The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) initiative, launched in 2005, has been a driving force in the healthcare industry for over a decade. At its core, QSEN aims to equip nurses with the competencies necessary to continuously improve the quality and safety of the healthcare systems within which they work. Here, we delve into the specifics of QSEN competencies and explore how competency management software can facilitate the management of QSEN programs.
Understanding QSEN Competencies
QSEN, backed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has identified six core competencies for nursing professionals, namely:
- Patient-Centered Care: Nurses must recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for the patient’s preferences, values, and needs.
- Teamwork and Collaboration: The ability to function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
- Evidence-Based Practice (EBP): Integrating best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.
- Quality Improvement (QI): Nurses should use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.
- Safety: Minimizing risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
- Informatics: Using information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making.
(For more details, visit the official QSEN website: QSEN competencies)
The Role of Competency Management Software in QSEN Programs
Given the complexity of managing and tracking these competencies across nursing staff, healthcare organizations can greatly benefit from the use of competency management software.
Competency management software is designed to help healthcare organizations identify, manage, and assess the competency levels of their nursing staff in real time. By enabling organizations to create a standardized and objective system of evaluation, this software helps improve patient care by ensuring that nurses possess the required skills and knowledge.
Here are some ways competency management software can help manage QSEN programs:
- Standardization of Competency Assessments: The software provides a platform for creating standardized assessment templates aligned with QSEN competencies, thereby ensuring uniformity in the evaluation process.
- Continuous Learning and Development: The software can identify gaps in competencies and suggest personalized learning plans, contributing to the continuous professional development of nursing staff.
- Compliance and Reporting: The software helps in maintaining records of competency assessments, which can be crucial during regulatory audits. It also allows for reporting and analytics, enabling healthcare organizations to track progress towards QSEN competency goals.
- Collaboration and Communication: By providing a platform for communication and collaboration, competency management software allows for shared decision-making and promotes teamwork in line with QSEN’s teamwork and collaboration competency.
- Real-time Tracking and Feedback: The software can offer real-time tracking of nurse performance and provide instant feedback, aiding in immediate course correction and improvement.
- Integration of Informatics: In sync with the QSEN’s informatics competency, competency management software leverages data and technology to enhance decision-making processes, manage knowledge, and mitigate errors.
Through these functionalities, competency management software plays a pivotal role in managing QSEN programs effectively and efficiently. It contributes to the ultimate goal of QSEN: ensuring quality and safety in patient care.
As healthcare organizations continue to strive for excellence in quality and safety, it
1 https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf
2 Kurnat-Thoma, E. (2017). Reducing Annual Hospital and Registered Nurse Staff Turnover-A 10-Element Onboarding Program Intervention. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316211714_Reducing_Annual_Hospital_and_Registered_Nurse_Staff_Turnover-A_10-Element_Onboarding_Program_Intervention
3 Maurer, R. (2015). Onboarding key to retaining, engaging talent. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/onboarding-key-retaining-engaging-talent.aspx
