Describe the attributes that support sustainable outcomes. Will your project have sustainable outcomes, or will your outcomes be a one-time occurrence?
DQ 10-1: Supporting Sustainable Outcomes
Nurses should steer sustainable outcomes within their settings. Therefore, they need to learn the attributes of sustainable outcomes and how to implement them early enough in the course of their learning (Marsden et al., 2021). Malone et al. (2021) define sustainability in clinical projects as the ability of an evidence-based program or intervention to generate the desired benefits for a prolonged period of time. This discussion will explore the attributes that support sustainable outcomes. It will also explain sustainable outcomes as it relates to my project.
A number of attributes support sustainable outcomes. Some of these attributes include continuous monitoring, training, accessibility, and communication. Continuous monitoring supports sustainable outcomes because it ensures that a clinical program or intervention in meeting the intended objectives. Outcomes are considered sustainable when they are causing positive impacts on the quality and organizational performance (Malone et al., 2021). Constant workforce development through training ensures that employees possess the skills and knowledge that they require to continue implementing an intervention for an extended period of time. The project team must ensure that project outcomes are accessible to the target audience to ensure their sustainability. For example, nurses need to access and understand project outcomes in order to implement them with patients in clinical practice (Marsden et al., 2021). Most importantly, communication supports sustainable outcomes by allowing stakeholders to share ideas regarding the types of actions that need to be taken to ensure that such outcomes generate prolonged benefits (Malone et al., 2021). My project will have sustainable outcomes as I will ensure that the outcomes produced can deliver the intended benefits on a long-term basis.
References
Malone, S., Prewitt, K., Hackett, R., Lin, J. C., McKay, V., Walsh-Bailey, C., & Luke, D. A. (2021). The Clinical Sustainability Assessment Tool: measuring organizational capacity to promote sustainability in healthcare. Implementation Science Communications, 2(1), 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-021-00181-2
Marsden, O., Clery, P., D’Arch Smith, S., & Leedham-Green, K. (2021). Sustainability in Quality Improvement (SusQI): challenges and strategies for translating undergraduate learning into clinical practice. BMC Medical Education, 21(1), 555. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02963-7