The latest tendencies in the sphere of health technologies evidence the crucial role of medical devices in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various illnesses (World Health Organization, 2011). The wide usage of a number of these technologies results in the increase of the level of requirements towards the quality of the device and its ability to perform its main task without significant complications. Under these conditions, the constant monitoring of the performance of these devices becomes vital as it could guarantee their stable and efficient functioning. Besides, there is also the great need for the improvement of the major aspects of the technologies and practices used in the sphere of healthcare. This fact gives rise to the necessity of the implementation of the needs assessment analysis as the main tool which is able to guarantee the deep and precise investigation of a certain sphere.
In the case of the Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC), the focus of the investigation is on the determination of the most problematic aspects of this usage of this device, possible complications and ways to improve the outcomes for the patients belonging to various age groups.
In this regard, the tool needed for this sort of analysis should imply several stages. First of all, it is the collection of credible data which could evidence the existence of a certain problem. The identification of the major facts which could show the scale of a problem is the first and the most important stage of the analysis of the given procedure. For this reason, the patients who undergo the procedure of the insertion of PICC should complete the survey to identify their claims and provide the needed information (Cape, Mogensen, Robinson, & Carusi, 2014). The survey should revolve around the patients feedback of the usage of PICC, their feelings and the description of the possible complications. The enquirers could be distributed between the patients of all age groups at their loose hours. The participants of the survey do not have to identify their names for it to be anonymous. The completion of the questionnaire will take about 30 minutes. The data obtained due to the survey should also be supported by the post-treatment examination to record the complications and provide their detailed description. Involvement of patients in the analysis of PICC will result in the significant increase of the credibility of the collected data and help to highlight the aspects which need improvement badly.
The analysis of the data obtained due to the survey will promote the better understanding of the major concerns of the usage of PICC in the healthcare sector. The investigation of the information should be focused on the determination of the most important factors attributed to the problem. These factors could be the training of the personnel of the hospital, equipment, the working environment and the age of the respondents (Gupta, 2011). Resting on the results of the analysis, the investigator should highlight the points which have to be considered in terms of the analysis of PICC and its complications.
The main aim of the needs assessment is to identify the areas of improvement and create the action plan which implies the new strategy. Having identified the problematic areas, it is essential to initiate the process of change to achieve the needed goal and reduce the complications rate among the patients (Weigl et al., 2013). The strategic plan should be based on the data obtained in the course of the survey. For instance, if the analysis identifies that the lack of training of the personnel is one of the major factors impacting the complications among the patients, the new approach towards the staff development and examination should be implemented. Additionally, if patients underline the low quality of the equipment and the PICC, the investigation of the tools used in the establishment should be initiated. It is becoming apparent that the further actions will depend on the results of data analysis and should be focused on the formulating of specific solutions for every problem. The identification of the areas of change will help to achieve the significant improvement of the procedure of the insertion of PICC and decrease the number of possible complications. The usage of the given assessment tool might also give rise to the implementation of new procedures or introduction of new measures to improve the outcomes (Kaufman & Guerra-LĂłpez, 2013).
It follows from these considerations that the needs assessment tool is crucial for any establishment aiming at the constant improvement of the outcomes of various procedures. In the case of PICC, it identifies the patients complaints and possible complications, highlighting such data points as the staff training or the need for the reconsideration of the existing approaches. The given tool should also serve as the only source of the credible information connected with the PICC and its outcomes. The data collection is extremely vital for the correct identification of the change areas and the creation of the strategic plan. In this regard, the given tool becomes indispensable in terms of the modern health care sector.
References
Cape, A., Mogensen, K., Robinson, M., & Carusi, D. (2014). Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) complications during pregnancy. Journal of parenteral and eternal nutrition, 38(5), 595-601.
Gupta, K. (2011). A practical guide to needs assessment. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Kaufman, R., & Guerra-LĂłpez, I. (2013). Needs assessment for organizational success. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Weigl, B., Gaydos, C., Kost, G., Bayette, F., Stephanie, S., Rompalo, A., Santos, T., McMullan, J., & Haller, J. (2013). The Value of Clinical Needs Assessments for Point-of-Care Diagnostics. Point Care, 11(2), 108-113.
World Health Organization. (2011). Needs assessment for medical devices.