| Course | NUR 548 Patient Safety, Health Care Quality and Informatics |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Significant learning discussion post with peer reply |
| Length | About 456 words |
| Format | Discussion post with APA 7 citations |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | MS in Nursing |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 548 Module 3
Discussion Forum 3: Strategic Application (Part 1)
Three Questions for One Catheter: Applying the Model for Improvement to Idle IVs
Individual Post
After counting catheters on four shifts, I found 41 peripheral IV catheters in place on our 28-bed orthopedic unit, and 15 of them, about 37%, had no infusion or IV medication in the previous 24 hours. That is more than twice the international figure from last week's reading. This module gave me a way to act on it. I have organized my learning under application, integration and the human dimension (Fink, 2013).
Application. Before testing anything, the Model for Improvement poses three questions (Langley et al., 2009). First, the aim. Mine: reduce idle peripheral IV catheters on our unit from 37% to 15% or less by March 31. How will we know that a change is an improvement? The outcome measure is the weekly percentage of idle catheters; a process measure is the percentage of patients whose IV need is reviewed at the morning huddle; and a balancing measure is the number of IV restarts within 24 hours of removal, to make sure we are not removing catheters patients still need. What changes could we make that would lead to improvement? Ideas include a daily IV need question at huddle, a removal prompt when IV medications are discontinued, and agreement with surgeons on when oral medications are enough after joint replacement.
Integration. Evidence shows the problem starts before patients reach us. An Australian emergency department found that 50% of the catheters it placed went unused, and many admitted patients still had unused catheters 72 hours later (Limm et al., 2013). Our patients arrive with catheters placed in the emergency department or in surgery, so a full solution will need those units eventually. For now, I will start where I have influence.
Human dimension. The teamwork lesson changed how I would form the team. Instead of a committee, I would start with a charge nurse, two staff nurses from different shifts, a pharmacist and a willing surgeon's physician assistant. Asking the same question at every huddle, whether each patient still needs the IV and why, gives every nurse a script for raising the issue and makes it normal to ask. I also plan to share the four-shift count with the team before we meet, so the first conversation starts from our own data rather than from my opinion.
Peer Post
Tasha, your aim to reduce hypoglycemia events on your medical unit was clear and measurable. I wondered about your balancing measure. If nurses hold insulin more often to avoid lows, could high glucose readings rise? Tracking the percentage of readings above 300 might show whether the change shifts harm rather than reducing it. I would watch that number weekly alongside the lows.
References
Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses (Rev. ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Langley, G. J., Moen, R. D., Nolan, K. M., Nolan, T. W., Norman, C. L., & Provost, L. P. (2009). The improvement guide: A practical approach to enhancing organizational performance (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Limm, E. I., Fang, X., Dendle, C., Stuart, R. L., & Egerton Warburton, D. (2013). Half of all peripheral intravenous lines in an Australian tertiary emergency department are unused: Pain with no gain? Annals of Emergency Medicine, 62(5), 521-525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2013.02.022
NUR 548 Module 3 instructions, in plain terms
The course syllabus places Discussion Forum 3, Strategic Application Part 1, in Course Module 3, along with three IHI eLearning lessons on health care improvement basics, how to improve with the Model for Improvement, and teamwork and communication, each with a certificate due that week. The forum is a significant learning synthesis with an individual post and a peer post. The prompt will likely have you apply the Model for Improvement and teamwork concepts to a quality or safety problem in practice, using Fink's categories to show what you learned. The Canvas page gives the required categories and whether the prompt asks for an aim statement and measures. Some versions also want the team you would assemble, so it helps to think about who has influence over the problem before you write.
Inside the NUR 548 Module 3 example
The post starts with a small local data count that sizes the problem and links it to the previous week's reading. The application section answers each of the model's three questions in turn, with an aim that includes a number and date and three types of measures, including a balancing measure. The integration section brings in an emergency department study that shows the problem begins upstream. The human dimension section applies the teamwork lesson to team membership and a scripted huddle question. The peer post suggests a balancing measure for a classmate's project. Labeling each measure as outcome, process or balancing makes the post easy to grade against the Model for Improvement and shows the writer understands why each is there.
Reading the NUR 548 Module 3 grading rubric
Graders usually look first at whether the Model for Improvement is used correctly, including a specific aim and appropriate measures, application of teamwork and communication concepts, Fink-based reflection, cited evidence and a thoughtful peer post. Faculty look for aims with a number and a date rather than general goals. Including a balancing measure shows understanding of how improvement can cause unintended harm. Local data, even a small count, show the student has looked at the problem directly. APA citations and timeliness complete the grade. Change ideas that a staff nurse could test next week, rather than policies that need committee approval, show an understanding of how improvement begins in practice.
NUR 548 Module 3 help from the desk
Aims often lose points because they lack a target number or a deadline. Write one that a reader could measure. Another is listing measures without saying which is outcome, process and balancing. Choose change ideas you could test on a small scale, not policies that require a committee. Make the team specific. Cite the improvement guide or IHI lessons accurately. If you would like help writing an aim statement and measures for a problem on your own unit, send the forum prompt and your idea to the desk. If you have no local data, describe how you would gather a simple baseline count, since an aim without a starting point is hard to judge.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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NUR 548 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 548 Module 3 sample paper?
Read the full Discussion Forum 3 sample above: the Model for Improvement applied to idle IV catheters with an aim, three measures, change ideas and a team plan, plus a peer post and references.
What are the three questions of the Model for Improvement?
The model's three questions concern the aim, the way to tell whether a change helped, and the changes worth testing.
What is a balancing measure?
It watches for harm the change might cause somewhere else, such as IV restarts after catheters come out.
How do I write an aim statement for NUR 548?
Say what should get better, for whom, by how much and when, for example reducing idle catheters to 15% or less by a set date.
How does teamwork fit the NUR 548 improvement forum?
The syllabus pairs the forum with IHI PS 104 on teamwork and communication, so posts usually address team membership and how the team will communicate.