The recommended websites in this week’s discussion contain information that can enhance the clinical practice of physicians and advanced practice nurses (APNs).
Respond to the discusion post below:
Original Prompt: After reviewing both websites on clinical guidelines listed in Topic 3 ( https://www.ahrq.gov/gam/index.html and https://www.icsi.org/ )
discuss the following:
How can access to this information enhance your clinical practice?
Do you think these guidelines can improve quality of care?
” The recommended websites in this week’s discussion contain information that can enhance the clinical practice of physicians and advanced practice nurses (APNs). I particularly enjoy reading about the opioid initiative from the Institute for Clinical System Improvements (ICSI). The ICSI (n.d.) provides guidance on opioid medication management in chronic pain and postoperative opioid prescribing. Providers can watch webinars on improving the quality of opioid prescribing and access best practices for treating opioid use disorder and opioid disposal.
The opioid crisis in the United States is a public health emergency. According to Hornberger and Chhatwal (2021), between 1999 and 2018, the United States recorded almost 450000 deaths from an opioid-related overdose, with the U.S Department of Health and Human Services declaring the opioid crisis a public health emergency in 2017. Hornberger and Chhatwal (2021) found that one in 100 adults in the U.S have been diagnosed with opioid use disorder, out of which 88% are currently not under treatment. If not addressed, the next ten years could see 480000 deaths from the opioid crisis. The ICSI collaborative guidelines could potentially help present some of those deaths. ICSI (n.d.) makes it easy for providers to efficiently access guidance on pain and opioid management while de-mystifying opioids
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides healthcare professionals with clinical practice guidelines and their implementations. According to the AHRQ (n.d.), the National Guideline Clearinghouse was created in 1997 and made available in 1999 to the public. The AHRQ constantly improves and maintains the database to be current with up-to-date information. The National Quality Measures Clearinghouse (NQMC), also part of the AHRQ, was initiated in 2001 to provide healthcare professionals with access to detailed information on quality measures. It is important to note that the guidelines are evidence-based and used to enhance clinical practice.
Healthcare providers rely on evidenced-bae practice (EBP) to guide their clinical practice. According to Mathieson et al. (2019), Healthcare workers should use and practice the best available EBP to provide high-quality care. Both websites provide guidelines based on EBP. By following the ICSI guidelines on opioid management, providers can educate patients and prevent unnecessary deaths. The AHRQ guidelines are stored in a regularly updated database to keep the information current. Healthcare providers should refer to both websites to ensure the guidelines are followed to ensure patients’ safety and improve their outcomes.
References
Guidelines and measures. AHRQ. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.ahrq.gov/gam/index.html
Hornberger, J., & Chhatwal, J. (2021). Opioid Misuse: A Global Crisis. Value in Health: The
Journal of The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, 24(2), 145–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2020.12.003
ICSI. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.icsi.org/
Mathieson, A., Grande, G., & Luker, K. (2019). Strategies, facilitators and barriers to
implementation of evidence-based practice in community nursing: A systematic mixed-studies review and qualitative synthesis. Primary Health Care Research & Development, 20, e6. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1463423618000488