Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

18 Executive Briefing Q: How can nurses become better educated to meet the Triple Aim? PR: In general, nursing education lags behind the realities of clinical practice for many challenging reasons, but not for a lack of understanding or unwillingness to address the gap. The question is, "What should the additional content or objectives in our nursing programs be to meet the Triple Aim and other recently evolved or emerging issues?" The argument is that there's too much content already — true enough! But what have we been teaching? And maybe more importantly, how have we been teaching it and in what con- text? For example, in teaching basic skills, is the connection to quality, cost and system outcomes included? When we begin the process of facilitating the development of the clinical decision-making skills in advanced practice students, how are concepts relevant to the Triple Aim made explicit? It's about rethinking and restructuring how we educate; giving students a toolkit of foundational competencies that can be leveraged for future learning. Q: How is Capella University's School of Nursing and Health Sciences working to better equip its graduating nurses to meet the Triple Aim? PR: We are well connected to the practice community through our advisory board and key partnerships with high-performing healthcare systems. We listen and act on their advice. What's more, we engage in nimble curriculum change processes to narrow the gap between education and practice, thus allowing students to immediately apply cutting edge competencies in their practice settings. That is one of the aspects that attracted me to the Capella deanship. A key part of our university mis- sion is to be relevant. It's the only ethical way we can support our learners. At the beginning of this year, the nursing faculty developed a curricular conceptual framework, of which the Triple Aim — and the quadruple aim — are very much a part. As we revise and move forward, our faculty has decided those aspects are an important focus. The curricula at Capella is always evolving to assure the relevancy that is so central to our mission. Q: On an individual level, what can nurses do to meet the Triple Aim? PR: The impact is always at the individual level in many ways. The majority of my colleagues spend their days one- on-one with patients. The change happens at the patient level. Part of it is for nurses to be acutely aware of the ini- tiatives in their particular organization, be it a public health clinic, an insurance company, a hospital or a health system. It's all about ensuring nurses are empowered to be leaders and equal partners in the interprofessional pursuit of the Triple Aim. There is also the ability to impact health policy. Policymakers in Washington and state houses need to hear from nurses. We are a strong and trusted collective and our perspective is vital. I believe it is our professional and ethical obligation to advocate for health policy that is commensurate with our discipline's values. Q: Have you seen progress in achieving the goals of the Triple Aim framework? PR: There has been some movement and commitment. The IHI has published some thoughtful analysis on the success of their original collaborating organizations. However, we have to remember that the Triple Aim would have become just another good idea in the canon of noble efforts at reform if it were not for its inclusion in some aspects of the ACA. As is well known, garnering bipartisan support for anything is cur- rently a challenge and there has been much opposition to the continued implementation of the ACA. It's an election year and all the presidential candidates have made their policy views and strategies related to healthcare clear. Of course, the potential for shifts in power in one or both houses will also impact where U.S. healthcare is heading. So maybe the best way to sum it up is that we are at the beginning and the future is unclear. n Sponsored by: Capella is an accredited online university dedicated to providing an exceptional, professionally-aligned education. Health care employers, including hundreds of hospitals, clinics, care centers, and national nursing associations partner with Capella to develop critical talent. Nursing Track 80/20, a unique program created by Capella, can provide immediate applicability to your nurse development goals. " Nurses play key leadership roles independently and as members of an interprofessional team in driving toward the Triple Aim." — Patrick Robinson, PhD, RN

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