QI
Quality Improvement in Practice There are plans to work with practice leaders throughout the state to explain the education of DNPs and to support their QI and care coordination activities in primary and acute care settings.
ing the quality of care provided by the
tion to reach more MUSC nursing
practices to impact health outcomes.
faculty, students and alumni. Dr. Egan
This unique practice network uses
created podcasts on the management
de-identified data from the electronic
of hypertension (his
health records of every practice to cre-
area of expertise) for
ate a common database. Reports are
College of Nursing
sent to all providers comparing their
students and will at-
quality indicators with the national
tend future DNP im-
he College of Nursing’s
standard and with everyone else in the
mersion experiences.
strategic priority for practice
network, so they can see how well they
is to “assume a proactive role
adhere to the National Committee on
in improving the delivery of health
Quality Assurance (NCQA) guidelines
care in the state of South Carolina and
for chronic diseases such as hyperten-
South Carolina to explain the education
beyond by promoting interprofessional
sion and diabetes.
of DNPs and to support their QI and
T
collaboration to improve the quality
There are plans to Smith
work with practice leaders throughout
care coordination activities in primary
and safety of care, expanding the scope
Collaboration
of nursing practice to increase access
In late 2013, Drs. Laken and Egan met
incorporate students and post-graduate
to health care and utilizing technology
with Gigi Smith, PhD, RN, director of
nursing education into the ongoing QI
to improve health outcomes.”
the college’s DNP program, and other
activities of the network, creating a cul-
DNP faculty to expand the collabora-
ture of quality that benefits everyone.
In 2009, two independent, interprofessional MUSC researchers, Marilyn Laken, PhD, RN, FAAN, from the College of Nursing and Brent Egan, MD, from the College of Medicine, collaborated to expand Dr. Egan’s 100-prac-
Laken
tice primary care network. The goal was to add their expertise to grants aimed at improv10
Lifelines
SPRING | SUMMER 2014
and acute care settings. Our goal is to