Assignment 2: Course Project, Part II: Define Indicators

Go to the HealthGrades Web site’s Patient Safety Excellence Award™ Recipients 2014 page and review the Patient Safety report of one of the hospitals listed there. Here’s how:

1. The "Patient Safety Excellence Award™ Recipients 2014" page lists hospitals that received the award. Click one of the hospitals, and you will be taken to that hospital’s Hospital Quality report. 
2. Click the report’s Patient Safety tab and scroll down to the “Patient Safety Indicators” table.

Examine the information in the safety report from the point of view of a patient. State how patient safety ratings would influence your choice of hospital. Which, for you, are the most critical indicators? Give reasons citing indicators and results for those chosen indicators. Write your analysis in one page.

Now, think like a risk manager. List the safety indicators that pertain to the high-risk area you selected in Week 1. This will require some research. Chart audits are widely used, but the information in them varies. For example, checking for proper signatures on all forms and orders can be used universally, while daily recording of medication refrigeration temperature will only be used in some areas.

Select a minimum of three and a maximum of four indicators for measurement in your quality improvement program.

For each indicator, include the following information:

Indicator	Describe the indicator.
Rationale	Explain why this indicator is suitable for the high-risk area you have chosen.
Measurement	Describe and explain how you will measure this indicator.

Finally, explain how these indicators taken together cover all aspects of quality in the high-risk area.

Put together your analysis of patient safety ratings and your list of indicators.

Submit it to the W2: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Week 2, Day 6. 

Name your file SUO_HCM4002_W2_A2_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.

On a separate page, cite all sources using the APA format. 

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Evaluated information in sample safety report.	10
Listed 3 or 4 indicators relevant to the high-risk area selected for the project.	10
Justified choice of indicators.	10
Described and explained measurement for each indicator.	15
Presented a structured document free of spelling and grammatical errors.	5
Total	50