Nurs 682 TWO replies Week 8

Andrea Casteleiro

Care Coordination and Quality Of Care

The correlation between care coordination and the quality of patient care delivered is strongly supported by empirical evidence, indicating that well-orchestrated care significantly enhances patient outcomes and satisfaction. This relationship, however, illuminates the notion that the shared care coordination model substantially improves patient outcomes, healthcare effectiveness, and provider efficiency. Jinyoung Shin et al. (2020) scientific article “Health and Quality of Life Outcomes” demonstrates a thorough exploration of the association between the relationship between cancer survivors and the environment within the context of South Korea. Research showed that patients who underwent coordinated care, on the other hand, observed fewer new diseases after cancer diagnosis, visited fewer clinics, and exhibited good quality of life, as well as fewer fears of cancer coming back compared to those who received non-coordinated care. For instance, this case emphasizes the link between the care management perceptions and the health outcomes of the survivors who experienced reduced newly diagnosed conditions and necessary clinical approaches. Such findings are crucial because they testify to the influence of care coordination beyond the clinical indicators. They touch on the patient’s well-being, and psychology is mainly centered on total patient care. The research by Shin and co-workers has magnified a strong link between the level of care coordination and the general quality of care delivered, which can be seen in the improvements in physical health indicators and quality of life metrics.

Beyond the immediate health benefits, care coordination has a significant impact on healthcare systems’ efficiency, particularly in reducing hospital readmissions, improving patients’ quality of life, and curbing healthcare expenditures. The study by Shin et al. (2020) proposes that strong healthcare coordination is one of the crucial factors that may help build a sustainable healthcare system by facilitating the patient’s passage through the healthcare system, causing the repetition of readmissions and the associated healthcare costs. Through facilitating patients to receive the desired treatments at the appropriate times with integral health professionals well apprised of the patient’s health progress, care coordination guardians against the re-occurrence of a patient being admitted to the hospital due to treatment overlaps, medication errors, and other complications. Furthermore, through an integrated approach to care, care coordination improves the patient’s quality of life by providing individualized and overall health care through personalized and comprehensive care plans that focus on the patient’s medical and psychosocial needs, resulting in more satisfactory patient outcomes.

Hello Class,

Do you think there is a correlation between care coordintion and the quality of patient care delivered?

Yes, I believe that there is a correlation between care coordination and the quality of patient care delivered. When members of the interdisciplinary team communicate with each other and the patient to develop a plan of care that has realistic outcomes then the quality of the care the patient gets has to improve. Care coordination involves deliberately organizing patient care activities and sharing information among al of the participants concerned with a patient’s care to achieve a safer and more effective care (Rockville, 2018). An example from my workplace is the fact that in my emergency department we have a case manager that specifically handles our addiction cases. In my emergency room the provider not only provides patients with addiction issues the acute care that is needed immediately but then coordinates with our addiction specialist in order to provide appropriate resources and sometimes even set up rehab for the patient which then improves there long term care and hopefully helps with there addiction problem. I have worked at other hospitals that once the acute medical issue is resolved these patients are then sent back out on the street with no resources or plans in place to address their addiction issues which alot of the time leads to these patients returning for other issues related to their addiction.

Do you think care coordination can reduce hospital readmissions, improve quality of life, and curb health care expenditures?

Yes, I do think that care coordination can reduce readmissions, improve quality of life, and reduce health care cost. Besides the example above, another example of the way care coordination can do this is with patients that come into the emergency room that are elderly that live alone and have developed a short-term illness that has reduced their ability to care for themselves. If these patients are just treated and discharged then the likelyhood of readmission, worsening of or developing other diseases which lead to increased cost increase. If on the other hand their care is coordinated in an effort to perhaps set up home health or even a stay in rehab then this reduces cost and potiental for worsening condiitons.