assessment 34

For this assessment, you will develop a Word document or an online resource repository of at least 12 annotated professional or scholarly resources that you consider critical for the audience of your safety improvement plan to understand or implement to ensure the success of the plan.

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Introduction

Communication in the health care environment consists of an information-sharing experience whether through oral or written messages (Chard & Makary, 2015). As health care organizations and nurses strive to create a culture of safety and quality care, the importance of interprofessional collaboration, the development of tool kits, and the use of wikis become more relevant and vital. In addition to the dissemination of information and evidence-based findings and the development of tool kits, continuous support for and availability of such resources are critical. Among the most popular methods to promote ongoing dialogue and information sharing are blogs, wikis, websites, and social media. Nurses know how to support people in time of need or crisis and how to support one another in the workplace; wikis in particular enable nurses to continue that support beyond the work environment. Here they can be free to share their unique perspectives, educate others, and promote health care wellness at local and global levels (Kaminski, 2016).

You are encouraged to complete the Determining the Relevance and Usefulness of Resources activity prior to developing the repository. This activity will help you determine which resources or research will be most relevant to address a particular need. This may be useful as you consider how to explain the purpose and relevance of the resources you are assembling for your tool kit. The activity is for your own practice and self-assessment, and demonstrates course engagement.

References

Chard, R., & Makary, M. A. (2015). Transfer-of-care communication: Nursing best practices.  AORN Journal, 102(4), 329–342.

Kaminski, J. (2016). Why all nurses can/should be authors.  Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics, 11(4), 1–7.

Professional Context

Nurses are often asked to implement processes, concepts, or practices—sometimes with little preparatory communication or education. One way to encourage sustainability of quality and process improvements is to assemble an accessible, user-friendly tool kit for knowledge and process documentation. Creating a resource repository or tool kit is also an excellent way to follow up an educational or in-service session, as it can help to reinforce attendees’ new knowledge as well as the understanding of its value. By practicing creating a simple online tool kit, you can develop valuable technology skills to improve your competence and efficacy. This technology is easy to use, and resources are available to guide you.

Scenario

For this assessment, build on the work done in your first three assessments and create an online tool kit or resource repository that will help the audience of your in-service understand the research behind your safety improvement plan pertaining to a specific patient safety issue and put the plan into action.

Preparation

Google Sites is recommended for this assessment; the tools are free to use and should offer you a blend of flexibility and simplicity as you create your online tool kit. Please note that this requires a Google account; use your Gmail or GoogleDocs login, or create an account following the directions under the “Create Account” menu.

Refer to the resources on the following list to help you get started with Google Sites:

· Assessment 4: Google Sites  reading list.

Instructions

Using Google Sites, assemble an online resource tool kit containing at least 12 annotated resources that you consider critical to the success of your safety improvement initiative. These resources should enable nurses and others to implement and maintain the safety improvement you have developed.

It is recommended that you focus on the 3 or 4 most critical categories or themes with respect to your safety improvement initiative. For example, for an initiative that concerns improving workplace safety for practitioners, you might choose broad themes such as general organizational safety and quality best practices; environmental safety and quality risks; individual strategies to improve personal and team safety; and process best practices for reporting and improving environmental safety issues.

Following the recommended scheme, you would collect 3 resources on average for each of the 4 categories focusing on a specific patient safety issue. Each resource listing should include the following:

· An APA-formatted citation of the resource with a working link.

· A description of the information, skills, or tools provided by the resource.

· A brief explanation of how the resource can help nurses better understand or implement the safety improvement initiative pertaining to a specific patient safety issue.

· A description of how nurses can use this resource and when its use may be appropriate.

Remember that you must make your site “public” so that your faculty can access it. Check out the Google Sites resources for more information.

Here is an example entry:

· Merret, A., Thomas, P., Stephens, A., Moghabghab, R., & Gruneir, M. (2011).  A collaborative approach to fall prevention .  Canadian Nurse, 107(8), 24–29.

· This article presents the Geriatric Emergency Management-Falls Intervention Team (GEM-FIT) project. It shows how a collaborative nurse lead project can be implemented and used to improve collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork, as well as improve the delivery of health care services. This resource is likely more useful to nurses as a resource for strategies and models for assembling and participating in an interdisciplinary team than for specific fall-prevention strategies. It is suggested that this resource be reviewed prior to creating an interdisciplinary team for a collaborative project in a health care setting.

Additionally, be sure that your plan addresses the following, which corresponds to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Please study the scoring guide carefully so you understand what is needed for a distinguished score.

· Identify necessary resources to support the implementation and continued sustainability of a safety improvement initiative pertaining to a specific patient safety issue.

· Analyze the usefulness of resources to the role group responsible for implementing quality and safety improvements focusing on a specific patient safety issue.

· Analyze the value of resources to reduce patient safety risk related to a specific patient safety issue.

· Present reasons and relevant situations for use of resource tool kit by its target audience.

· Communicate in a clear, logically structured, and professional manner that applies current APA style and formatting.

Example Assessment: You may use the following example to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like but  keep in mind that your tool kit will focus on promoting safety with the quality issue you selected in Assessment 1. Note that you do not have to submit your bibliography in addition to the Google Site; the example bibliography is merely for your reference.

· Assessment 4 Example [PDF]  Download Assessment 4 Example [PDF] .

To submit your online tool kit assessment, paste the link to your Google Site in the assessment submission box.

Example Google Site: You may use the example found on the  Assessment 4: Google Sites  reading list, Resources for Improved Heparin Infusion Safety, to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like for this assessment but  keep in mind that your tool kit will focus on promoting safety with the quality issue you selected in Assessment 1

Note: If you experience technical or other challenges in completing this assessment, please contact your faculty member.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

· Competency 1: Analyze the elements of a successful quality improvement initiative.

· Analyze the usefulness of resources to the role group responsible for implementing quality and safety improvements focusing on a specific patient safety issue.

· Competency 2: Analyze factors that lead to patient safety risks.

· Analyze the value of resources to reduce patient safety risk related to a specific patient safety issue.

· Competency 3: Identify organizational interventions to promote patient safety.

· Identify necessary resources to support the implementation and continued sustainability of a safety improvement initiative pertaining to a specific patient safety issue.

· Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly, evidence-based strategies to communicate in a manner that supports safe and effective patient care.

· Present reasons and relevant situations for resource tool kit to be used by its target audience.

· Communicate resource tool kit in a clear, logically structured, and professional manner that applies current APA style and formatting.

 

Assessment 1

 

Medication Errors

Medication errors affect millions of individuals annually and endanger their health. These errors can occur during prescribing, dispensing, administering, and monitoring medications. Medication errors prolong hospital stays, raise healthcare expenses, and even kill patients, and they damage public trust in healthcare institutions (Jean-Pierre, 2022). With advances in pharmacology and the rise of chronic illnesses requiring many medications, medication errors become more likely. Quality improvement (QI) programs, evidence-based methods, and healthcare personnel, notably nurses, engaging in mistake prevention are needed to address this issue. Medication errors can involve dosage, medicine selection, timing, patient allergies, or other factors. Medication safety is crucial to patient care because every error can hurt. Medication errors cause physical harm to patients, emotional stress for patients and healthcare personnel, and legal issues for healthcare institutions. Thus, medication error reduction through education, training, technology integration, and process improvements is essential for patient safety and healthcare results.

Factors Leading to Medication Errors

Medication errors are indeed multifaceted and often system-based, hence involving various levels of health operational activity rather than being the fault of a single individual. The largest contributing factor includes staffing shortages that have been substantially strained in the last few years, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In these understaffed healthcare facilities, nurses and other healthcare providers are often overworked to exhaustion, and their concentration may be belittled. This sets the stage for drug administration errors. Another factor is poor communication among healthcare providers. Medication errors largely result from miscommunication or incomplete information exchange at transitions of care, when patients are transferred to another unit or changed from one provider to another. It includes failing to provide the next shift of nurses with the right medication or failing to communicate a doctor’s patient instructions. Though reduced with electronic prescribing systems, handwritten prescriptions are still a common source of errors due to illegibility or ambiguous abbreviations.

Evidence-Based and Best-Practice Solutions

To facilitate medication errors, healthcare institutions should incorporate evidence-based practices and safety enhancements. One of the practice recommendations is the standardization of medication protocols, which creates clarity and consistency in drug administration, reducing the likelihood of errors (Yin et al., 2021). Moreover, technology plays an important role, and systems like BCMA have been highly effective in promoting accuracy in the administration of the correct medication to the proper patient. Ongoing training and education programs are also quite crucial in keeping healthcare professionals abreast of current best practices related to medication safety. Where double-checking of high-risk medications is added to ensure another healthcare professional verifies dosage and medication before administration; this, therefore, minimizes the consequence of an error.

The Role of Nurses in Increasing Patient Safety

Nurses can reduce medication errors and improve patient safety. Nurses are at the frontline of patient care and must prevent errors when administering drugs. Nurses’ medication reconciliation is crucial to drug safety. The process entails examining a patient’s medication list during hospital admission or discharge to ensure correct documentation and adjustments. Nurses can avoid medication duplication and omission by comparing new prescriptions to the patient’s current regimen. In addition to medication reconciliation, nurses educate patients about their drugs. Nurses must teach patients how to take their prescriptions, explain side effects, and stress adherence. Nurses prevent self-administration errors by educating patients about their treatments. Without knowing the necessity of following instructions, patients may change their dosages or stop taking their prescriptions prematurely. Nurses can drastically reduce medication mishandling outside of the clinic through patient education (Logan et al., 2020). Nurses are vital liaisons between doctors, pharmacists, and patients. Nurses regularly explain prescriptions and treatment directions to prevent pharmaceutical mishaps. Nurses can contact the prescribing physician or pharmacist to clarify or correct a prescription that seems unsuitable for the patient.

Stakeholders in Addressing Medication Safety

Multiple stakeholders have unique but interwoven roles in pharmaceutical safety to reduce medication errors. Pharmacists ensure that prescriptions are appropriate for the patient and free of drug interactions. Healthcare professionals benefit from pharmacists’ advice on doses, alternative medications, and adverse effects (Yoshimura et al., 2022). Their pharmacology expertise helps prevent drug errors. Healthcare administrators create medication safety rules and procedures, making them another stakeholder group. Administrators must staff their businesses, train and equip people, and install and maintain BCMA and EHRs. Administrators must also encourage personnel to report drug errors and near misses without repercussions to promote safety.

Healthcare administrators reduce drug errors by fostering transparency and responsibility. Patients and their families help reduce drug mishaps. Verifying drugs and knowing treatment regimens help prevent healthcare errors. Patients who know their drugs are more likely to notice an incorrect drug or dose (Al-Worafi, 2020). Therefore, healthcare providers should encourage patients to ask questions and discuss their drugs to improve safer care. Finally, healthcare regulators like The Joint Commission set pharmaceutical safety criteria. These organizations set drug management best practices, which healthcare facilities must follow to be accredited. Regulatory entities audit and analyze healthcare institutions to ensure safety protocols are followed, and pharmaceutical safety is improved.

Conclusion

In conclusion, medication errors significantly threaten patient safety. However, they can be prevented when various strategies are taken into consideration in an evidence-based approach and by a multidisciplinary healthcare provider. Nurses are the most direct caregivers dealing with pharmaceuticals for their patients. Thus, they play an absolutely critical role in safeguarding them from harm through medication reconciliation, teaching them about their medications, and wisely implementing health technologies. Further, a health system that places priority on medication safety can be developed involving pharmacists, healthcare administrators, patients, and regulatory agencies. All the health-related facilities can minimize the occurrence of medication errors by addressing the causes of such situations. They thus would be in a position to implement comprehensive measures for quality improvement.

 

 

Assessment 2

Root-Cause Analysis and Safety Improvement Plan

 

The chosen issue is staffing shortages within healthcare, a problem that has resulted in significant threats regarding the safety of the clients, quality of healthcare services, and medical functions. Staff shortages increase workloads, medical errors, burnout, and mental health issues among providers (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2022). In addition, it has resulted in a drop in job satisfaction rates and financial challenges in the facilities due to the court case battles. The paper involves an analysis focusing on exploring the key contributors, such as inadequate training programs, high turnover rates, and the tea gig workforce. An improvement plan combines workforce development and workplace wellness, maximizing staffing models. It identifies resources and stakeholders for successful implementation, aiming to maintain high-quality medical services and promote patient and provider well-being.

Analysis of the Root Cause

Describing the Staffing Shortages Problems with the Hospital Setting

The issue of staffing shortages is pervasive as it impacts the healthcare facilities and the long-term healthcare facilities. These facilities demand more qualified healthcare professionals, such as nurses, to help meet the growth in the demand for medical services (Nilsen et al., 2020). The effect is excellent, resulting in a low patient-to-staff ratio, increased waiting times, and compromising the quality and safety of medical services offered to the clients. Healthcare settings experience challenges in achieving a successful process of maintaining adequate staff. The affected routine consists of activities carried out during the night shifts, on weekends, and in specialized units.

Analysis of the Critical Aspects Resulting in Staffing Shortages.

One of the factors leading to staffing shortages is the aging workforce and retirements that outpace the new entrants. A large cohort of healthcare professionals, such as nurses, are approaching their retirement age. It implies that the medical sector needs more skilled professionals and human resources (Haddad et al., 2023). There is also an increase in the population, an aging population, and a rise in chronic disease, which increasingly demands more healthcare providers. Such events lead to an imbalance between the retiring professionals and the individuals getting recruited in the medical field.

The other factor is the high turnover rate due to the cases of long working hours, stress, and burnout. The high turnover rate due to burnout, emotional stress, and extended working hours is increasingly reported in the medical sector. The delivery of medical services is a demanding profession that impacts the providers’ physical and psychological health (Kelly et al., 2020). The extended shifts, the rise in the pressure due to the increased number of patients, and the emotional burden result in the cycle of stress and exhaustion. The quality of medical services the clients receive is affected by the rise in turnover caused by burnout.

Inadequate training and healthcare educators are also other challenges. Medical schools, such as nursing schools, must ensure that they meet the increasing demands of the new professionals. Several factors linked to inadequate training worsen the situation of staffing shortages. These factors include the drop in enrolment rate for the medical programs, inadequate financial support to institutions, and the need for more qualified educators. These factors interfere with the training programs from the scale-up, thus negatively impacting the efforts to meet the rise in the number of skilled medical providers (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2022). The failure to address these factors leads to the poor supply of new medical professionals who enter the workforce, increasing the gap between the medical workers and the increasing demand for the services.

Identification of the Primary Root Causes

The aging medical workforce and inadequate recruitment process lead to staffing shortages in medical facilities. This imbalance is worsened by high turnover rates, burnout, poor working conditions, and emotional stress, creating a vicious cycle of understaffing and rising workload. In addition, insufficient financial support and the shortages of qualified and trained educators tamper with the efforts to expand the training programs. Consequently, it leads to the reduction in the supply of the new providers (Poon et al., 2022). The rise in the demand for healthcare services due to the rise in population, the aging population, and the increased reported cases of chronic diseases results in an increased strain on the existing labor force. Systematic issues, such as inadequate compensation, inflexible work schedules, and the need for career development opportunities, make it hard to attract new professionals and retain existing ones.

Application of Evidence-Based Strategies

Workforce Development Initiatives.

Workforce development programs are critical in addressing the root causes of staffing shortages. Such programs aim to attract more talented and new talents in the healthcare sector. It is also focused on the retention of staff and the enhancement of skills. Under such programs, implementing effective recruitment initiatives is critical (Endalamaw et al., 2024). Medical facilities can engage in partnerships with medical schools to ensure the existence of pipeline initiatives that result in the introduction of students to the medical professions. Such initiatives include shadowing opportunities, mentorship programs, and internships. Early exposure to healthcare professionals increases the chances of learners pursuing the medical profession. Workplace Wellness Programs

There is a need to ensure support for the mental well-being of the professionals. The measure involves increased access to counseling services, peer support groups, and mindfulness training. The role of the healthcare profession is a straining one. It involves a rise in the level of level, thus making it necessary to support the well-being of the mental status of the providers (Simms et al., 2023). The approach helps prevent burnout and fatigue. Work-life balance programs are part of effective wellness programs. The existence of flexible scheduling options, family-friendly policies, and sufficient time off leads to improved job satisfaction and retention.

Maximization of the Staffing Models

Maximizing the staffing models helps ensure the successful process of upholding the quality of healthcare services. The key features involve implementing innovative strategies for the staff to maximize effectiveness and flexibility (Griffiths et al., 2020). One of the successful approaches is the use of float pools. This is considered a cross-trained staff with qualifications for working in different departments. Those approaches offer the needed flexibility amongst staff and ease the facility’s response to patient census changes.

It is critical to make sure that acuity-based staffing models are successfully executed. The measures help promote making necessary adjustments to the staff levels as per the needs of the patients. Matching staff skills with patient acuity enables healthcare facilities to use human resources (Juvé‐Udina et al., 2020). Such technology optimizes staffing; for example, technology such as AI-driven scheduling instruments and Predictive Analytics results in forecast demands of the professionals and the development of effective schedules.

Improvement Plan with Evidence-Based and Best-Practice Strategies.

The existing comprehensive plan assists in tackling the problem by considering the approach of integrating different activities, policies, professional development programs, goals, and the timeline for the execution procedures. There are various actions, policies, and professional development programs. These include actions, policies, and professional development programs (Kadariya et al., 2023). It involves the creation of teamwork through the involvement of local educational institutions and universities. Some of the activities involve the implementation of mentorship and internship initiatives. It also entails developing a compensation package with the critical features of retention incentives and rewarding bonuses based on performance.

Launching a holistic wellness program through stress management workshops and mindfulness training sessions is also necessary. It also encompasses activities to help promote access to psychiatric services, flexible work programs, and policies appropriate for families (Kadariya et al., 2023). The other approach is optimizing the staffing models and the professional development opportunities. Such approaches include developing the cross-trained float pool helpful in tackling fluctuations, implementing the acuity-based staffing models, and supporting the predictive analytics software for efficient schedules.

Goals and the Desired Outcomes

The program is expected to result in 25% decrease in staff turnover, 20 % increase in staff satisfaction, 20% decrease in overtime hours, 15% improvement in patient satisfaction, a 25% increase in new recruits from partner educational institutions, and a 90% rate in the workplace wellness program within two years. These improvements are attributed to better-staffed and less stressed medical teams, increased recruitment from partner educational institutions, and a higher patient satisfaction rate.

Existing Organizational Resources

The successful implementation of staffing enhancement plans requires the involvement of key stakeholders, including healthcare administrators, policymakers, and regulatory bodies. Healthcare administrators allocate budgets, approve policy changes, supervise the implementation of new staffing models, and ensure alignment between staffing approaches and organizational objectives (North et al., 2022). They champion the enhancement plan, promoting innovation and worker well-being. Policymakers and regulatory bodies advocate for increased financial support for healthcare education and training programs, develop policies promoting workplace wellness and work-life balance, create regulations fostering safe staffing levels, and offer incentives for medical organizations to implement successful staffing approaches.

Healthcare educators collaborate to design critical curricula, offer training for new and advanced skills, participate in mentorship programs, and conduct research on successful staffing approaches. Their expertise enhances the quality and relevance of development initiatives targeting professionals (North et al., 2022). Nursing staff, who form the most significant medical providers, provide valuable information on workflow issues, participate in wellness programs, serve as mentors for new staff and nursing students, and contribute to the development and execution of new staffing models.

Conclusion

Addressing staffing shortages in healthcare is crucial for patient safety and operational efficiency. Factors contributing to this include an aging workforce, high turnover due to burnout, and inadequate training. An evidence-based safety enhancement plan focuses on workforce development, wellness programs, and optimized staffing models. This plan aims to attract new talent, retain current staff, and improve professional growth. By leveraging organizational resources and involving stakeholders, the plan aims to maintain high-quality medical services and support client and professional well-being.