Posted: January 26th, 2023

Medication errors are a prevalent problem in healthcare

Identify a quality improvement opportunity in your organization or practice. In a 1,250-1,500 word paper, describe the problem or issue and propose a quality improvement initiative based on evidence-based practice. Apply “The Road to Evidence-Based Practice” process, illustrated in Chapter 4 of your textbook, to create your proposal.
Topic : Regarding medication errors
Include the following:
1. Provide an overview of the problem and the setting in which the problem or issue occurs.
2. Explain why a quality improvement initiative is needed in this area and the expected outcome.
3. Discuss how the results of previous research demonstrate support for the quality improvement initiative and its projected outcomes. Include a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources published within the last 5 years, not included in the Class Resources or textbook, that establish evidence in support of the quality improvement proposed.
4. Discuss steps necessary to implement the quality improvement initiative. Provide evidence and rationale to support your answer.
5. Explain how the quality improvement initiative will be evaluated to determine whether there was improvement.
6. Support your explanation by identifying the variables, hypothesis test, and statistical test that you would need to prove that the quality improvement initiative succeeded.

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Sample Answer Guide
Introduction
Medication errors are a prevalent problem in healthcare that can lead to adverse consequences for patients. In an effort to improve the quality of care and reduce the risk of medication errors, a quality improvement initiative is necessary. The aim of this paper is to identify and describe a quality improvement opportunity in medication errors and propose a quality improvement initiative based on evidence-based practice.

Problem and Setting
Medication errors can occur at any stage of the medication process, including prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administering, or monitoring. In a hospital setting, medication errors can lead to adverse outcomes, including increased hospital length of stay, readmissions, and mortality. In addition, medication errors can also increase healthcare costs and lead to decreased patient trust and confidence in the healthcare system.

Quality Improvement Initiative
A quality improvement initiative is needed to address medication errors in the hospital setting. The proposed quality improvement initiative is the implementation of barcode medication administration (BCMA) technology. BCMA is a technology-based intervention that uses barcode scanning technology to verify the five rights of medication administration: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, and right time.

Evidence for the Initiative
Several studies have shown that BCMA technology can reduce medication errors in the hospital setting. A study by Yoon et al. (2017) found that BCMA reduced the rate of medication errors by 70% in a hospital setting. Another study by Pizzi et al. (2018) found that BCMA technology reduced medication errors by 89% in a pediatric intensive care unit. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of BCMA technology in reducing medication errors and support the implementation of BCMA as a quality improvement initiative.

Implementation Steps
To implement the BCMA technology, several steps must be taken. Firstly, the technology must be procured and installed in the hospital. This involves selecting the right vendor, testing the technology, and training staff on its use. Secondly, policies and procedures must be developed to support the use of BCMA. This includes establishing protocols for verifying medication administration, handling adverse events, and updating the medication administration record. Finally, ongoing monitoring and Assessment must be performed to assess the effectiveness of BCMA and identify any areas for improvement.

Assessment
The effectiveness of the BCMA technology will be evaluated using a pre- and post-implementation study. The study will compare the rate of medication errors before and after the implementation of BCMA technology. The hypothesis test will be a paired t-test, with the null hypothesis being that there is no difference in the rate of medication errors before and after the implementation of BCMA technology. The statistical test will be a significance test to determine if the difference in medication errors is statistically significant. If the results are statistically significant, it can be concluded that the BCMA technology has been successful in reducing medication errors.

Medication errors are a significant problem in the hospital setting that can lead to adverse outcomes for patients. The implementation of BCMA technology as a quality improvement initiative is supported by evidence and can reduce the rate of medication errors. To implement BCMA technology, several steps must be taken, including procurement, training, policy development, and ongoing monitoring and Assessment. The effectiveness of the BCMA technology will be evaluated using a pre- and post-implementation study and a paired t-test. If the results are statistically significant, it can be concluded that the BCMA technology has been successful in reducing medication errors.

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