Expanding the Care of Hospice Patients Across a Mobile Integrated Health System
Author
Coleman, Bianca
Abstract
Transport demands for hospice patients are increasing, but mobile integrated health (MIH)
providers report feeling ill-equipped to meet such demands due to the limited clinical guidance in
their treatment protocols. This quality improvement (QI) initiative aimed to expand an MIH
team’s capabilities of providing safe, comfortable transports for hospice patients by improving
their knowledge of end-of-life (EOL) care. Primary interventions included deploying a hospice
training program and clinical guidance through a comprehensive hospice patient treatment
protocol for use in the transport setting. A continuous QI process accompanied the protocol
implementation, which evolved through three Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycles over twelve
weeks. Data were collected from provider assessments and patient documentation before and
after the education program and protocol implementation and then analyzed to determine the
effects of the interventions on hospice patients and MIH providers. Approximately 98% of
hospice patient encounters reported improvement in comfort-related assessments and
demonstrated protocol compliance. Provider clinical knowledge scores improved by an average
of 37.66%. The amount of MIH providers reporting feeling uncomfortable providing care to
hospice patients decreased by an average of 61.1%. MIH provider clinical competence in and
comfort with providing EOL improved following dissemination of the hospice-focused education
program and accompanying clinical guidance, each part of the QI initiative
developed and implemented through a Doctor of Nursing Practice project.
Date
2023-11-29
Citation:
APA:
Coleman, Bianca.
(November 2023).
Expanding the Care of Hospice Patients Across a Mobile Integrated Health System
(DNP Scholarly Project, East Carolina University). Retrieved from the Scholarship.
(http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13224.)
MLA:
Coleman, Bianca.
Expanding the Care of Hospice Patients Across a Mobile Integrated Health System.
DNP Scholarly Project. East Carolina University,
November 2023. The Scholarship.
http://hdl.handle.net/10342/13224.
April 27, 2024.
Chicago:
Coleman, Bianca,
“Expanding the Care of Hospice Patients Across a Mobile Integrated Health System”
(DNP Scholarly Project., East Carolina University,
November 2023).
AMA:
Coleman, Bianca.
Expanding the Care of Hospice Patients Across a Mobile Integrated Health System
[DNP Scholarly Project]. Greenville, NC: East Carolina University;
November 2023.
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