Partners Advancing Clinical Excellence: Building Professional Councils for Quality Improvement at Six Community Hospitals

Engaging bedside clinicians, especially nurses, is essential for the success of sustainable process improvement programs and thus for improving the quality of health care. Studies have shown that properly implemented professional councils can be effective in engaging and empowering bedside clinician...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Creative nursing 2012-01, Vol.18 (4), p.177-186
Main Authors: Ann Sakowski, Julie, Hooper, Lynda, Holton, Thomas, Brody, Abraham A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administration, Management, and Leadership
Community hospitals
Cross Infection - prevention & control
Evidence-Based Nursing - organization & administration
Hospitals, Community
Humans
Institutional Management Teams - organization & administration
Mortality
Myocardial infarction
Nursing
Nursing Staff, Hospital - organization & administration
Organizational Case Studies
Organizational Culture
Patient care
Power (Psychology)
Practice Patterns, Nurses' - organization & administration
Professional Issues and Trends
Program Development
Quality Improvement - organization & administration
Quality management
Quality of care
United States
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Summary:Engaging bedside clinicians, especially nurses, is essential for the success of sustainable process improvement programs and thus for improving the quality of health care. Studies have shown that properly implemented professional councils can be effective in engaging and empowering bedside clinicians to create lasting and meaningful improvements. This case study describes a 5-year program to implement and operate staff-led councils to lead evidence-based practice (EBP) quality improvement initiatives at 6 community hospitals. The outcomes presented in this case study demonstrate that staff-led councils have the potential to improve patient safety and quality of care as evidenced by observed reductions in ventilator-associated pneumonias, central line–associated bloodstream infections, and mortality from acute myocardial infarction and severe sepsis.
ISSN:1078-4535
1946-1895
DOI:10.1891/1078-4535.18.4.177