Training strategy

Assignment 4 Training Strategy

Miatta Teasley

Capella University

NHS-FPX6004 Health Care Law and Policy

Professor Georgena Wiley

June 17, 2022

Assignment 4 Training Strategy

For a leading medical centre such as Mercy Medical Center, it is essential to have a sound policy and practice standards for the control of drug errors. The nursing staff of the medical centre who will be responsible for implementing the policy on managing medication errors must have a comprehensive understanding of the strategies specified in the policy for it to be appropriately implemented. A staff training program will ensure that the necessary information and skills for implementing the policy guidelines are effectively disseminated. The training curriculum outlined in this study will be administered to a pilot group of 20 pediatric nursing staff members at the medical facility.

Promoting the Buy-In of Nurses

According to Ruddy et al. (2016), technological advances are required for a significant change in medical practice but are not sufficient. When practitioners are modified, systemic alterations in practice occur. According to a study by French-Bravo et al., nurses felt that effective communication with nurse supervisors boosted their support for organizational objectives (2020). Utilizing a range of communication and persuasion techniques, nurse supervisors forged close bonds with nurses. In addition to email, huddles, and staff meetings, nurse managers used data in the form of statistics, facts, and patient feedback comments to explain the rationale for change. In addition to serving as role models for nurses, nurse supervisors influence unit culture by demonstrating characteristics such as approachability and attentiveness. In addition, nurse managers contributed to change by fostering employee engagement and management support through tactics such as listening to nurses' challenges and assisting them individually and as a team. Nurse managers support a staff-led decision-making strategy by supporting employees in comprehending unit objectives, empowering them to drive unit work, and enhancing manager-facilitated peer communication (French-Bravo et al., 2020). Promoting nurse buy-in to the implementation of policy and practice standards will rely heavily on nurse managers, head nurses, and other nursing leadership members.

Early Indicators of Success

Early prediction of policy performance is facilitated by structural indicators, process indicators, and outcome indicators. Structural factors emphasize organizational challenges such as the availability and proper operation of equipment such as automated dispensing machines. Process indicators are concerned with the process of providing care. The efficiency of prescription management and the efficiency of diagnosis management are two process indicators that quantify the policy's success. The purpose of outcome indicators is to accomplish a particular objective. A reduction in readmissions, a decrease in postoperative wound infection rates, and an increase in patient satisfaction are just a few of the outcome indicators that can be used to evaluate the efficacy of the policy (Grol et al., 2013). Important markers of nurses' readiness to apply practice guidelines are their perceptions of automated dispensing cabinets (Metsamuuronen et al., 2020). Understanding their perspectives can assist management in evaluating the efficacy of programs designed to generate buy-in. Surveys that include questions on policy and practice standard changes can be used to evaluate nurses' perceptions of workplace changes (Norman & Sjetne, 2017).

Impact of Policy and Practice Guidelines

In the event of a pharmaceutical error, the medication error management policy describes the processes that must be followed. The coverage extends to the nursing, emergency care, and medical personnel at Mercy Medical Center (Black County Partnership, 2015). The policy mandates the establishment of a multidisciplinary committee by the medical centre. This committee will analyze any pharmaceutical method discrepancies and plug any gaps it finds (Weant et al., 2014). The establishment of a consistent medication error analysis system and the implementation of automated dispensing cabinets are two methods for reducing medication errors. The interdisciplinary committee should identify, prioritize, and standardize the process of reporting medication errors in order to develop a uniform framework for the analysis of pharmaceutical errors. Medication error analysis is facilitated by the availability of precise data for determining the causes of medication errors. ADCs are regularly encountered in computerized pharmaceutical management systems in healthcare settings. These cabinets are used to document difficulties in pharmaceutical distribution. The cabinets check medical stock levels and distribute medication (Weant et al., 2014).

Impact of Policy Implementation on Nurses’ Work

Medication mistakes are indicative of a medical centre's substandard care quality. The proposed policy can help the medical centre prevent medical malpractice lawsuits, safeguard its reputation, and save money. (2015) Black County Partnership. According to Bourcier et al. (2016), automated dispensing cabinets significantly reduce the amount of time spent by head nurses on weekly inventories and orders. This enabled nurses and chief nurses to concentrate on their primary duties. The policy and standard modifications will increase the nursing staff's efficiency by decreasing the amount of work and time spent on pharmaceutical processes, leading to higher job satisfaction among nursing staff. Medication mistakes are indicative of a medical centre's substandard care quality. The proposed policy can help the medical centre prevent medical malpractice lawsuits, safeguard its reputation, and save money (Black County Partnership, 2015). According to Bourcier et al. (2016), automated dispensing cabinets significantly reduce the amount of time spent by head nurses on weekly inventories and orders. This enabled nurses and chief nurses to concentrate on their primary duties. The policy and standard modifications will increase the nursing staff's efficiency by decreasing the amount of work and time spent on pharmaceutical processes, leading to higher job satisfaction among nursing staff.

Concerns Over the Policy

The pilot group will be instructed in two strategies: automated dispensing cabinet installation and operation and standardized medication error analysis. Due to the gravity of the error and the potential for disciplinary action for underreporting, employees may be hesitant to report errors (the Chu, 2016). Implementing a systematic method for medication error analysis may induce fear in the nursing staff. The second approach, establishing automated dispensing cabinets, would be advantageous for medication management and error prevention; however, if medical inventory is mismanaged, automated dispensing cabinets may result in medication retrieval problems (Weant et al., 2014). This may be a difficult situation for the nursing personnel.

Interpreting the Policy for Nursing Staff

One of the most challenging aspects of implementing the policy's rules is deciding whether or not to report an incidence as a pharmaceutical error. Because there are no standard definitions for drug errors and it is unclear whether an error must be reported, unrecognized errors occur. Before a uniform method for analyzing pharmaceutical errors can be implemented, medication errors must be precisely characterized. This would assist nurses in more accurately identifying and reporting drug mistakes (the Chu, 2016). In the medical and surgical units at Mercy Medical Centre, the number of medication errors climbed by fifty per cent between 2015 and 2016. The vast majority of pharmaceutical errors occur during medication delivery by nursing personnel (Ofusu & Jarrett, 2015). As a result, the policy implementation training program attempts to acquaint nursing staff with the policy's more complex aspects, such as the penalties for neglect and the procedure to be followed when dealing with prescription errors. The nursing staff will be well-versed in the chain of command in order to report errors.

Importance of Policy and Practice Guidelines in Nurses’ Work

If prescription errors are treated more effectively, nurses may experience less stress and greater job fulfilment. Metsamuuronen et al. (2020) assessed nurses' impressions of automated dispensing cabinets through an observational study and an online survey and found that nurses believed automated dispensing cabinets would make their tasks easier. While saving time, nurses were able to focus on direct patient care. Another study, conducted by Zaidan et al. (2016), found that nurses were satisfied with the implementation, believing that the technologies were easy to use and assisted them in performing their duties securely.

Role of Nursing Staff in Policy Implementation

Due to their proximity to patients and pharmaceutical processes, nursing personnel is vital in the execution of a medication error management policy. A nurse is the last person involved in the administration of medication. Due to the fact that a nurse is accountable for physically providing the correct medication to a patient, any errors in the administration approach can be identified and corrected (Ofusu & Jarrett, 2015). To ensure that the policy on preventing medication errors is successfully implemented, nursing staff must maintain accuracy and consistency when reporting medication errors. By adhering to the five rights of drug administration (right dose, right patient, right time, right medication, and right process), nurses can avoid making errors. The nursing staff can confirm that there are no medication administration errors. By accurately estimating the dosage of pharmaceuticals, eliminating distractions during medication administration, informing patients about the side effects of a drug, and continually updating pharmacological knowledge, nursing staff can positively contribute to policy implementation (the Chu, 2016).

Training Nursing Staff on the Policy

Nursing personnel are responsible for drug processes, including prescription and administration. A nurse is a final individual who can correct pharmaceutical administration problems. Due to continual diversions and disruptions in their work routine, nurses are responsible for the vast majority of drug errors, despite the fact that patient safety is their top priority (Ofusu & Jarrett, 2015). It is essential to educate nursing personnel on the policy's concepts because untrained and uneducated professionals may be unable to anticipate or spot pharmaceutical errors. The pharmaceutical error management policy requires the construction of automated dispensing cabinets and the study of medication errors. Nursing staff must be trained on how to utilize automated dispensing cabinets safely in order for them to be properly adopted. Although automated dispensing cabinets were meant to eliminate errors, their improper use may lead to drug delivery issues (Hamilton-Griffin, 2016). To apply the second strategy, medication error analysis, nursing practitioners must be taught new processes that enable them to reliably and routinely report medication errors. Reminding nurses during training of the importance of reporting will motivate them to adhere to the medication mistake reporting requirements, ensuring that sufficient data is available to conduct a medication error analysis.

Training Process

Nursing workers will receive a two-hour training on the usage of automated dispensing cabinets and medication error analysis. The day before the session, the pilot group will be given a questionnaire to measure their comprehension of the two strategies. This workshop will consist of two sessions of one hour each. Local opinion leaders, who are acknowledged clinical practitioners in a certain field of medicine, will lead the first session. The thought leaders will discuss the technical skills required to operate automated dispensing cabinets and the methods necessary for pharmaceutical mistake analysis. Due to the presence of a well-known figure whose qualifications are well-known, this session by local opinion leaders will have a huge impact on the nursing staff. The second session will involve simulation-based training. The employees will be tasked with operating automated dispensing cabinets and simulating pharmaceutical error analyses. This course will provide staff with hands-on experience and an understanding of the challenges they may encounter when using automated dispensing cabinets or doing a pharmaceutical error analysis (Grol et al., 2013).

Training Material for Skill Development

Each participant will receive a handout containing the policy guidelines, a document outlining the methods to be followed while conducting a pharmaceutical error analysis, and an instruction manual for operating an automated dispensing cabinet. The staff will also receive a printed copy of the opinion leader's topics for future reference. The nursing staff will have access to a virtual classroom with a log-in ID and password to access lectures and self-learning tasks in order to maintain continual education (Grol et al., 2013). The handouts and virtual learning materials will be designed to help staff members enhance their critical thinking, attention to detail, and the confidence required to follow the policy's approaches.

Conclusion

The administration of Mercy Medical Center created a pharmaceutical error policy in an effort to reduce and avoid drug errors. It is essential to construct a training program for hospital workers on the policy's many efforts to ensure its proper execution. The program will train personnel on how to prevent pharmaceutical errors, so enhancing patient safety, the reputation of the medical facility, and the job satisfaction of the personnel.

References

Black County Partnership, NHS Foundation Trust. (2015). Medication error policy. https://www.bcpft.nhs.uk/documents/policies/m/973-medication-errors/file

Bourcier, E., Madelaine, S., Archer, V., Kramp, F., Paul, M., & Astier, A. (2016). Implementation of automated dispensing cabinets for management of medical devices in an intensive care unit: Organizational and financial impact. European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 23(2), 86–90. https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/6451497

The Chu, R. Z. (2016). Simple steps to reduce medication errors. Nursing 2016, 46(8), 63–65. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nurse.0000484977.05034.9c

Grol, R., Wensing, M., Eccles, M., & Davis, D. (2013). Improving patient care: The implementation of change in health care. https://ebookcentral-proquestcom.library.capella.edu/lib/capella/reader.action?docID=1153537

Hamilton-Griffin, K. (2016). Developing improvement strategies on the use of automated dispensing cabinets to reduce medication errors in a hospital setting (Doctoral dissertation). ProQuest. (Order No. 10127834)

French‐Bravo, M., Nelson‐Brantley, H. V., Williams, K., Ford, D. J., Manos, L., & Veazey Brooks, J. (2020). Exploring nurses' perceptions of nurse managers' communicative relationships that encourage nurses' decisions to buy into initiatives that enhance patients' experiences with care. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(3), 567– 576. https://doi-org.library.capella.edu/10.1111/jonm.12958

Metsämuuronen, R., Kokki, H., Naaranlahti, T., Kurttila, M., & Heikkilä, R. (2020). Nurses' perceptions of automated dispensing cabinets — an observational study and an online survey. BMC Nursing, 19, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-00420-2

Norman, R. M., & Sjetne, I. S. (2017). Measuring nurses’ perception of work environment: A scoping review of questionnaires. BMC Nursing, 16(1), 66. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-017-0256-9 Ofusu, R., & Jarrett, P. (2015). Reducing nurse medicine administration errors. Nursing Times, 111(20), 12–14. https://www.nursingtimes.net/Journals/2015/05/10/t/l/q/130515_Reducing-nursemedicine-administration-errors.pdf

Ruddy, M. P., Thomas-Hemak, L. & Meade, L. (2016). Practice Transformation. Academic Medicine, 91(5), 624–627. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000001059

Weant, K. A., Bailey, A. M., & Baker, S. N. (2014). Strategies for reducing medication errors in the emergency department. Open Access Emergency Medicine, 6, 45–55. https://doi.org/10.2147/OAEM.S64174

Zaidan, M., Rustom, F., Kassem, N., Al Yafei, S., Peters, L., & Ibrahim, M. I. M. (2016). Nurses’ perceptions of and satisfaction with the use of automated dispensing cabinets at the Heart and Cancer Centers in Qatar: a cross-sectional study. BMC nursing, 15(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-015-0121-7