Project Proposal:
Decreasing Interruptions in Medication Administration
The proposed project seeks to decrease interruptions in medication administration by applying a bottom-up approach. The problem addressed by the project is the concern that interruptions during medication administration lead to a significant proportion of medication errors. Despite the best efforts to safely manage medication administration, mistakes occur within the health care setting (Mortaro et al., 2019). In fact, about 7,000 patients die every year from preventable medication errors. Although there is limited research on this subject, evidence suggests that reducing interruptions would reduce medication errors. In addition, it is noted that medication administration is a routine activity with a skill-based and repetitive nature thereby increasing the risk of distractions (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). To address this concern, the project will apply a pre-and post-intervention observational study approach that is based on direct observation. The intervention will involve adequately training nurses on the risks related to interruptions during medication administration. The bottom-up approach is expected to tailor the intervention and concurrently act as the training instrument tool (Snipes, 2016). During the project, the participating nurses will be observed for total medication dispensing rounds reported for the pre-intervention and post-intervention periods. Observations will note the raw number of interruptions per patient rate during drug rounds with the expectation that the project will result in reduced interruption rates during medication administration (Harris et al., 2016).
Identify the stakeholders impacted by this project.
The project is focused on addressing medication safety. Five stakeholders have been identified as impacted by this project. Firstly, patients/consumers whose lives are risked when medication errors occur. They have become more informed and are no longer passive about their healthcare. Patients are now active customers who ask questions about their medication and are not intimidated by the disposition of medication personal. They should be informed about the project since it has implications for their health care outcomes. Secondly, academia would be interested in the project. The results of the project can be weaved into current medication safety concepts throughout the curriculum thus ensuring that medical personnel is able to develop the critical thinking skills required to manage medication administration safety (Zaccagnini & White, 2017). Thirdly, external health care stakeholders who include licensing, accrediting and regulatory bodies who would use the project results to develop safety standards. Also, the project results would be useful for providing oversight and ensuring that medical organizations fully implement medication administration safety standards. Fourthly, health care organizations, and leaders who would need to incorporate the concepts presented in the project into their patient safety goals and mission statement while upholding practice issues. Their affirmation that patient safety is a significant concern should be accompanied by genuine commitment and action to safe medication administration. The leaders would be interested in transforming the project results into practice standards and protocols then communicating them to all levels of the organization. Finally, medical practitioners would be interested in the project as it presents them with current information bout patient safety. Also, the information allows them to maintain competencies and make necessary changes in practice to improve patient safety (Zaccagnini & White, 2017).
Explain the patient outcome(s) or patient-care efficiencies this project is aimed at improving and explain how this improvement would occur.
The project seeks to reduce interruptions during medication administration with the expectation of a reduced proportion of medication errors. The project will train selected nurses on the risks related to interruptions during medication administration. The information is expected to enable nurse personnel to be more aware of the risks associated with medication errors. In addition, it is expected to enable nurses to develop better strategies and protocols for eliminating or handling interruptions so that they do not interfere with medication administration and they are not distracted. Besides that, it will enable organization leadership to work alongside frontline medical personnel to guide a bottom-up approach in identifying and applying tailored interventions alongside training instrument tools. Ultimately, the project seeks to improve patient safety and care outcomes by reducing incidences of medication errors (Snipes, 2016).
Identify the technologies required to implement this project and explain why.
This project will require three technologies. The first technology is training material that will inform medical personnel about the risks related to interruptions during drug administration. The training material will include a trainer, notes, posters, and presentations. The second technology is access to the electronic medical records (EMR) system. This will offer access to data on incidences of medication errors as well as data on other variables. The final technology is a data analysis software that will determine the correlation between variables to identifying areas in which interventions would present the most benefits (Harris et al., 2016).
Identify the project team (by roles) and explain how you would incorporate the nurse informaticist in the project team.
The project team has three members. The first member is a project manager who would be responsible for coaching the project team through the project life cycle, coordinating with the organization’s management, and ensuring the overall success of the implementation to include meeting deadlines and requirements such as performance and function. In addition, this individual links the implementation phases (planning, design, development, implementation, and testing phases) so that they run seamlessly and are able to communicate. The second member is a training analyst who is responsible for linking the concepts and ideas that are presented as the training requirements. The expertise required of the training analyst is the technical knowledge of continuous training applications. The role requires excellent interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to relay information to others and elicit their needs, and analytical skills. This individual should understand that medication administration needs of the organization and should have a clinical background (Bemker & Schreiner, 2017). The final member is a nurse informaticist who will be responsible for managing all data needs of the project. This will include identifying the project’s data needs in terms of which variables inform on medication errors. In addition, this individual will be responsible for evaluating the project data and communicating the results to the project leader and other stakeholders with a focus on noting implications for the organization (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018).
References
Bemker, M., & Schreiner, B. (Eds.) (2017).
The DNP Degree & Capstone Project: A Practical Guide
. DEStech Publications, Inc.
Harris, J., Roussel, L., Thomas, P., & Dearman, P. (2016).
Project Planning & Management: A Guide for Nurses and Interprofessional Teams
. Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2018).
Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge
(4
th
ed.). Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Mortaro, A., Pascu, D., Pancheri, S., Mazzi, M., Tardivo, S., Bellamoli, C., … & Moretti, F. (2019). Reducing interruptions during medication preparation and administration: An improvement project.
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
, 32(6), 941-957.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-12-2017-0238
Snipes, C. (2016).
Project Management for the Advanced Practice Nurse
. Springer Publishing Company.
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2020).
Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community
. Elsevier, Inc.
Zaccagnini, M., & White, K. (Eds.) (2017).
The Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials: A New Model for Advanced Practice Nursing
(3
rd
ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
Assignment: The Impact of Nursing Informatics on Patient Outcomes and Patient Care Efficiencies
In the Discussion for this module, you considered the interaction of nurse informaticists with other specialists to ensure successful care. How is that success determined?
Patient outcomes and the fulfillment of care goals is one of the major ways that healthcare success is measured. Measuring patient outcomes results in the generation of data that can be used to improve results. Nursing informatics can have a significant part in this process and can help to improve outcomes by improving processes, identifying at-risk patients, and enhancing efficiency.
To Prepare:
Review the concepts of technology application as presented in the Resources.
Reflect on how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence may help fortify nursing informatics as a specialty by leading to increased impact on patient outcomes or patient care efficiencies.
The Assignment: (4-5 pages not including the title and reference page)
In a 4- to 5-page project proposal written to the leadership of your healthcare organization, propose a nursing informatics project for your organization that you advocate to improve patient outcomes or patient-care efficiency. Your project proposal should include the following:
Describe the project you propose.
Identify the stakeholders impacted by this project.
Explain the patient outcome(s) or patient-care efficiencies this project is aimed at improving and explain how this improvement would occur. Be specific and provide examples.
Identify the technologies required to implement this project and explain why.
Identify the project team (by roles) and explain how you would incorporate the nurse informaticist in the project team.
Use APA format and include a title page and reference page.
Use the Safe Assign Drafts to check your match percentage before submitting your work.