New JAND Publication:
"Early Implementation of Malnutrition Clinical
Quality Metrics to Identify Institutional
Performance Improvement Needs"
In a recent analysis published in the Journal of the
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (JAND)
titled “Early
Implementation of Malnutrition Clinical Quality
Metrics to Identify Institutional Performance
Improvement Needs,” dietitians from
Morrison Healthcare and BayCare St. Joseph’s Hospital
found that early implementation of the MQii eCQMs can
help hospitals identify and correct barriers limiting
accurate, timely, and equitable diagnosis and treatment
of malnutrition. The article provides a deep-dive into
the MQii tools and resources and will help you become
more familiar with the MQii
Toolkit. The outlined best practices and steps
for implementing a quality initiative include:
- Planning your initiative through assessing
readiness, building internal support, and
building initiative teams;
- Determining a malnutrition quality improvement
area of focus by understanding existing
malnutrition workflow, and identifying and
selecting clinical improvement(s) to
implement;
- Planning for data collection through
identifying quality indicators or other metrics
to track improvement, determining a data capture
mechanism, and reviewing the suggested MQii
eCQMs and quality indicators;
- Beginning implementation by training your care
team, collecting, interpreting, and analyzing
the data, and spreading change;
- And keeping initiative momentum going by
continuing to track progress over time and
disseminating findings.
The authors of the article are Jennifer, Doley,
MBA, RD, CNSC, FAND, regional clinical
nutrition manager and dietetic internship director,
Morrison Healthcare, Tucson, AZ; Wendy Phillips, MS, RD,
CNSC, CLE, FAND, division director of clinical
nutrition, Morrison Healthcare, St George, UT; Jennifer
Talaber, MS, RD, LD/N, administrative registered
dietitian/adult team lead, BayCare St. Joseph’s
Hospital, Tampa, FL; and Gisele Leger-LeBlanc, MS, RDN,
LDN, CNSC, FAND, national director, clinical nutrition,
Morrison Healthcare, Hopkinton, MA.
