Written by Carole W. Kamangu
March 14, 2024
Patient Health Protection Concept by Natali Mis_Getty Images
Process improvement in the healthcare setting can be a daunting task as it requires influencing human behavior and allocating resources appropriately. In the first part of our blog series, “Infectious Wisdom”, Vanessa Makarewicz emphasized the importance of collaboration and diversity within infection prevention and control (IPC) programs to help promote patient safety. In this second part, she focuses on the importance of a data-driven approach to promoting patient safety and improving daily practices in the healthcare setting.
Infection Prevention Quality Improvement at the Heart of Patient Safety
Infection prevention and control is a multifaceted profession that requires infection preventionists to acquire a specialized skill set to help preserve the health and safety of others in their respective work environments. One of the largest industries influenced by this profession is the healthcare sector where gaps in practice can prove to lead to significant damage to healthcare workers, patients, and even the institutions themselves. Healthcare-associated infections cause an increased burden for healthcare workers, affect daily healthcare practices, and increase costs for healthcare facilities.
For this reason, infection preventionists (IPs) constantly strive to promote best practices to preserve patient safety and reduce healthcare costs. However, there is no shortage of challenges faced by IPs as the limited availability of resources, reduced trust in the healthcare system among the general population, and sometimes the lack of understanding of their role can significantly reduce their ability to affect positive change within the healthcare environment. These barriers often make it difficult for IPs to promote best practices and drive quality improvement initiatives successfully.
Over the years, Vanessa’s IPC team has been able to demonstrate the importance of implementing quality improvement activities in collaboration with the IPC program to improve patient care outcomes. By prioritizing it, her team is achieving small and large improvements in promoting patient safety at the facility level and preventing burnout within the IPC department.
Data-Driven Decision-Making for Patient Safety
Infection preventionists know the importance of data as a reference point to initiate positive change and encourage the adoption of evidence-based practice within their scope of influence. Without proper data management, it’s difficult for IPC programs to effectively measure organizational performance and, in turn, drive the appropriate interventions to promote improvements. Vanessa’s team knows this all too well. They understand the role of data in supporting the growth and optimization of the infection control program. The IPC team leverages data to demonstrate the need for additional resources and staffing to the executive team.
“[...] our data was presented on how we are doing our time and why we were spending 120 hours a week working when we're only getting paid for 40.” - Vanessa Makarewicz
Vanessa’s team has also successfully reduced nonessential calls to the IPC department by providing comprehensive educational resources and by strategically limiting call hours. The team has implemented a system for collecting and analyzing data related to the questions and concerns raised by healthcare staff. This approach allows them to focus their educational and improvement efforts on the specific needs identified, ultimately enhancing patient safety.
Through this initiative, their data shows a decrease in simple queries that can now easily be answered by a policy, signaling a growing understanding among staff. Additionally, Vanessa’s IPC team uses data to initiate and support its ongoing quality improvement efforts by tracking infection trends and identifying problem areas in healthcare practices, which subsequently inform their interventions.
Simplifying the Concept of Quality Improvement
Vanessa further emphasizes the fact that quality improvement efforts in infection prevention do not have to be overly complex or daunting. They can start with simple questions and a commitment to analyzing data to drive positive change. Quality improvement in infection prevention is not just about meeting regulatory standards; it's about constantly striving to provide the highest level of care to patients.
“So when we talk about quality improvement, you know it doesn't have to be a big initiative on how to fix CLABSI. Even within your department getting more resources is... it can be used in order to develop your program. And especially with finances being tight nationwide and FTEs being tight nationwide, that's really when the data and the tracking and everything plays a part in order to get you what you need.” - Vanessa Makarewicz
The experiences and insights shared by Vanessa Makarewicz shed light on the dynamic nature of infection prevention. By using data and fostering collaboration, healthcare institutions can continue to improve patient safety and quality of care. Vanessa's IPC team’s approach serves as a valuable model for other healthcare professionals and institutions seeking to enhance their infection prevention programs.
In the next part of this series, we’ll learn how her team fosters a continuous improvement mindset to maintain patient safety, even in the most demanding circumstances.
Did you miss part I of this blog series? Read more of Vanessa's insights here.
Feeling overwhelmed by your infection prevention and control program workload? Are you spending hours struggling to figure it out on your own? We're here to help! Our data-driven approach can lighten your load, optimize your program, and enhance patient safety.
Why partner with us?
Our goal is to help you optimize your processes, create a safer environment, and achieve your targeted cost savings. Our team of experts has a proven track record of assisting healthcare facilities in reducing workloads, improving best practices, and saving on healthcare costs. Accessing our expertise gives you the advantage of over 30 years of experience, leading to quicker problem-solving. Explore our proven success stories.
Vanessa A Makarewicz received her Bachelor’s in Nursing from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing where she was a Fuld Fellow and researched the incidence of infections from vascular access devices. In 2004, she moved to Seattle and began working on 5NE, a cardiothoracic surgery floor at University of Washington Medical Center. In June 2008, she received her Master’s degree from the University of Washington as an Infectious Disease Clinical Nurse Specialist. She practiced for four years as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at UWMC with the focus on decreasing central line infections as it relates to insertion and maintenance. Currently, she is the Infection Prevention & Control Director at Harborview Medical Center and continues to be an advocate for patients and staff in the Quality Improvement and Infection Prevention specialties. She has been at UW Medicine for 20 years and at HMC for 11 years.
Comments