Evidence-Based Practice and the Quadruple Aim

Evidence-Based Practice and the Quadruple Aim

Evidence-based practice is a technique used to aid health providers in meeting the quadruple aim. Accordingly, the quadruple aim focuses on creating better patient outcomes, enhancing their overall patient experience, reducing costs, and improving clinician experiences. Kim et al. (2016) defined quadruple aims as enhancing patient experience, improving population health, cost reduction, and improving the work life of health providers. A significant relationship exists between evidence-based practice and quadruple aim, as explored in this study.

Evidence-based Practice and Quadruple Aim

Evidence-based practice is involved using and applying scientific evidence to guide decision-making abilities. Due to the efficacy of evidence-based practice in improving healthcare, these practices have increasingly gained momentum over the years and have been referred to when forming public policies, improving nursing practice, and leading the role in education across the globe. Typically, Kim et al. (2016) argued that evidence-based practice incorporates the best available scientific evidence and guides clinicians in making critical decisions concerning patients. The primary goal of the quadruple aim is to appreciate the health system’s efforts in improving the population’s health, enhancing patient experience, and reducing healthcare costs to strengthen health professionals’ work lives (Sikka et al., 2015). Evidence-based practice implements four elements within the quadruple aim.

Patient Experience   

Accordingly, patient experience is one of the first points of the quadruple-aim approach. Through patient experience, evidence-based practice plays an integral role in improving the quality of health services and boosting patient outcomes. Crabtree et al. (2016) argued that when evidence-based practice is implemented, it will increase the overall nurse confidence in conducting a literature search and evaluating the results accordingly. The skills obtained after implementing evidence-based practice do not directly affect patient experience or improve nurses’ ability to translate the research to practice. Nonetheless, it signifies and denotes professional development leading to high-quality health services. Evidence-based practice lays the foundation for improving the patient experience by increasing knowledge of cultural competence. The evidence-based practice utilizes an inter-professional model where shared decision-making can advocate to help nurses positively approach evidence-based research. Research is a way that organizations can acquire skills and knowledge for clinical practice to help improve the overall patient experience.

Population Health

Additionally, evidence-based practice significantly affects the quality of healthcare and subsequently impacts the population’s overall health. In evidence-based practices, there are research practices on educating people on individual health determinants, benefits, and limitations of specific treatments. When evidence-based practices are embraced in a nurse setting, one will likely acquire skills that would enhance the equitable distribution of resources and cultural competence that would help educate the population and thus improve their overall health (Kim et al., 2016). Typically, people are categorized based on their needs, precisely socioeconomic status, support acquired from family, and individual health status. Consequently, this leads to equity and improves resource distribution and allocation efficacy to enhance health promotion. According to Sikka et al. (2015), 60% of doctors in healthcare settings are considered to have left their duty and practice, while 70% know of colleagues who left the service due to reduced morale. Implementing evidence-based practice would improve the population’s health and boost the physicians’ confidence to continue resolving for society’s ultimate good and benefit. The evidence-based practice could resolve issues with the turnover of medical personnel, which would directly affect the processes of care provision by ensuring that there are enough skilled persons to address every patient’s needs.

Healthcare Services Costs

The costs of healthcare services remain a challenge for most healthcare facilities. Most healthcare institutions need help providing safe and high-quality health services at a low cost. (Kim et al. (2016) argued that discounts and pricing are the most common techniques for measuring actual expenses. Evidence-based practice is directly linked to healthcare costs since, in research articles, there are strategies for improving different technologies in a health setting to enhance efficiency. With the adoption of these technologies, the costs of healthcare drop eventually. Hence, this shows the correlation between evidence-based practice and healthcare costs.

Work-Life of Health Providers

For a healthcare environment to be suitable and conducive to the employees, there needs to be an environment that supports inter-professional collaboration, and there has to be minimal stress and burnout for health professionals. Collaboration, reduced stress, and burnout are all integral factors that improve health outcomes and lead to health providers’ satisfaction in their different positions (Kim et al., 2016). The evidence-based practice provides solutions that would help prevent stress and burnout in the work care setting. All these factors would improve the motivation of healthcare providers. Eventually, the work-life of health providers improves, thus showing the link between evidence-based practice and the work-life of health providers.

 

References

Crabtree, E., Brennan, E., Davis, A., & Coyle, A. (2016). Improving patient care through nursing engagement in evidence-based practice.
Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 13
(2), 172-175.
https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12126

Kim, S. C., Stichler, J. F., Ecoff, L., Brown, C. E., Gallo, A., & Davidson, J. E. (2016). Predictors of evidence-based practice implementation, job satisfaction, and group cohesion among regional fellowship program participants.
Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 13
(5), 340-348.
https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12171

Sikka, R., Morath, J. M., & Leape, L. (2015). The quadruple aims for Care, health, cost, and meaning in work.
BMJ Quality & Safety, 24
(10), 608-610.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004160

 

Evidence-Based Practice and the Quadruple Aim

Healthcare organizations continually seek to optimize healthcare performance. For years, this approach was a three-pronged one known as the Triple Aim, with efforts focused on improved population health, enhanced patient experience, and lower healthcare costs.

More recently, this approach has evolved to a Quadruple Aim by including a focus on improving the work life of healthcare providers. Each of these measures are impacted by decisions made at the organizational level, and organizations have increasingly turned to EBP to inform and justify these decisions.

Resources

 

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.

Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

To Prepare:

Read the articles by Sikka, Morath, & Leape (2015); Crabtree, Brennan, Davis, & Coyle (2016); and Kim et al. (2016) provided in the Resources.

Reflect on how EBP might impact (or not impact) the Quadruple Aim in healthcare.

Consider the impact that EBP may have on factors impacting these quadruple aim elements, such as preventable medical errors or healthcare delivery.

To Complete:

Write a brief analysis (no longer than 2 pages) of the connection between EBP and the Quadruple Aim.

Your analysis should address how EBP might (or might not) help reach the Quadruple Aim, including each of the four measures of:

Patient experience

Population health

Costs

Work life of healthcare providers

By Day 7 of Week 1

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 your anaylsis.

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Rubric

NURS_6052_Module01_Week01_Assignment_Rubric

NURS_6052_Module01_Week01_Assignment_Rubric

Criteria

Ratings

Pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Write a brief analysis of the connection between evidence-based practice and the Quadruple Aim. Your analysis should address how evidence-based practice might (or might not) help reach the Quadruple Aim, including each of the four measures of:· Patient experience· Population health· Costs· Work life of healthcare providers

85
 
to >
76.0
 pts
Excellent
The analysis clearly and accurately addresses in detail how evidence-based practice either supports or does not support the Quadruple Aim. … The analysis accurately and thoroughly explains in detail how the four measures of patient experience, population health, costs, and work-life of healthcare providers either supports or does not support the Quadruple Aim. … The analysis provides a complete, detailed, and specific synthesis of two outside resources reviewed on the four measures supporting or not supporting the Quadruple Aim. The response fully integrates at least two outside resources and two or three course-specific resources that fully support the analysis provided with credible and detailed examples.

76
 
to >
67.0
 pts
Good
The analysis accurately addresses how evidence-based practice either supports or does not support the Quadruple Aim. … The analysis accurately explains how the four measures of patient experience, population health, and work life of healthcare providers either supports or does not support the Quadruple Aim. … The analysis provides an accurate synthesis of at least one outside resource reviewed on the four measures supporting or not supporting the Quadruple Aim. The response integrates at least 1 outside resource and two or three course-specific resources that may support the analysis provided and may include some detailed examples.

67
 
to >
59.0
 pts
Fair
The analysis inaccurately or vaguely addresses how evidence-based practice either supports or does not support the Quadruple Aim. … The analysis inaccurately or vaguely explains how the four measures of patient experience, population health, and work life of healthcare providers either supports or does not support the Quadruple Aim. … The analysis provides an inaccurate or vague analysis of the four measures supporting or not supporting the Quadruple Aim with a vague or inaccurate analysis of outside resources. The response minimally integrates resources that may support the analysis provided and may include vague or inaccurate examples.

59
 
to >
0
 pts
Poor
The analysis inaccurately and vaguely addresses how evidence-based practice either supports or does not support the Quadruple Aim or is missing. … The analysis inaccurately and vaguely explains how the four measures of patient experience, population health, and work life of healthcare providers either supports or does not support the Quadruple Aim or is missing. … The analysis provides a vague and inaccurate analysis of the four measures supporting or not supporting the Quadruple Aim with a vague and inaccurate analysis of outside resources. The response fails to integrate any resources to support the analysis provided or is missing.

85
 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Written Expression and Formatting—Paragraph Development and Organization:Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused—neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria.

5
 
to >
4.0
 pts
Excellent
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity. … A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria.

4
 
to >
3.5
 pts
Good
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time. … Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is stated yet is brief and not descriptive.

3.5
 
to >
3.0
 pts
Fair
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60–79% of the time. … Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.

3
 
to >
0
 pts
Poor
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity less than 60% of the time. … No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion was provided.

5
 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Written Expression and Formatting—English Writing Standards:Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation.

5
 
to >
4.0
 pts
Excellent
Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors.

4
 
to >
3.5
 pts
Good
Contains a few (one or two) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

3.5
 
to >
3.0
 pts
Fair
Contains several (three or four) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

3
 
to >
0
 pts
Poor
Contains many (five or more) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding.

5
 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Written Expression and Formatting—The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, running head, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list.

5
 
to >
4.0
 pts
Excellent
Uses correct APA format with no errors.

4
 
to >
3.5
 pts
Good
Contains a few (one or two) APA format errors.

3.5
 
to >
3.0
 pts
Fair
Contains several (three or four) APA format errors.

3
 
to >
0
 pts
Poor
Contains many (five or more) APA format errors.

5
 pts

Total Points: 
100