Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS 1

Organizational Systems

RTT1

Western Governors University

Pam Turner

Septemer29, 2014

Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS 2

A).

Nursing-sensitive indicators reflect the structure, process, and outcomes of nursing care. (Nursing-Sensitive, 2014.) The skill level of the nursing staff, the supply of nursing staff, and the education or certifications of the staff are all used to measure the structure of nursing care given to any given patient. Patient outcomes, which are improved by a greater quality of care, are said to be nursing sensitive. Some examples of these are: pressure ulcers, intravenous infiltrations, falls, nosocomial infections, restraints, the mix of RN’s, LPN’s and CNA’s, total nursing care hours provided per patient day, patient satisfaction with pain management, educational information, overall care, nursing care, and nursing saff satisfaction. (ANA, 2014.) Nurses need to know and understand these indicators in order to be able to care for their patient appropriately. For example, an elderly patient who is bed bound will be more prone to pressure ulcers than a young, mobile adult. The elderly or confused patient will also be more prone to falling than the young mobile adult. A confused patient might not notice when his IV infiltrates. In the scenario given, Mr. J. is an example of an elderly patient who will be at high risk for several of the nursing-sensitive indicators. He has dementia, he has been restrained in the bed, and his daughter notices a red area on his lower spine. The CNA brushed off the red area as nothing to worry about. Had the CNA been

Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS 3