Question

What does QSEN (Quality and Safety Education for Nurses) say about skills for safety competency? Choose one skill to discuss, i.e. Effective strategies to reduce risk of harm, strategies to reduce reliance on member or communicating observations related to hazards to patients, families, and members of the interdisciplinary team.

Answer 1

QSEN about skills for safety competency:

' Quality and safety Education for Nurses ' is a national initiative to improve the Safety and Quality of healthcare. It is roadmap for delivering the competent and safe nursing services for patients. It identifies the knowledge , skills and attitudes ( KAS) , that are essentially needed by the health professionals, especially nusres.

The six core competencies needed by the nurses, according to  the Quality and safety Education for Nurses , to deliver safe health care are:

* Patient Centered care

* Quality improvement

* EBP, Evidence Based practice

* Teamwork and collaboration

* safety

* Informatics.

Skills needed for the competency, Team work and collaboration:

Team work and collaboration is a major competency for Quality and safety in health care. The skills needed for Team work and Collaboration are open communication, mutual respect , effective functioning in Nursing and interprofessional teams, also shared decision making . These skills are essential for achieving for Quality Health care and also to ensure safety of the patient.  

The skill:   Function effectively within nursing and in interprofessional team.

The nurse should be competent enough to work within nursing and interprofessional team. Competency refers to the quality of being competent; having sufficient skill, knowledge , ability and qualifications . She should have the ability of effective communication with the patient and the co-workers, also should possess mutual respect to the other team members.

Effective strategies to reduce harm , hazards to patients, family members and to other team members:

* Provide a patient centerd care

* Timely action: Avoid harmful delays in delivering patient care and in giving reports to other team members

* Be fair , avoid discrimination: Quality of care should not be different, based on gender, colour, race and religion of the patient. Avoid discrimination to patient and to staff and be fair and just in action.

* Evidence based practice: Deliver the services and care that is based on EVBP. Use scientific knowledge in all aspects of delivering patient care.

* Learn continously and foster learning environment for patients and other team members

* Communicate with mutual respect to other interdisciplinary team members such as laboratory technitions, dieticians, physiotherapist and counsellors etc.

* Provide a safe and conducive environment for patients and other staff.

* Maintain the optimal standards in delivering patient care.

* Open communication and prompt recording and reporting of each events are necessary for an effective team work and collaboration for Quality and safety Healthcare.