Assessment 2: Executive Summary

Write an executive summary, 4-5 pages in length, of existing outcome measures related to a performance issue uncovered in your gap analysis that you intend to address.

Introduction

Note: Each assessment in this course builds on the work you completed in the previous assessment. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.

As a nurse leader, you must be able to access, identify, and describe outcome measures as they relate to safety and quality problems in your organization.

This assessment provides an opportunity to examine existing outcome measures, assess their strategic value, and present your findings to executive leaders in a manner that will help you gain their support.

Quality and safety are everyone’s responsibility as a team of interprofessional care delivery partners. Together we develop policies that support quality and safe care delivery. As part of the interprofessional team, nurses are leaders in care and thus are responsible and accountable for leading and providing safe quality care.

Health care delivery is structured around evidenced-based information. Quality is defined by exploring proven, evidenced-based information. After reviewing and defining evidenced-based information, the interprofessional team applies this knowledge to assess the organization’s or the practice setting’s ability to provide evidenced-based care delivery. When a gap in care is identified, it is important to propose an evidenced-based change and to execute a plan for improved care.

Your summary of relevant outcome measures is based on your findings from the quality and safety gap analysis you completed in the previous assessment.

Preparation

Your analysis of the gap between current and desired performance was the first step toward improving outcomes. You now have the information you need to move forward with proposed changes. Your next step is to focus on existing outcome measures and their relationship to the systemic problem you are addressing. For this assessment, you have been asked to draft a summary of existing outcome measures for your organization’s executive team to raise awareness of the problem and the strategic value of existing measures.

Note: As you revise your writing, check out the resources listed on the Writing Center’s Writing Support page.

As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

Building stakeholder support is crucial to fostering and sustaining change. Therefore, as you approach this assessment, think about the stakeholders whose support you will need for the change you want to bring about.

• What information is most essential for both the formal and informal stakeholders to understand about the proposed change?
• How might you communicate the need for change using just a few sentences (this is often referred to as an “elevator speech”).

The following resources are required to complete the assessment.

• APA Style Paper Template [DOCX]. Use this template for your executive summary.

Requirements

Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the Executive Summary Scoring Guide. Be sure that your written analysis addresses each point, at a minimum. You may also want to read the Executive Summary Scoring Guide and Guiding Questions: Executive Summary [DOCX] to better understand how each criterion will be assessed.

Composing the Executive Summary

• Explain key quality and safety outcomes.
• Determine the strategic value to an organization of specific outcome measures.
• Analyze the relationships between a systemic problem in your organization or practice setting and specific quality and safety outcomes.
• Determine how specific outcome measures support strategic initiatives related to a quality and safety culture.
• Determine how the leadership team would support the implementation and adoption of proposed practice changes affecting specific outcomes.

Writing and Supporting Evidence

• Write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar and mechanics.
• Integrate relevant and credible sources of evidence to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style.

Additional Requirements

Format your document using APA style.

• Use the APA Paper Template linked above. Be sure to include:
  • A title page and reference page. An abstract is not required.
  • A running head on all pages.
  • Appropriate section headings.
  • Properly-formatted citations and references.
• Your summary should be 4–5 pages in length, not including the title page and reference page.

Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save your executive summary to your ePortfolio.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 1: Analyze quality and safety outcomes from an administrative and systems perspective.
  • Explain key quality and safety outcomes.
  • Analyze the relationships between a systemic problem in an organization and specific quality and safety outcomes.
• Competency 2: Determine how outcome measures promote quality and safety processes within an organization.
  • Determine how specific outcome measures support strategic initiatives related to a quality and safety culture.
• Competency 3: Determine how specific organizational functions, policies, processes, procedures, norms, and behaviors can be used to build reliability and high-performing organizations.
  • Determine the strategic value to an organization of specific outcome measures.
• Competency 4: Synthesize the various aspects of the nurse leader’s role in developing, promoting, and sustaining a culture of quality and safety.
  • Determine how a leadership team would support the implementation and adoption of proposed practice changes affecting specific outcomes.
• Competency 5: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with applicable organizational, professional, and scholarly standards.
  • Write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar and mechanics.
  • Integrate relevant and credible sources of evidence to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style.