Educational Program on Risk Management Part Two - Slide Presentation

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Educational Program on Risk Management

Yailen Nieves

Grand Canyon University

Educational Program on Risk Management

Introduction

Addressing medication errors is critical, considering the risk involved in the prescription of drugs. Wrong prescription or failing to adhere to prescription standards jeopardizes the health of the patient, and in some cases, it could lead to fatalities (Assiri et al., 2018). Therefore, identifying how the risk of medication errors occurs has a great capability to save patients' lives. The use of a patient-centered approach in addressing hospital-related risk is crucial because it ensures that the hospital's critical challenges are managed to ensure patient safety (Wahr et al., 2017). The objective of risk assessment is to ensure that patients are part of the process that ensures their wellness is prioritized. So

Rationale

The hospital has not instituted a team capable of examining the extent to which medical errors could have severe effects on the patients. This does not mean the hospital has failed to ensure patient safety, but it creates a gap, where some of the risks can be identified faster.

However, the readmission numbers have increased, with some patients overstaying in hospitals. Besides, nurses within the hospitals have not portrayed an excellent level of satisfaction because they are overworked. It is revealed that overworking of nurses is part of the reason for increased medication errors. Therefore, developing a risk management team in the hospital would bring these issues to the fore, ensuring the right response to addressing medication errors, threatening patients' safety.

Implementing a risk management approach to address medication errors is essential to harnessing patient safety (Assiri et al., 2018). Additionally, it helps reveal some of the crucial issues that nurses face within the practice, which leads to errors. Such an approach aligns with the federal compliance standards, where nurses are a vital part of ensuring patient safety and wellness is achieved.

Data

Hospital readmissions have increased by 32 percent in the last three months. The increase could be an indicator that nurses are not doing the right thing. Additionally, in hospital research, 45 percent of nurses who took part in the survey opined that they were overburdened. Moreover, 56 percent of nurses agree that being overwhelmed in the workplace leads to making medication mistakes, especially with the pressure of failing to get adequate rest.

When nurses make medication errors, it increases the hospital's chances of losing money, especially where patients or their families choose to file a lawsuit against the hospital, citing negligence.

Implementation

The process of implementation of risk assessment starts with the established team analyzing if the risk exists. The team introduces recommendations of what should be done by nurses to address the risk. The next step is nurses being informed about the changes they need to take, to ensure that the medication error risk is addressed (Bates & Singh, 2018). This is followed by extending support to nurses, ensuring that the risks are addressed. The last step is evaluation of the effectiveness of the initiative taken by nurses to address the challenge.

Challenge

Addressing the risk faces the challenge of organizational culture. Nurses need to demonstrate new attitudes, to ensure that the process is successful. However, a change of culture within the organization does not happen overnight.

Evaluation

The program's success will be determined by the satisfaction level among nurses and the response of patients. The expectation is readmission will significantly reduce, and the level of satisfaction among patients and nurses would increase.

Opportunities

It is vital to examine ways to leverage technology in addressing medication errors. For instance, the hospital can invest in technology to determine the right prescription for patients, ensuring that medication errors are eliminated or minimized.

References

Assiri, G. A., Shebl, N. A., Mahmoud, M. A., Aloudah, N., Grant, E., Aljadhey, H., & Sheikh, A. (2018). What is the epidemiology of medication errors, error-related adverse events and risk factors for errors in adults managed in community care contexts? A systematic review of the international literature. BMJ open, 8(5).

Bates, D. W., & Singh, H. (2018). Two decades since to err is human: an assessment of progress and emerging priorities in patient safety. Health Affairs, 37(11), 1736-1743.

Wahr, J. A., Abernathy III, J. H., Lazarra, E. H., Keebler, J. R., Wall, M. H., Lynch, I., ... & Cooper, R. L. (2017). Medication safety in the operating room: literature and expert-based recommendations. BJA: British Journal of Anaesthesia, 118(1), 32-43.