Comprehensive Patient Needs Assessment Guide

Complete an interactive simulation exploring the role of the nurse in health care coordination. Then, complete a comprehensive patient needs assessment of 4–5 pages. Note: Each assessment in this course builds on your work in the preceding assessment; therefore, complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented. Care coordination is an emerging and complex field in the health care system because of the growing number of providers, the various settings of care, and the numerous methods of delivering care. Hospitals are implementing several interventions to address gaps in care coordination, such as enhanced systems of communication, information technology, and personnel resourcing. This assessment provides an opportunity for you to complete a comprehensive needs assessment. By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria: •Competency 1: Determine the influence of current health care legislation, policy, and research on evidence-based practice in assessment by care coordinators. ◦Identify current gaps in a patient’s care. ◦Develop a strategy for gathering additional necessary assessment data not readily available from an initial patient interview. •Competency 2: Evaluate current factors (such as population health, cost, interprofessional communications) affecting patient outcomes related to care coordination. ◦Identify factors most likely to affect patient outcomes. ◦Advocate for the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care that a care coordination plan would foster. •Competency 3: Determine appropriate care coordination performance measures for driving high-quality patient outcomes, based on current accrediting standards and benchmarks. ◦Identify specific patient and care coordination outcome measures related to specific accrediting standards. •Competency 4: Apply relevant evidence-based practices that reflect a shift toward a broader population health focus on patient outcomes. ◦Identify evidence-based practices from the literature necessary to successfully implement a plan of care. •Competency 5: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with applicable organizational, professional, and scholarly standards. ◦Write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar and mechanics. ◦Support main points, claims, and conclusions with credible evidence, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style. Context: In their book To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, Kohn, Corrigan, and Donaldson (2000) identified collaborative communication and the reduction of medical errors as top priorities to improve the quality and safety of patient care. In response to this, the National Quality Forum (NQF), a nonprofit organization that works to catalyze improvements in health care, identified care coordination as an important national strategy to improve patient safety and quality of care delivery. Coordination of care supports patient safety and quality and is a recognized professional standard shared by registered nurses regardless of their practice setting. Whether educating a patient about his or her medication and plan of care, or reviewing follow-up care, nurses are essential in facilitating the continuity of care for all patients. Historically, nurses have engaged in coordinating care for every one of their patients. As the landscape of health care evolves, so does care coordination. Reference Kohn, L. T., Corrigan, J. M., & Donaldson, M. S. (Eds.). (2000). To err is human: Building a safer health system. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9728 Questions to consider: As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment. •What are the key reasons for completing a patient needs assessment? •Which types of information are likely to be most valuable for improving patient outcomes? •What are the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to coordinated care?