NURS 4020 Capella University Quality Improvement Initiative Tool Kit Essay

Improvement Plan Tool Kit Example Approach

Medication administration errors are undesirable in healthcare facilities. The safety improvement plan of interest will focus on introducing barcode medication administration technology and a staff education program. The focus is reducing medication administration errors’ prevalence, thus improving patient safety and ensuring quality patient outcomes. This improvement plan kit is divided into four themes: Evidence-Based Medication Error Prevention Strategies, Utilization of Healthcare Technologies, Education and Training, Communication and collaboration. The tool kit provides and explains how various resources under these themes will help implement and sustain a safety improvement plan initiative in a medical unit in a healthcare facility.

Evidence-Based Medication Error Prevention Strategies Annotated Bibliography 

Manias, E., Kusljic, S., & Wu, A. (2020). Interventions to reduce medication errors in adult medical and surgical settings: a systematic review. Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety, 11, 2042098620968309. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042098620968309

The article explores literature for interventions to reduce medication errors in healthcare facilities. The article supports the assertion that medication errors are the leading causes of death and harm globally, and the researchers compared the different activities in reducing medication errors with prescribing, administering, and supplying medication. The researchers analyzed results from six libraries and used statistical analysis to determine the success of these activities. The study results show that the most effective interventions include pharmacist-led reconciliations, prescriber education, medication reconciliation by trained mentors, and computerized physician order entry.

The study also showed that combined interventions such as CPOE and automated distribution systems have better outcomes than single technology interventions. Combining interventions is thus potentially effective, and thus, the result supports the safety improvement plan. The resource will help the nurses understand the importance and effectiveness of the chosen interventions in addressing medication errors and improving patient safety. The resource will also help the nurses select the best interventions to propose in addition to the selected safety improvement plan.

Salar, A., Kiani, F., & Rezaee, N. (2020). Preventing the medication errors in hospitals: A qualitative study. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 13, 100235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2020.100235

The study was conducted in Iran to identify the best interventions in medication error prevention in a hospital ward. The study was conducted using 16 nurses and one physician selected using purposive sampling, and data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The study results were categorized into acting professionally and presenting technical strategies. In the ‘acting professionally theme,’ themes that appeared include reading the drug label, continuous training on medication administration, preventing errors, and awareness of the legal implications. Under the theme of ‘presenting technical strategies,’ themes most prominent were distinguishing high-risk drugs, medication safe-keeping, and skilled nurses administering drugs. The resource will help the nurses understand their responsibility and collaborative efforts in preventing medication errors. 

It will also help identify areas in their practices that require improvement and help them address these areas. It will also help them appreciate and select technical interventions to help reduce medication administration errors. The resource will also help us understand the importance of mixing technical strategies and professionalism in minimizing medication errors. The resource is vital to safety improvement because change begins with an individual, and understanding the basic activities that prevent errors can help nurses advance to better patient outcomes.

Ciapponi, A., Nievas, S. E. F., Seijo, M., Rodríguez, M. B., Vietto, V., García-Perdomo, H. A., Virgilio, S., Fajreldines, A. V., Tost, J., Rose, C. J., & Garcia-Elorrio, E. (2021). Reducing medication errors for adults in hospital settings. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (11). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd009985.pub2

This article evaluated the effectiveness of various interventions in preventing medication administration errors among adults admitted in a hospital setting. The researchers conducted a systematic review of studies investigating interventions aimed at medication error prevention. The study also evaluated other outcome measures such as adverse drug events, length of hospital stays, quality of life, mortality, and morbidity in all hospital care units. The research analyzed 65 studies and showed that medication reconciliation was the most common and effective intervention in medication administration error prevention. 

Other interventions with high efficacy included electronic prescribing systems, barcode medication administration, professional education, improved medication dispensing systems, and organizational policy changes. The study results show that interventions such as medication reconciliation, CPOE, CDSS, barcoding, and feedback and dispensing systems reduce medication administration errors and adverse drug events. The resource supports the safety improvement plans interventions, professional education, and BCMA are evidence-based interventions that are viable in preventing medication errors.

The resource compares the effectiveness of the various interventions in different studies. It helps determine their effectiveness based on the identified evaluation parameters. Using the information provided, nurses can analyze interventions and select the best intervention(s) based on their success in achieving the desired goals. This resource can be helpful to nurses who wish to evaluate an intervention to prevent medication administration errors in the hospital. The areas evaluated and discussed above can serve as a guideline to determine the impact of the intervention besides its effectiveness in medication administration error prevention. The resource can also be sued to help determine the compatible interventions required to produce quality outcomes among patients.

Utilization of Healthcare Technologies

Saleem, M. (2023). Barcode Medication Administration Technology to Prevent Medication Errors. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons–Pakistan: JCPSP, 33(1), 107-108. https://doi.org/10.29271/jcpsp.2023.01.107

The study is a viewpoint proposing BCMA implementation to avoid adverse drug events. The resource gives an overview of BCMA, studies its effectiveness, and evaluates challenges associated with its implementation of BCMA. The article aims to improve BCMA awareness and oversee its implementation in care facilities. The literature review in the study shows that BCMA improves patient safety by decreasing the rate of adverse drug events and transcription errors. BCMA requires the institution to implement supporting technologies, particularly CPOE, to ensure all medications are available in the system and any errors between prescription and administration are easily discovered. Barcode medication administration is a viable technology for reducing mortality and morbidity related to preventable medication administration errors.

The resource is crucial to the safety improvement plan. It has vast information on the state of the art of BCMA and its application to improve medication administration safety in healthcare facilities. The study depicts BCMA as a clinical decision support system that will assist nurses in administering medications flawlessly. One of the technology’s limitations is detecting errors that occurred before the entry of the CPOE. The technology also requires a functional health information system and other medication error prevention technologies such as CPOE and CDSS. Given the protocol outlined in this study, the resource can be used to educate nurses on how to implement the BCMA technology in the facility. Thus, this resource is crucial to ensuring the successful implementation of the safety improvement plan.

Naidu, M. & Alicia, Y. L. (2019). Impact of barcode medication administration and electronic medication administration record system in clinical practice for an effective medication administration process. Health, 11(05): 511. https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2019.115044 .

The study notes that change interventions are directed toward creating a new norm in healthcare facilities. The study was implemented to determine the outcomes of using BCMA and electronic medication administration systems (e-MAR), as well as clinical practices, policies, and processes that affect nurses’ medication administration processes in clinical settings. A literature review during the study revealed that provision guidelines increase compliance with BCMA implementation. Studies also reported significant improvement in medication error reduction during the period. In addition, adding e-MAR to BCMA increased its efficiency and efficacy in error prevention. The study also explores the advantages and disadvantages of BCMA and e-MAR, strategies for developing BCMA and e-MAR systems, and the implementation process and potential challenges and their management.

This resource will be crucial to the team in implementing the BCMA technology and considering other backup technologies for increased efficiency. The study supports implementing BCMA as a viable technology for preventing medication errors. The study will be an integral resource for the nurses as it will help them evaluate the BCMA critically before implementation. Reviewing the advantages and disadvantages and weighing them in the organizational context will help determine if it is a viable innovation for the healthcare facility. In addition, the resource will provide nurses with a step-by-step process for developing, implementing, and evaluating the BCMA intervention. In addition, it will provide vital information that will help predict and identify challenges and address them for the successful implementation of the project. Thus, the resource supports the safety improvement plan and will help implement the plan.

Broome, R. G., Thomas, M., Jones, C., & Sneha, S. (2020). Exploring BCMA compliance in an acute care community hospital. Nursing Management, 51(11), 32-38. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000719412.67108.17

The researchers note that it has been established in earlier studies that BCMA is a viable technology for eliminating medication administration errors. However, few studies address the rates of care providers’ adherence to the technology or strategies to ensure adherence and ensure facilities reap the maximum benefits of the technologies. The study evaluated a BCMA implementation project developed to ensure that all six medication rights are appropriately implemented in medication administration. The project’s adherence rate was 99.77 compared to the 99 national benchmarks. Many factors affect the adherence rate, and the rate varies significantly in other healthcare facilities. The researchers noted that the significant factors affecting adherence to the technology include unscannable QR codes, patients with several risk assessment wristbands, drained batteries, patient PIB removal or damage to the PIB, medications without barcodes, damaged barcodes, unreadable barcodes and improper barcode placement by the pharmacy department.

Recommended change interventions include adding drop-down menu options in the HER, implementing a handheld wireless scanner, improving maintenance of the AMU machine, and other strategies to address these issues. The study is thus resourceful and can help predict barriers to compliance success and present their management options. The resource provides vital information that can be used to help improve the proposed change interventions. The resource will enhance the nurses’ knowledge of barriers to BCMA technology compliance and success and strategies to address the barriers. The resource will thus help implement and comply with the safety improvement plan.

Nurses Education and Training

Marufu, T. C., Bower, R., Hendron, E., & Manning, J. C. (2022). Nursing interventions to reduce medication errors in pediatrics and neonates: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 62, e139-e147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2021.08.024

There are numerous organizational, systematic, technological and personal interventions to prevent medication errors. They all have varying degrees of success and compatibility based on the organization, unit, or need (causal factors). The study aimed to identify nursing interventions to reduce medication administration errors. The systematic review analyzed 18 studies that met the predetermined inclusion criteria. The studies analyzed were from various countries, the majority being from the US, thus providing a better representation of global perspectives and interventions in preventing medication errors. An analysis of the studies showed that the primary interventions include education programs, medication information services, pharmacists’ involvement/medical reconciliation, double checking, and smart pumps. Education interventions were identified in 13 out of 18 of the studies, showing that they are the most common interventions in healthcare. A meta-analysis showed that education programs have an associated sixty-four percent reduction in medication administration errors after implementation.

The study notes that medication administration safety is a multifaceted problem, and medication safety education is essential to care interventions. According to the study, care providers must identify the causes of errors before implementing care interventions. The resource supports the implementation of a staff education program and the implementation of care interventions based on the causes of errors being addressed. The resource will allow nurses to compare the effectiveness of various care methods against staff education. It will also lead nurses to evaluate the causes of medication errors before implementing the best care interventions.

Alrabadi, N., Shawagfeh, S., Haddad, R., Mukattash, T., Abuhammad, S., Al-rabadi, D., Farha, R. A., AlRabadi, S., & Al-Faouri, I. (2021). Medication errors: a focus on nursing practice. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, 12(1), 78-86. https://doi.org/10.1093/jphsr/rmaa025

Medication administration is a primary nursing role, and the government endeavors to ensure individuals remain healthy and free from physical and psychological suffering, such as that associated with medication administration errors. Thus, a deep understanding of medication errors and clinical practices is vital for their management/ prevention. The researchers reviewed studies on medication errors from Google Scholar and other search engines. The review explores various areas of medication errors, such as classification, types, outcomes, reporting processes, and strategies to prevent medication errors. The study is instrumental to the staff education program because it highlights the factors vital to preventing medication errors. The study also explains the evidence-based strategies that can be used to address the problem, such as independent double checks, standardizing procedures, documentation, keeping communication lines open, patient engagement, avoiding distraction, creating a blame-free culture, and organizational support in error reporting.

This resource will be integral to informing the content of the educational program. The resource is extensive and covers many domains of medication administration and its interception with the nursing profession. The themes discussed. An analysis of the best practices provided in this study will help determine which practices to include in the safety improvement plan besides the proposed changes. The resource will also form a vital framework that will guide how the two interventions in the safety improvement plan will be implemented. The resource will also provide interventions for continuous organizational improvement.

Lilley, L. L., Collins, S. R., & Snyder, J. S. (2022). Pharmacology and the nursing process E-Book. (10th Ed.) Elsevier health sciences.

The book is a resourceful intervention that explores the state of the art of pharmacology in nursing. The book has a topic dedicated to medication error prevention and response. The book also explores medication administration for the various systems and also routes. The book explores the various types of errors and their detection. It also explores the use of healthcare technologies such as BCMA, CDSS, CPOE and e-MAR in detecting and correcting medication errors. The chapter also explores the significance of interprofessional collaboration in medication error prevention. It discusses in depth the steps nurses can take to address medication errors in various circumstances, such as overdose and medication side effects. Unlike studies, the book examines the concepts in depth. For example, it explains stepwise interventions such as administering antidotes, including their doses.

The book also presents a stepwise implementation of a preventive intervention for preventing medication errors. The book also discusses the ethical and legal issues in medication administration and issues hardly addressed by studies. The book notes that medication errors are undesirable and have legal implications for the patients, care providers and the facility. It also presents best practices in medication administration, such as utilizing medication administration companions and proper documentation to avoid the legal and ethical issues associated with medication administration. Thus, this resource will be significant to the nurses and help implement the safety improvement plan.

Interprofessional Education and Collaboration

Grimes, T. C., & Guinan, E. M. (2022). Interprofessional education focused on medication safety: A systematic review. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2021.2015301

The study’s main aim was to evaluate interprofessional collaboration interventions’ design, delivery, and evaluation. The systematic review describes medication safety-focused interprofessional education. The focus themes were the learners’ opinions, satisfaction, and attitude towards interprofessional work. The most common groups identified in the study were nurses, physicians, and pharmacists. These professionals view medication safety from different perspectives but with the patients’ interests and hearts. The study shows that learners accept and adopt early medication safety interventions focused on an interprofessional team.

The study recommendations could be used in the safety improvement plan. The recommendations include the development of a standard curriculum, learner engagement, and quality and drive development. The care professionals working together must also have the skill set necessary before engaging in the interprofessional team. In addition, the education program should have a learning outcome and assessment approach predefined pre-implementation.

The resource will help the role group in various ways. The nurses can utilize the recommendations of this resource to implement the desired safety improvement plan. It will also help them prepare to implement the desired interventions. For example, the outcomes of the education plan and the assessment plan should be determined before and well-curated to ensure they measure the effectiveness of the education intervention. Thus, this resource will help implement the interventions and meet the desired goals.

Irajpour, A., Farzi, S., Saghaei, M., & Ravaghi, H. (2019). Effect of interprofessional education of medication safety program on the medication error of physicians and nurses in the intensive care units. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 8. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_200_19

Medication administration is a primary nursing role, but nurses are not the only professionals administering medications. Other care providers, such as pharmacists, physicians, and nurses, are also crucial in medication administration and error prevention. The study evaluated the effectiveness of an interprofessional education program on medication safety for nurses and physicians. The study results showed a decrease in medication error rate post-implementation compared to pre-implementation. Interprofessional education helps improve interprofessional collaboration, which positively impacts care outcomes. Interprofessional teams bring different perspectives that ensure high-quality decisions, represent the interests of all healthcare professions, and holistically achieve patients’ needs. Thus, interprofessional education programs on medication safety can help reduce medication errors and improve patient safety.

The resource will help oversee the safety improvement plan implementation. The resource will help incorporate change interventions in the safety improvement plan. It will help the nurses incorporate other care providers to ensure quality outcomes. The nursing profession cannot be independent and must rely on other professionals’ input. The resource will help the nurses seek input from other professionals and use it to improve and implement the safety improvement plan.

Kim, S., Kim, H., & Suh, H. S. (2022, March). Priorities in the Prevention Strategies for Medication Error Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process Method. In Healthcare (Vol. 10, No. 3, p. 512). MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10030512

The study was conducted to prioritize medication error prevention strategies. Various strategies cut across various units and have varying effectiveness and compatibility with the organization/institution wishing to implement them. The hierarchy structure implemented had three stages;’ goals of decisions, criteria, and alternatives. Ten experts were involved in the process. In the decision criteria, the most selected criteria were system improvement over cultural and system improvement in the counterplan. The preferred alternative was a counterplan by facilities and culture change from a blame culture to a safety and reporting culture. A sensitivity analysis shows that priorities are robust based on organizational needs. The study recommends an analytical hierarchy process in selecting and prioritizing preventive strategies to address current needs and implement evidence-based strategies and policies to improve patient safety.

The resource will be vital in prioritizing interventions that involve creating effective interventions to manage the medication administration problem. Organizational needs may differ based on the settings of interest and the services offered by a facility. For example, this safety improvement plan focuses on medical units, and the needs in the medical units may differ from those in intensive care units hence the need for prioritization. The analytic hierarchy process will help prioritize the two priorities based on organizational needs or available resources. Healthcare resources are scarce, and the tool will help the nurses prioritize implementing the safety improvement plan initiatives based on their effectiveness.

Conclusion

Medication safety is an essential concept in the nursing profession and healthcare. Medication administration errors occur at the point of care and are caused by various factors that should be promptly addressed. Medication administration errors can be prevented using various interventions, and the selected interventions in this safety improvement plan are BCMA and an education program. The above resources support the interventions selected in the safety improvement plan and will guide the nurses in designing, implementing, and evaluating them. Healthcare institutions should focus on such improvement interventions to improve patient safety, satisfaction and ensure quality care outcomes.

References

Alrabadi, N., Shawagfeh, S., Haddad, R., Mukattash, T., Abuhammad, S., Al-rabadi, D., Farha, R. A., AlRabadi, S., & Al-Faouri, I. (2021). Medication errors: a focus on nursing practice. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, 12(1), 78-86. https://doi.org/10.1093/jphsr/rmaa025

Broome, R. G., Thomas, M., Jones, C., & Sneha, S. (2020). Exploring BCMA compliance in an acute care community hospital. Nursing Management, 51(11), 32-38. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000719412.67108.17

Ciapponi, A., Nievas, S. E. F., Seijo, M., Rodríguez, M. B., Vietto, V., García-Perdomo, H. A., Virgilio, S., Fajreldines, A. V., Tost, J., Rose, C. J., & Garcia-Elorrio, E. (2021). Reducing medication errors for adults in hospital settings. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (11). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd009985.pub2

Grimes, T. C., & Guinan, E. M. (2022). Interprofessional education focused on medication safety: A systematic review. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2021.2015301

Irajpour, A., Farzi, S., Saghaei, M., & Ravaghi, H. (2019). Effect of interprofessional education of medication safety program on the medication error of physicians and nurses in the intensive care units. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 8. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_200_19

Kim, S., Kim, H., & Suh, H. S. (2022, March). Priorities in the Prevention Strategies for Medication Error Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process Method. In Healthcare (Vol. 10, No. 3, p. 512). MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10030512

Lilley, L. L., Collins, S. R., & Snyder, J. S. (2022). Pharmacology and the Nursing Process E-Book. (10th Ed.). Elsevier health sciences.

Manias, E., Kusljic, S., & Wu, A. (2020). Interventions to reduce medication errors in adult medical and surgical settings: a systematic review. Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety, 11, 2042098620968309. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042098620968309

Marufu, T. C., Bower, R., Hendron, E., & Manning, J. C. (2022). Nursing interventions to reduce medication errors in paediatrics and neonates: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 62, e139-e147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2021.08.024  

Naidu, M., & Alicia, Y. L. Y. (2019). Impact of barcode medication administration and electronic medication administration record system in clinical practice for an effective medication administration process. Health, 11(05), 511.https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2019.115044

Salar, A., Kiani, F., & Rezaee, N. (2020). Preventing the medication errors in hospitals: A qualitative study. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 13, 100235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2020.100235

Saleem, M. (2023). Barcode Medication Administration Technology to Prevent Medication Errors. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons–Pakistan: JCPSP, 33(1), 107-108. https://doi.org/10.29271/jcpsp.2023.01.107

NURS 4020 Capella University Quality Improvement Initiative Tool Kit Essay

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, pertaining to medication administration, to understand or implement to ensure the success of the plan.

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.

DEMONSTRATION OF PROFICIENCY

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

  • Competency 1: Analyze the elements of a successful quality improvement initiative.
    • Analyze usefulness of resources for role group responsible for implementing quality and safety improvements with medication administration.
  • Competency 2: Analyze factors that lead to patient safety risks.
  • Competency 3: Identify organizational interventions to promote patient safety.
    • Identify necessary resources to support the implementation and sustainability of a safety improvement initiative focusing on medication administration.
  • Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly, evidence-based strategies to communicate in a manner that supports safe and effective patient care.
    • Present compelling reasons and relevant situations for resource tool kit to be used by its target audience.
    • Communicate in a clear, logically structured, and professional manner, using current APA style and formatting.
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, consider taking one of these two approaches:

  1. 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 medication administration and put the plan into action.
  2. Locate a safety improvement plan (your current organization, the Institution for Healthcare Improvement, or a publicly available safety improvement initiative) pertaining to medication administration and create an online tool kit or resource repository that will help an audience understand the research behind the safety improvement plan and how to 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 following links to help you get started with Google Sites:

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 pertaining to medication administration. 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 safety with medication administration. 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 medication administration.
  • 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. Retrieved from www.canadian-nurse.com/articles/issues/2011/octobe…
    • 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 medication administration.
  • Analyze the usefulness of resources to the role group responsible for implementing quality and safety improvements focusing on medication administration.
  • Analyze the value of resources to reduce patient safety risk related to medication administration.
  • Present compelling 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 medication administration. Note that you do not have to submit your bibliography in addition to the Google Site; the example bibliography is merely for your reference.

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 Google Site, Resources for Safety and Improvement Measures in Geropsychiatric Care, 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 medication administration.

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

Additional Requirements

  • APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style