in this paper will be conducted for the healthcare providers in the diabetic clinic at Mercy Medical Center.
Promoting Healthcare Provider’s Buy-In
The heads of departments in the diabetic clinic will be crucial in promoting healthcare providers’ buy-in to implement the policies. The first step will be sharing the vision of the policy with the healthcare providers (Uzarski & Broome, 2019). The goals and objectives of the policy will be communicated to all healthcare providers. This will help the healthcare providers to understand the provision of the policy and its importance. The second step will be allowing the healthcare providers to discuss the proposed policy among themselves and evaluate its relevance (Uzarski & Broome, 2019). This will make them feel part of the team that is formulating the policy. The third step will be listening to the feedback from their discussions.
All concerns raised from the feedback will be addressed by the head of departments. Effective communication techniques will be used to ensure that all concerns raised are addressed adequately. This enables the team (healthcare providers) to gain trust in the policy. The last step will be the implementation of the strategy after successfully creating the buy-in of healthcare providers. The heads of departments are selected to facilitate the buy-in because they have effective interpersonal communication skills (Bullington et al., 2019). These skills are perceived to be key determinants for employees’ trusting and supporting organizational initiatives.
Early indicators of success will be healthcare providers related or related to the processes and outcomes of the policy. A healthcare provider’s readiness to be part of the implementation process is the first indicator of success. Process and outcome indicators include an increase in the number of patients reporting for screening on their scheduled dates, good documentation practices, an increase in the number of eye exams, foot exams, and Hgb1Ac measurements done annually, and a decrease in complications.
Impact of the Policy and Practice Guidelines
The policy and practice guidelines state that all patients aged 40 years and above should receive foot and eye exams at least once annually. All patients who have been diabetic for more than 7 years should receive foot and eye exams at least once annually (Skaggs et al., 2017). All diabetic patients, regardless of their age, should have their Hgb1Ac levels measured quarterly (Skaggs et al., 2017). The interprofessional team (nurses, physicians, pharmacists, dieticians) is involved in the implementation of the policy.
The first step will involve good documentation practices. All records must contain the patient’s age, the duration in which he or she has been diabetic, and the schedule for the next appointment. The second step involves patient education on the importance of taking regular eye exams, foot exams, and Hgb1Ac measurements. Patient education is expected to increase patient compliance with the provisions of the policy and scheduled visits. The next step involves patient monitoring and follow-ups. This will be achieved through emails and text messages. The management of the medical center will facilitate the follow-up exercise. The last step involves conducting eye exams, foot exams, and Hgb1Ac measurements accurately and recording the action and results.
The policy will increase the quality of services delivered by healthcare providers. They will practice proper documentation, patient education, and patient follow-ups. This will increase the accountability levels of healthcare providers. Furthermore, it will enable the nurses to closely monitor diabetic patients hence averting complications. Therefore, nurses will deal with lower cases of complications and will focus on delivering quality services to diabetics.
Importance of the Policy and Guidelines in the Healthcare Provider’s Work
The policy advocates for conducting eye and foot exams at least once annually on the specified population of patients (those aged 40 years and above and diabetics for more than seven years). It also advocates for Hgb1Ac measurements to be conducted quarterly. This is important because it will facilitate the early identification of complications (Zie et al., 2020). When the complications are identified in their early stages, their prognosis becomes desirable. This is because it forms a basis for prompt initiation of therapy and other management strategies. Hgb1Ac measurements allow the monitoring of the progress of treatment. High levels of Hgb1Ac indicate a poor prognosis and predispose the patient to complications (Ceriello, 2020). The policy will lead to a reduction in the incidences of diabetic retinopathy, foot ulcers, and other complications. This is beneficial to the patients and healthcare providers. Reduced complications will increase the satisfaction of healthcare providers with their work and increase their productivity.
Role of Healthcare Providers in Policy Implementation
The interprofessional team is important in the implementation of the policy and practice guidelines. Physicians, pharmacists, and dieticians are important in the provision of patient education. They educate the patients on the importance of regular eye exams, foot exams, and Hgb1Ac tests. Pharmacists and physicians provide additional knowledge on the use of medication and the importance of compliance (Löffler et al., 2017). Dieticians provide additional knowledge on the importance of dietary modifications. Nurses and physicians are key because they are actively involved in conducting eye exams, foot exams, and measurements of Hgb1Ac levels. To empower the interprofessional team, awards will be given annually to the best performing profession of the team.
Training Healthcare Providers on the Policy
The policy and practice guidelines state that all patients aged 40 years and above should receive foot and eye exams at least once annually. All patients who have been diabetic for more than 7 years should receive foot and eye exams at least once annually (Skaggs et al., 2017). All diabetic patients, regardless of their age, should have their Hgb1Ac levels measured quarterly (Skaggs et al., 2017).
Training Process
A two-hour training session will be conducted to train the healthcare providers on the provisions of the policy. Before the training exercise, questionnaires will be used to evaluate the level of satisfaction of the staff with the current performance of the three metrics (eye exams, foot exams, and Hgb1Ac measurements).
Training Material for Skill Development
Each healthcare provider will be provided with handouts containing the benchmark performance of the State and Federal governments. This will enable staff to appreciate the need for improvement. Thereafter, the healthcare providers will be provided with handouts containing guidelines on how to conduct comprehensive foot and eye examinations. Such guidelines will contain details of basics such as neurologic exams, vascular exams, musculoskeletal exams, and dermatological exams (Netten et al., 2020). The healthcare providers will be provided with handouts with details on the measurement of Hgb1Ac levels, including the reference range values. In addition to handouts, demonstrations on foot and eye exams will be performed by the instructor. All participants will retain their handouts for continuous learning. This information will enable healthcare providers to develop the skills necessary for accurate eye exams, foot exams, and Hgb1Ac measurements.
Conclusion
The policy and practice guidelines state that all patients aged 40 years and above should receive foot and eye exams at least once annually. All patients who have been diabetic for more than 7 years should receive foot and eye exams at least once annually (Skaggs et al., 2017). All diabetic patients, regardless of their age, should have their Hgb1Ac levels measured quarterly (Skaggs et al., 2017). Implementation of the policy will help to increase the performance of the metric and reduce diabetic complications. Training of healthcare providers will ensure that the implementation is successful.
References
Bullington, J., Söderlund, M., Bos Sparén, E., Kneck, Å., Omérov, P., & Cronqvist, A. (2019). Communication Skills in Nursing: A Phenomenologically-Based Communication Training Approach. Nurse Education in Practice, 39(May 2018), 136–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2019.08.011
Ceriello, A. (2020). Glucose Variability and Diabetic Complications:Is it Time to Treat? Diabetes Care, 43(6), 1169–1171. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci20-0012
Löffler, C., Koudmani, C., Böhmer, F., Paschka, S. D., Höck, J., Drewelow, E., Stremme, M., Stahlhacke, B., & Altiner, A. (2017). Perceptions of Interprofessional Collaboration of General Practitioners and Community Pharmacists – A Qualitative Study. BMC Health Services Research, 17(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-017-2157-8
Skaggs, J. B., Zhang, X., Olson, D. J., Garg, S., & Davis, R. M. (2017). Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy: Strategies for Improving Patient Follow-up. North Carolina Medical Journal, 78(2), 121–123. https://doi.org/10.18043/ncm.78.2.121
Uzarski, D., & Broome, M. E. (2019). A Leadership Framework for Implementation of an Organization’s Strategic Plan. Journal of Professional Nursing, 35(1), 12–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2018.09.007
Netten, J. J., Bus, S. A., Apelqvist, J., Lipsky, B. A., Hinchliffe, R. J., Game, F., Rayman, G., Lazzarini, P. A., Forsythe, R. O., Peters, E. J. G., Senneville, É., Vas, P., Monteiro-Soares, M., & Schaper, N. C. (2020). Definitions and Criteria for Diabetic Foot Disease. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews, 36(S1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1002/dmrr.3268
Zie, G., Kerr, Z. Y., & Moore, J. B. (2020). Universal Healthcare in the United States of America : A Healthy Debate. 1–7.
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