The purpose of this assessment is to demonstrate your understanding of and ability to analyze a root cause of a specific safety concern in a health care setting. You will create a plan to improve the safety of patients related to the concern of medication administration safety based on the results of your analysis, using the literature and professional best practices as well as the existing resources at your chosen health care setting to provide a rationale for your plan.
Use the Root-Cause Analysis and Improvement Plan [DOCX] Download Root-Cause Analysis and Improvement Plan [DOCX]template to help you to stay organized and concise. This will guide you step-by-step through the root cause analysis process.
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.
- Analyze the root cause of a specific patient safety issue in an organization.
- Apply evidence-based and best-practice strategies to address the safety issue.
- Create a feasible, evidence-based safety improvement plan to address a specific patient safety issue.
- Identify organizational resources that could be leveraged to improve your plan.
- Communicate in writing that is clear, logical, and professional, with correct grammar and spelling, using current APA style.
Creating a plan to improve medication administration safety in a healthcare setting requires a systematic approach to analyze the root cause of the safety concern and develop an evidence-based improvement plan. The following is a step-by-step guide to help you meet the requirements outlined in your assessment:
1. Define the Safety Concern:
- Clearly identify and define the specific patient safety issue related to medication administration safety in your chosen healthcare setting. This should be a concise statement of the problem.
2. Root Cause Analysis:
- Utilize the Root-Cause Analysis and Improvement Plan template or a similar structured framework to conduct a thorough root cause analysis. This process typically involves the following steps: a. Data Collection: Gather relevant data on medication errors, incident reports, and any other information related to the safety concern. b. Identify Contributing Factors: Determine the factors contributing to medication administration errors. This could include human factors, system issues, communication breakdowns, etc. c. Causal Analysis: Use techniques like the “5 Whys” or fishbone diagram to identify the underlying causes of the issue. d. Root Cause Identification: Identify the primary root cause(s) of the safety concern. Ensure that you identify the systemic issues, not just individual errors.
3. Evidence-Based Strategies:
- Research and identify evidence-based and best-practice strategies to address medication administration safety concerns. This should involve a literature review to find established approaches that have been proven to be effective in improving safety in similar healthcare settings.
4. Safety Improvement Plan:
- Develop a feasible and evidence-based safety improvement plan based on your analysis. Your plan should outline specific actions to mitigate the root causes identified. Key elements of your plan may include: a. Targeted Interventions: Describe the interventions and changes that will be implemented to address the root causes. b. Timeline: Provide a timeline for when each intervention will be executed. c. Responsible Parties: Identify who will be responsible for implementing each intervention. d. Performance Metrics: Establish measurable performance metrics to track the success of each intervention. e. Monitoring and Evaluation: Describe how the plan’s progress will be monitored and evaluated, and what steps will be taken if the plan is not achieving the desired outcomes.
5. Organizational Resources:
- Identify and list the organizational resources within your chosen healthcare setting that can be leveraged to support the implementation of your plan. This may include staff, technology, training programs, and existing safety protocols.
6. Communication:
- Clearly and professionally communicate your findings and improvement plan in writing using current APA style. Ensure that your document is well-structured, logically organized, free of grammatical and spelling errors, and follows APA citation guidelines for referencing sources.
In your written document, be sure to emphasize the importance of a systematic approach to addressing medication administration safety concerns, as well as the role of evidence-based practices in enhancing patient safety. Additionally, it’s crucial to convey the importance of ongoing monitoring and evaluation to ensure the sustained success of the safety improvement plan.
Finally, remember to reference and cite the literature and professional best practices that inform your plan, and provide a clear rationale for why your proposed strategies are likely to be effective in your specific healthcare setting.