Accreditation

Nursing assessment, care planning, and education are crucial components to improving patient care

Accreditation Connection, August 20, 2007

Your hospital's nursing assessment, care planning, and education should be coordinated to tell the story of non-physician patient care and serve as key documents for caregivers, said Patricia Pejakovich, RN, BSN, MPA, CPHQ, during the First Annual Association for Healthcare Accreditation Professionals (AHAP) Conference held May 3-4 in Las Vegas.

The most common problem that hospitals have dealing with nursing assessments is not knowing exactly what the standards say and what is required in an assessment, said Pejakovich, a consultant with The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro, Inc., in Marblehead, MA.

For example, Joint Commission standard PC.2.20, EP 1, says that a hospital must define in writing:

  • In what settings the assessment will be done
  • The content of the assessment
  • The criteria for more in-depth assessment

    However, the standard does not require nursing assessments to take place in settings such as same-day surgery, the OR, the emergency department, or a physician office practice. "They are only requirements if the hospital defines them as such," Pejakovich said.

    Access the full story in the August issue of Briefings on The Joint Commission; access is free for subscribers, nonsubscribers can sign up for a 30-day free trial of BOJExtra! or purchase a copy of the story for $10 by clicking here.

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