Overview of the Organization
Fresenius Medical Care, located in North America, has a hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis unit. The facility has been experiencing consistent growth over the last 25 years, with a focus on sustainability. The company has become a global organization in the last few years to expand its scope and serve more people. The company is driven by the commitment and collaboration of all the stakeholders involved, ensuring a sense of oneness and community. The hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis unit are essential for patients suffering from various kidney complications such as kidney failure. The mission of the hospital is to provide the best possible care while contributing positively to society and the environment. The vision of Fresenius Medical Care is to create a future worth living. This will be achieved through sustainable development in the healthcare field that ensures advancement in various fields. The advancements will ensure that the institution grows continuously and patients receive higher quality care centered around evidence-based practices.
Problem
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are diseases patients are likely to contract during treatment in various facilities. Healthcare-associated infections are common in many healthcare centers across the globe and have detrimental effects on patients. In most cases, healthcare-associated infections are notorious strains of diseases that often prove difficult to treat due to their drug-resistant nature. Healthcare-associated infections include central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), surgical site infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Healthcare-associated infections result in longer hospital stays due to the need for additional management. They also result in higher costs of healthcare which are not affordable for some patients. The high cost and burden of disease contravene the mission and vision of the hospital which are geared towards ensuring quality services that address the needs of the patient effectively. The most common HAIs in the hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis unit are CAUTIs which increase agony for renal impairment patients. There is a need to ensure that these infections are tackled effectively to prevent complications in the future and to ensure treatment is successful in handling the complaint.
Solution
A system that alerts medical officers at the facility of all the patients with catheters is crucial. The system should include timely monitoring of the need for these patients to have catheters continually. Guidelines on the catheterization of patients suggest that prolonged catheterization of patients beyond the required period is a cause of CAUTIs (CDC, 2019). The system should include three components, the first being a list of all the patients on catheterization. The second component should be the guidelines for the indication and contraindication of catheterization in these patients so that the continued need for this aid is noted. The third component is the alert system which all healthcare workers are well versed in, to ensure interventions are timely. The alert system will ensure urinary catheters are not inserted or left in patients as a matter of formality but instead based on need and demand. Another crucial component of this system will be the education of healthcare workers on the catheterization guidelines through a refresher course. This will ensure that the use of the system being proposed is effective, evidence-based, and patient-friendly.
Value Proposition
The value of the catheterization monitoring system is reduced CAUTIs in the facility. Fewer infections imply that the hospital will have no additional difficulties treating these conditions, that make management more expensive. There will be a reduced workload for the employees at the healthcare facility, which would be necessitated by the CAUTIs. The reputation of the healthcare facility will align with the mission and vision of the hospital, which is embedded in ensuring patients are entitled to quality care (Long, 2022). Additional returns in this investment include the advancement of the facility through the orientation of funds to other sections. The diversion of funds will ensure that the facility attains sustainable growth, which has been its mantra for the last 25 years. The decreased CAUTIs will also enable Fresenius Medical Care to serve more patients, hence serving the community and the country much better (Jain et al., 2020). The hospital also stands to make profits through decreased expenditure on CAUTIs through reduced drug purchases and manpower expenditure. The additional profits can be used to better the lives of employees while increasing the ability of the hospital to serve more people.
Summary
In conclusion, solving HAIs must be a priority for Fresenius Medical Care in the present and near future. The most important conditions for this hospital are CAUTIs, given the nature of the dialysis clinic. The elimination of these infections will enable the facility to serve patients better while improving the conditions for its staff to perform their functions. Improvements in the facility include reduced workload for the various staff, alongside quicker recovery for the patients. The reduced hospital stays and minimized healthcare costs are welcome benefits of the intervention, which involves the institution of a catheter insertion alert system. The system includes the crucial components of a recording, monitoring, and alerting system.
References
CDC. (2019). CAUTI guidelines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Types of Healthcare-associated Infections. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
Jain, H., Hartigan, E., Tschopp, J., Suits, P., & Paolino, K. (2020). Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) Reduction: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 41(S1), s154–s154. Web.
Long, H. D. (2022). How effective is the nurse-driven CAUTI protocol in reducing infection rates within the hospital? Diginole. Web.