At the very top of the agenda is always patient results improvement. There are, of course many times when practitioners in the health areas simply don’t know what it is-or just where to look for it-and resources, at a federal practitioner-based level, as one finds them often include a huge number of knowledge bases and application tools that allow healthcare to be delivered better in practice.
This guide will take you through accessing federal practitioner resources and how to use them to enhance patient outcomes. From knowing what these resources are to practical steps in using them, this article is your go-to resource for optimizing patient care.
What Are Federal Practitioner Resources?
Federal practitioner resources are the tools, programs, and information that government agencies provide to health workers to advance the quality of care, patient safety, and evidence-based practice.
Some of the key federal agencies that offer such resources include:
- The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control
- Health National Institutes
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- Food and Drug Administration
The Agencies revise guidelines concerning care issues, new research findings area, training tool kit as well as the educative tool kit.
Why Federal Practitioner Resources?
There are several reasons why federal practitioner resources are a very important input to today’s health care.
- Evidence-Based Practices: The basis of the service is derived from the evidence gleaned through thorough research and data analysis for ensuring that the practitioner gets evidence-based guidelines.
- Affordable Solution: Most of the available federal resources are free or at a very minimal cost, making them accessible both to small and larger healthcare providers.
- Better Patient Outcome: With these resources, practitioners can now put into action best practice leading to better health outcomes for the patient.
- Compliance: Federal resources are generally related to updates of requirements regarding regulation that would keep practicing professionals abreast with the legislation and other guidelines.
How to Access Federal Practitioner Resources
Getting federal practitioner resources is easier than you thought. Here are the steps you can take to get started:
1. Identify Your Needs
Before you go to federal resources, decide specifically what areas you need help in, such as:
- Clinical guidelines for a particular disease?
- Patient education materials?
- Training programs for your staff?
Your needs will steer you in the direction of what is most applicable.
2. Visit Federal Agency Websites
Each federal agency has a website that you go to just for healthcare professional resources. Some of the major ones are:
- CDC: www.cdc.gov
- NIH: www.nih.gov
- AHRQ: www.ahrq.gov
- HRSA: www.hrsa.gov
- FDA: www.fda.gov
3. Use Search Tools and Databases
Most every federal agency website has search tools and databases to help you find what you need. For example:
- The Public Health Library by CDC, access an indexed thousands of articles plus guidelines.
- It has some approximately million and over documents via NIH’s PubMed Database. From aHRQ’ s NNGC,Clinical guideline are actually being collated
4. Subscribe to Newsletters and Alerts
Most of the federal agencies have newsletters and email alerts where practitioners can be well-informed about new resources, guidelines, and updates. In signing up for these alerts, you would remain updated with relevant information.
5. Attend Webinars and Training Events
Federal agencies host webinars, workshops, and training events that are highly relevant to health care professionals in terms of gaining much-needed knowledge for their profession and continuing education hours.
6. Contact Professional Associations
Most professional associations will work with the federal offices to make access as fluid as possible. Membership in the AMA or ANA would give the practitioner another outlet of sources of federal literature.
Key Federal Resources to Enhance Patient Outcomes
Of the most pertinent federal resources, the following sources are available for practitioners:
1. CDC’s Clinical Guidelines
The CDC publishes evidence-based guidelines for infectious diseases and chronic illness, among other conditions. Practitioners make informed decisions concerning patient care from these guidelines.
2. Research Databases provided by NIH
The NIH grants access to its latest research databases, which include PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov, which carries the findings of medical research.
3. AHRQ Quality Improvement Tools
The AHRQ provides a tool and resources that will aid health care organizations in moving toward quality improvement and safety. For instance, the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.
4. HRSA’s Health Workforce Programs
HRSA provides a funding and training program for healthcare professionals and puts much emphasis on those healthcare professionals who treat underserved populations.
5. FDA’s Drug Safety Information
The FDA updates information about drug safety, including recalls and approvals, which aids the practitioner in making good decisions about medications.
Best Practices to Effectively Leverage Federal Practitioner Resources
To use federal practitioner resources effectively, here are a few suggestions:
- Have a System to Organize Items: Set up a means to keep and organize materials you are searching for. This could be a digital file organizer or a physical filing system.
- Share with Your Team: Ask the members of your team to benefit from all of the federal resources available and come back to discuss those relevant findings within the team.
- Apply What You Learn: Use evidence-based practices and guidelines to provide patient care with tangible benefits that may result.
- Give Feedback: A majority of the federal agencies prove to be very open to give their feedback related to their use. In turn, it will help in its quality improvement also.
Real Life Example of Benefits of Patient Improvement
Some examples of how federal resources have been making a difference in patient care include the following:
- Hospital-Acquired Infection Reduction: One hospital implemented hand hygiene based on CDC guidelines. The infections have reduced by 30%.
- Better Diabetes Management: A clinic instituted a patient education program based on NIH research to improve blood sugar control in its patients.
- Enhancing Medication Safety: What a pharmacy did with the up-to-date information of FDA drug safety alerts in relation to the medication protocols in place reduced the adverse drug events, hence increasing the improvement on the medication safety enhancement.
Conclusion
Good sources of the toolkits for the health care practitioners are the federal practitioner resources. When proper access and utilization of the same have been provided for, healthcare providers are constantly being updated on the evidence-based practices while improving quality care to positive influence on patients’ lives.
Begin today exploring federal resources, taking that first step to change your practice. And keep in mind that access is one thing, but applying the knowledge into your work each day is a different thing altogether.
