CNA340, Partnering with Consumers: Resource Critique, NSW Health

This report provides a comprehensive critique of the 'Making an Advance Care Directive' resource, focusing on its role in promoting consumer partnerships and improving patient outcomes within the context of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards in Australia. The report begins with an overview of the resource, including its components and purpose, and then explores the significance of partnering with consumers and its impact on patient outcomes, supported by relevant scholarly literature. It identifies how the resource aligns with the NSQHS Standard 2: Partnering with Consumers and evaluates its effectiveness in meeting the related 'action'. The report also includes a reflection on the implementation of the resource within the author's organization and nursing practice, highlighting its impact on patient care and adherence to established policies and frameworks. The analysis integrates evidence-based practice and personal experiences to provide a well-rounded evaluation of the resource's strengths and areas for improvement.

Running head: PARTNERING WITH CONSUMERS 1
Partnering with Consumers
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Institution

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CNA340: Partnering with Consumers: resource critique
Overview of the Resource
The Advance Care Directive (ACD) is nicknamed "the living will" because of its various features,
including its legal requirement that people aged 18 and above can make their own decisions concerning
their care. This involves the patient's instructions, wishes, and preferences for their future in healthcare,
personal matter, end of life, and selection of a substitute decision-maker in case they are incapacitated and
cannot do so themselves. Consumer partnerships have been growing for the past few decades. It is more
accepted and acknowledged today in healthcare (Oxelmark et al. 2018, p.620). In this paper, we are going
to look at an advanced care directive as an integral part of Advance Care Planning (ACP) as well as its
role in consumer partnership and better patient outcomes. Advance care directives vary between states and
territories in Australia by requirements (Johnson et al. 2018, p.157). However, it is embraced by
healthcare professionals, attorneys, and even the patients because it gives the loved one's peace of mind,
reduces potential conflicts, and minimizes stress. It also helps avoid unnecessary pains, unwanted
hospitalization, and unhelpful procedures.
"Making an Advance Care Directive" is one of the most useful resources in healthcare. In this
article, we are going to evaluate the validity and effectiveness of the resource as well as its adherence to
the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards, which is a vital constituent of the
Australian Health Services Safety and Quality Accreditation Scheme (Australian Commission on Safety
and Quality in Health Care (NCSQHC), 2012, n.p). Making an Advance Care Directive package involves
a form of ACD for the patient to complete as well as an information booklet to guide the user. The
resource does not void or replace any other existing ACD in NSW, but focuses on building better options
by guiding and providing better clinical and legal frameworks for the available options. This resource is
vital because it improves the patient experiences and the overall healthcare outcome because the patient is
vital partners within the design, plan, service delivery, and evaluation of healthcare.
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Partnering with Consumers and its Influence of Patient Outcomes
The NSQHS has identified different standards, including
i. the governance for quality and safety in healthcare services;
ii. control and prevention of infections within the healthcare;
iii. partnering with consumers; medical safety;
iv. identification of patient's procedures;
v. blood type and products;
vi. clinical handover;
vii. recognition and response to clinical deterioration;
viii. managing and preventing the pressure injuries;
ix. Preventing falls its possible harm (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
(NCSQHC), 2012, n.p).
Making an Advance Care Directive resource helps the patient to make their own choices
concerning the provided standards. For instance, the first standard of the NSQHS provides that quality
framework must be created to ensure safe systems within the healthcare setting. This ensures partnership
between the patient and the healthcare providers are critical pillars to ensure safety and quality; hence, the
success of the healthcare systems and services (Houben et al. 2018, p.38). The partnership involves
mutual respect, development of trust, sharing of information, and knowledge, all for the best outcome.
The second standards of NSQHS involve partnering with the consumer, which helps to advance
the value of care by customer inclusion in the design and development of quality health care. This
involves providing the patient with all the necessary information regarding their care. Healthcare
providers must discuss all the underlying issues with their patients through the best ways of
communication. According to Houben et al (2018, p.42), NSQHS Standard 2, "partnership with the
consumer" is the most important standard because it plays a vital role in all other standards. Partnership
with consumer helps prevent and control infection, ensure safety medication, ensure quality frameworks,
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creates honesty and trust, and it helps prevent and manage other illnesses.
The consumer is involved in the development, evaluation, and implementation of the healthcare
policy (Ritchie et al. 2018, p.5). This helps the organization to efficiently allocate resources, innovation,
and the improvement of care. It also ensures care planning, safety, self-management programs, care
planning, collective decision making, and quality of care. Moreover, healthcare professionals can monitor
and evaluate the healthcare impact and challenges, which form the basis of future improvement (Song,
Amatya, and Khan, 2015, p. 47).
Identify how the Resource meets the Related ‘action’
ACD involves all information is elicited and documented concerning the patient's preferences,
needs, and objectives within their care (Oxelmark et al. 2018, p.619). The NSQHS second standard states
that healthcare providers and organizations must involve the patient in the development and design of
care. This involves genuine communication, provision of education, and support for either hospital-based
or self-based management. Therefore, the advance care directive adheres to the Standard 2 of the NSQHS
standards because the patient is involved in the design and the development of care. The hospital systems
encourage patient participation and have open access to their health records and progress (Sinclair et
2018, p.723). Through partnerships, the records are well documented, sharing of information is made
easy, and the patient has access to all the necessary information regarding their health progress and care
(Parent et al. 2016, p.27). All these are necessary to enable the patient to make vital decisions regarding
their healthcare.
Both the filling form and the information booklet guide the patients into step by step choices in
making important decisions regarding their healthcare. This ensures effective decision-making processes
among the patients because essential decisions are outlined and explained regarding the development and
design of care. Furthermore, the patient has access to their health care records, and their participation is
highly regarded. Therefore, "Making an Advance Care Directive resource" is a vital document in the
adherence to the Standard 2 of the NSQHS Standards (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in
Health Care (NCSQHC), 2012, n.p).
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How Effectively do you Feel the Resource has been Implemented in Your Organisation?
Within my organization, the partnership between patients, clinicians, and hospital organizations is
considered a crucial factor as required by the second standard of the NSQHS. The patients are
appropriately advised and guided towards the best healthcare outcome through partnering. The healthcare
organization and employees engage with the Making an Advance Care Directive within all sectors,
including operational activities and communication, to ensure patients participate in their care and
outcome. My organization also employs a rather systematic approach to provide information to the
consumers concerning their rights in healthcare.
The organization engages and provides all the necessary information in various formats to the
patient. Also, the organization requires all staff to enquire and look into the patient's objectives in
healthcare, in addition to their needs and preferences in the care process. Partnering is vital for the
development of professional culture, creates an opportunity for healthcare growth, ensures that the patient
comes first, focuses on relevance, ensures the whole community is considered and promotes dynamism
and innovation.
The patients and substitute decision-makers were encouraged to ask various questions and get the
answers on time during clinical encounters. Nurses and other medical care professionals were involved in
encouraging the development of self-management support approaches through establishments of support
and self-help groups. Moreover, the patient was able to create treatment adherence procedures because the
communication is usually open access, whereby patients can access all the information regarding their
treatment and progress. The organization empowered patients through strategies that encouraged personal,
family, or loved-ones participation. The family was involved because it can help the patients adhere to the
treatment procedures and medication. Patients can also access the organization's information, especially
which concerns their health through various means, including brochures, posters, consultation with
clinicians, and websites in a manner or language understandable to the patient and family (Oxelmark et al.
2018, p.618).
Consider your own Nursing Practice
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My nursing practice has experienced the adherence to the "Making an Advance Care Directive"
within the public hospital in NSW. This involved providing the forms and information booklets to guide
the patients and substitute decision-makers to ensure personal-centred care. This created a platform for the
patient to participate in the communication, goal setting, planning, and decision making about their
present and future care. Adherence to the making an advance care directives has played a very important
part in patient safety procedures and quality systems, as established in the National Safety and Quality
Health Service Standards.
The effective partnership consists of ensuring a competent, professional relationship between
myself and the patient is developed through the NSQHS standards and the provisions in the Making an
Advance Care Directive. This has proven vital for the positive customer experiences within the health care
organization and outside. It also ensures that high-quality and self-centred care is delivered to the patient.
Partnership with patients includes getting a take on their goals, needs, and preferences within the care
process (Gandhi et al. 2018, p.1020). This helps establish knowledge concerning culture, age, gender,
among other factors, and the appropriate treatment procedures and methods. Partnership with customers
has helped me to improve the overall health outcomes, decrease the possibility of developing or
complicated infections, and declining cases of re-admission. Also, timely communication with patients
and follow-up activities with family and communities has increased the patient adherence rates to the
treatment procedures as well as an improvement in the functional status.
Consistent and successful implementation of action 2.6 within my healthcare organization has
created a culture of adherence to the policies and frameworks that prioritize the patient's goal, preferences,
and needs. My nursing practices within healthcare have also ensured customer partnerships through
support, commitment, and appropriate use of resources. Supportive healthcare organizations and co-
workers are essential for the success of the program (Howrey et al. 2015, p.604). The hospital
organizations can improve their service and care to deliver through training to enhance employees' skills
and knowledge to improve patient's experience and overall health outcomes.
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References
Gandhi, T.K., Kaplan, G.S., Leape, L., Berwick, D.M., Edgman-Levitan, S., Edmondson, A., Meyer, G.S.,
Michaels, D., Morath, J.M., Vincent, C. and Wachter, R., 2018. Transforming concepts in patient safety: a
progress report. BMJ Qual Saf, 27(12), pp.1019-1026.
Howrey, B.T., Thompson, B.L., Borkan, J., Kennedy, L.B., Hughes, L.S., Johnson, B.H., Likumahuwa,
S., Westfall, J.M., Davis, A. and Degruy, F., 2015. Partnering with patients, families, and communities.
Fam Med, 47(8), pp.604-11.
Oxelmark, L., Ulin, K., Chaboyer, W., Bucknall, T. and Ringdal, M., 2018. Registered Nurses’
experiences of patient participation in hospital care: supporting and hindering factors patient participation
in care. Scandinavian journal of caring sciences, 32(2), pp.612-621.
Parent, K., Jones, K., Phillips, L., Stojan, J.N. and House, J.B., 2016. Teaching patient-and family-
centered care: integrating shared humanity into medical education curricula. AMA journal of ethics,
18(1), pp.24-32.
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2012. National safety and quality health
service standards. Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
Houben, C.H., Spruit, M.A., Groenen, M.T., Wouters, E.F. and Janssen, D.J., 2014. Efficacy of advance
care planning: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Directors
Association, 15(7), pp.477-489.
Johnson, C.E., Singer, R., Masso, M., Sellars, M. and Silvester, W., 2015. Palliative care health
professionals’ experiences of caring for patients with advance care directives. Australian Health Review,
39(2), pp.154-159.
Sinclair, C., Gates, K., Evans, S. and Auret, K.A., 2016. Factors influencing Australian general
practitioners' clinical decisions regarding advance care planning: A factorial survey. Journal of pain and
symptom management, 51(4), pp.718-727.
Ritchie, A., Gaca, M., Siemensma, G., Taylor, J. and Gilbert, C., 2018. Australian health libraries’
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contributions to hospital accreditation and the National Safety and Quality Health Services (NSQHS)
Standards: results of the Health Libraries for National Standards (HeLiNS) research project.
Song, K., Amatya, B. and Khan, F., 2015. Advance care planning in patients with brain tumours: a
prospective cohort study. J Cancer Res Ther, 7(3), pp.85-91.
Appendix(ces)
Partnering with Consumers
Partnering with patients in their own care
Consumers are provided with information about their healthcare rights.
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