NURS FPX4020 Assessment 1: Enhancing Quality and Safety

Sample Answer for NURS FPX4020 Assessment 1: Enhancing Quality and Safety Included After Question

Scenario

A hypothetical situation that occurs often within the care environment is a nurse making a medication error. One example of this was one of my team mate nurse administering a medicine without assessing its dosage and administration time. This poses an immense risk to patient safety and therefore should not be taken lightly (Corny et al., 2020). To alleviate or prevent such an error, evidence-based guidelines were implemented in the practice setting. Through proper implementation and evaluation of evidence-based strategies, communication was enhanced, providing assurance of the quality and safety of the medication administered to patients. Ultimately, the utilization of evidence-based guidelines creates an environment that encourages safe and efficient care for all patients involved in the system.

A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS FPX4020 Assessment 1: Enhancing Quality and Safety

Title: NURS FPX4020 Assessment 1: Enhancing Quality and Safety

Clinical Issue

One of the most pressing clinical issues in health care today is addressing patient safety risks surrounding medication administration. As a result, there has been an intense focus on implementing quality improvement (QI) initiatives to reduce these risks and improve patient satisfaction (Trakulsunti et al., 2021). These initiatives typically involve staff education, frequent monitoring of the administration process, increased communication between different departments, and protocols for reporting errors or potential errors. While it is not easy to implement an effective QI initiative in a healthcare setting due to its complexity and resource constraints, it is vital that organizations invest the time and resources now to create processes that will help ensure patient safety going forward.

Factors Leading To A Specific Patient-Safety Risk

The risk of incorrect medication administration is a very real danger in hospitals and especially so for those patients taking multiple different medications. There are three main factors that must be considered when thinking about the risks associated with this problem: firstly, the choice of incorrect medication or wrong dosage; secondly, misreading or mistaking information regarding the patient’s medical history or current treatment plan; and thirdly, scheduling issues. It is important to note that these medication mistakes can have serious repercussions on patient well-being, ranging from mild side effects to life-threatening emergency situations (Rodziewicz & Hipskind, 2020). Nurses can help mitigate such risks by staying aware and up-to-date on their patient’s medical records; double-checking the medications they are administering; avoiding distractions while administering these medications; and ensuring their colleagues are informed of any changes to treatment plans. Understanding how these potential safety hazards arise can help nurses take necessary preventative steps, resulting in improved safety standards within healthcare settings.

Medication errors can occur due to a variety of factors which range from incorrect medication or wrong dosages to misreading or mistaking a patient’s medical history and current treatment plan, as well as scheduling issues (Rodziewicz & Hipskind, 2020). These all create risks for the patient that could cause potentially serious, even fatal consequences when the wrong medication is prescribed or administered. We know from various studies and research projects that many medication errors are made because of these contributing factors (Morrison et al., 2019). Often, it is due to simple lapses in human judgment combined with inadequate communication between involved parties; however, other times, it may be due to system failures out of the control of individual practitioners. Whatever the reason may be, it is critical that known risk factors associated with increased instances of medication errors are actively monitored in order to adjust protocols appropriately and ensure patient safety.

Evidence-Based And Best-Practice Solutions

With hospitals focused on providing the best quality of care for patients and reducing costs, it is essential that evidence-based and best-practice solutions to improve patient safety are implemented. Two such strategies that nurses can apply center around medication administration: double-checking doses and packaging drugs by indication. First, double-checking doses is a simple but important step to make sure the patient is receiving the correct dosage of medication (Phuong et al., 2019). When two nurses review the orders together, any potential mistakes can be averted before reaching the patient. This reduces uncertainty and safeguards against potentially dangerous errors. Second, drug regimens may vary depending on indications or medical conditions. To streamline cost savings and inventory management while decreasing the complexity of ordering medications, nurses can prepackage individualized drugs with the appropriate indications labeled on them accordingly. Not only does this enhance efficiency and accuracy, but automates drug monitoring which results in fewer adverse reactions due to incorrect prescriptions. Both strategies are necessary components of an effective safety program and ultimately help nurses provide more comprehensive care while reducing costs.

The implementation of evidence-based and best practice solutions such as double checking medications and prepackaging individualized drugs has been proven to reduce the risks associated with medication errors, including wrong dosages, misreading or mistakes in a patient’s medical history or current treatment plan, and scheduling issues (Trakulsunti et al., 2021). When these approaches are implemented in a healthcare setting, it can lead to greater cost savings due to an overall decrease in medication errors. There is added value when frontline staff has greater clarity into not only the steps to follow regarding correct procedures but also how these measures result in cost reduction (Blignaut et al., 2017). Attaching a clear explanation of the strategies and their connection to reducing cost can further motivate aligning with evidence-based practices versus providing care based on customary practices.

Nurses Increasing Patient Safety

Nurses play a crucial role in the coordination of care to increase patient safety with medication administration and reduce costs. Guidelines from the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) provide a foundation for nurses to adhere to best practices through four core competencies: patient-centered care, teamwork/collaboration, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement (Corny et al., 2020). These competencies are fundamental for nurses when administering medications safely, accounting for factors such as dosage amount and instructions on use. When preventing errors in the administration of medicine, nurses must consider the effects that human or system errors can have. For example, if the wrong medication is administered due to systemic factors such as lack of staff or lack of communication between healthcare providers, it could lead to costly delays in treatment or even medical harm to patients, thus negatively affecting their health outcomes or financial implications of receiving medical attention. It is therefore important for nurses to carefully assess these elements when prescribing medications and follow the guidelines provided by QSEN which can help ensure adherence to safe practices while also reducing costs associated with improper medicine usage.

Adhering to the QSEN guidelines is a vital step in decreasing medication errors, providing patient safety measures, and reducing costs associated with errors. One example of how this could be applied is through correct medication reconciliation (Lilley et al., 2022). By coordinating with the patient’s pharmacy prior to any treatment, the nurse can ensure that their list of preexisting medications is accurate and up-to-date. This reduces the risk of missing a required dose and prevents potential complications due to changes in medication adherence (Trakulsunti et al., 2021). Research provided by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) indicates that when carried out effectively, reconciliation can reduce potentially harmful prescribing issues and decrease rates of readmission due to adverse events (Oxley et al., 2017). Not only does this improve safety outcomes, but it can also lead to cost savings as costly medical interventions are often avoided. Following QSEN guidelines can not only protect patients from potential mismanagement of their medications but also result in considerable financial gains.

Stakeholders To Drive Safety Enhancements

Nurses play a critical role in the safe administration of medications, which is why utilizing Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) guidelines are essential. QSEN promotes patient safety-focused care and provides six competencies that address knowledge, skills, and attitudes about quality and safety for professionals including nurses. These competencies are patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, informatics, and safety (Trakulsunti et al., 2021). To drive safety enhancements with medication administration using these guidelines, nurses would need to coordinate with three key stakeholders: patients/families, other healthcare professionals such as physicians or specialists involved in the patient’s care plan; and technicians who dispense medication directly to the nurse to administer. By effectively collaborating with these stakeholders while following best practices as laid out by QSEN guidelines, nurses would be able to significantly improve their ability to deliver quality and safer patient care in regard to medications.

Stakeholders such as patients and families, healthcare professionals, and technicians are all critical in driving safety enhancements to reduce medication errors (Blignaut et al., 2017). Patients can provide important knowledge such as their medical history, medications, and allergies that can help create a comprehensive medication reconciliation record. Healthcare professionals can provide valuable insight into the best practices for medication administration that are specific to each patient’s care plan. Technicians who dispense medications also play an important role by making sure regulations regarding dispensation and stock of medications are being closely followed (Morrison et al., 2019). Coordination among these stakeholders is key in order to implement quality improvement strategies that drive change in policy and reduce the occurrence of med errors.

 

NURS FPX4020 Assessment 1: Enhancing Quality and Safety

For this assessment, you will develop a 3-5 page paper that examines a safety quality issue pertaining to medication administration in a health care setting. You will analyze the issue and examine potential evidence-based and best-practice solutions from the literature as well as the role of nurses and other stakeholders in addressing the issue.

Health care organizations and professionals strive to create safe environments for patients; however, due to the complexity of the health care system, maintaining safety can be a challenge. Since nurses comprise the largest group of health care professionals, a great deal of responsibility falls in the hands of practicing nurses. Quality improvement (QI) measures and safety improvement plans are effective interventions to reduce medical errors and sentinel events such as medication errors, falls, infections, and deaths. A 2000 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report indicated that almost one million people are harmed annually in the United States, (Kohn et al., 2000) and 210,000–440,000 die as a result of medical errors (Allen, 2013).

The role of the baccalaureate nurse includes identifying and explaining specific patient risk factors, incorporating evidence-based solutions to improving patient safety and coordinating care. A solid foundation of knowledge and understanding of safety organizations such as Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and The Joint Commission and its National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) program is vital to practicing nurses with regard to providing and promoting safe and effective patient care.

You are encouraged to complete the Identifying Safety Risks and Solutions activity. This activity offers an opportunity to review a case study and practice identifying safety risks and possible solutions. We have found that learners who complete course activities and review resources are more successful with first submissions. Completing course activities is also a way to demonstrate 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.
  • Explain evidence-based and best-practice solutions to improve patient safety focusing on medication administration and reducing costs.
• Competency 2: Analyze factors that lead to patient safety risks.
  • Explain factors leading to a specific patient-safety risk focusing on medication administration.
• Competency 4: Explain the nurse’s role in coordinating care to enhance quality and reduce costs.
  • Explain how nurses can help coordinate care to increase patient safety with medication administration and reduce costs.
  • Identify stakeholders with whom nurses would need to coordinate to drive quality and safety enhancements with medication administration.
• Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly, evidence-based strategies to communicate in a manner that supports safe and effective patient care.
  • Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contains few errors in grammar or punctuation, word choice, and spelling.
  • Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.

NURS FPX4020 Assessment 1 Enhancing Quality and Safety

References

Allen, M. (2013). How many die from medical mistakes in U.S. hospitals? Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/09/20/224507654/how-many-die-from-medical-mistakes-in-u-s-hospitals.

Kohn, L. T., Corrigan, J., & Donaldson, M. S. (Eds.). (2000). To err is human: Building a safer health system. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Professional Context

As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you will be responsible for implementing quality improvement (QI) and patient safety measures in health care settings. Effective quality improvement measures result in systemic and organizational changes, ultimately leading to the development of a patient safety culture.

Scenario

Consider a previous experience or hypothetical situation pertaining to medication errors, and consider how the error could have been prevented or alleviated with the use of evidence-based guidelines.

Choose a specific condition of interest surrounding a medication administration safety risk and incorporate evidence-based strategies to support communication and ensure safe and effective care.

For this assessment:

• Analyze a current issue or experience in clinical practice surrounding a medication administration safety risk and identify a quality improvement (QI) initiative in the health care setting.

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Instructions

The purpose of this assessment is to better understand the role of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse in enhancing quality improvement (QI) measures that address a medication administration safety risk. This will be within the specific context of patient safety risks at a health care setting of your choice. You will do this by exploring the professional guidelines and best practices for improving and maintaining patient safety in health care settings from organizations such as QSEN and the IOM. Looking through the lens of these professional best practices to examine the current policies and procedures currently in place at your chosen organization and the impact on safety measures for patients surrounding medication administration, you will consider the role of the nurse in driving quality and safety improvements. You will identify stakeholders in QI improvement and safety measures as well as consider evidence-based strategies to enhance quality of care and promote medication administration safety in the context of your chosen health care setting.

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 that you know what is needed for a distinguished score.

• Explain factors leading to a specific patient-safety risk focusing on medication administration.
• Explain evidence-based and best-practice solutions to improve patient safety focusing on medication administration and reducing costs.
• Explain how nurses can help coordinate care to increase patient safety with medication administration and reduce costs.
• Identify stakeholders with whom nurses would coordinate to drive safety enhancements with medication administration.
• Communicate using writing that is clear, logical, and professional, with correct grammar and spelling, using current APA style.

Additional Requirements

• Length of submission: 3–5 pages, plus title and reference pages.
• Number of references: Cite a minimum of 4 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your findings and considerations. Resources should be no more than 5 years old.
• APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style.