Strategies to Promote a Culture of Excellence in the Workplace
To all Nursing Staff,
I am sending this email only to the nursing staff in the facility, aiming to create some insights regarding the newly developed bar code system. I had called for a meeting a month ago, but I felt that the meeting did not progress well as per my expectations. Therefore, I have decided to call for a second meeting to make some improvements where necessary. I believe that the development of a Facts and Questions (FAQ) is one of the best ways to apply in making changes where necessary to ensure that there is an improvement in response to the newly developed bar code system meant for medication retrieval. Since several aspects can be included in the FAQ, only the most important issues have been considered based on their relevance to the application of the bar code system. Some areas that I consider to be most important to you have been presented below under FAQ in the form of a question-response format.
Facts and Questions (FAQ)
Why do we need this change?
Since medication errors have been taking place in different healthcare facilities, there is a need to improve on the area especially in our facility. The introduction of a bar code system involving medication retrieval by healthcare providers at the bedside is among the best ways in which medication errors can be avoided (Thompson et al., 2018). The bar code system has several benefits where one of them involves ensuring that patients are provided with the appropriate medication through electronic documentation and validation. Several healthcare facilities within the country have adopted the system and confirmed that it has significantly benefited both patients and medical professionals through administering medications appropriately. Therefore, the change needs to be introduced in our facility to improve on medication administered to patients. By using the bar code system, it is easy for a comparison to be made between the appropriate medication needed by the patient with the one administered to him or her. Besides, the system enables the user to get instant feedback on any issue that he or she requires clarification. When a medical professional starts his or her shift, he or she has to check out a medication box as per the assigned individuals. After the medication scanning and verification is completed, the barcode scanner notifies the medical professional by sending them a notification regarding the best medication to be provided to the patient. Therefore, no medication errors will be made.
What we currently use works well; why change now?
Even though the current system applied to administer medication to patients is working well, it has been associated with several disadvantages, such as delaying administering drugs. This is because the system requires much effort from medical professionals since they have to physically move from one area to the other to confirm whether a particular medication is appropriate for a given patient. In this case, based on the number of patients being served by the same medical dispensing centre, one can take much time waiting for the whole process to be completed. However, the bar code system ensures immediate completion of this process and gives the appropriate feedback to an individual. Therefore, this has been one of the reasons why the bar code system has been prioritized since it will ensure that many customers have been served within a minimal time as compared to the current system.
Honestly, as a nurse, how will this new piece of equipment help me better perform my professional role?
The newly developed bar code system is beneficial to all healthcare providers, including nurses. The roles of nurses are to improve patient’s safety by providing them with various services that improve the wellness of an individual. When a medication error is made at one point within a healthcare facility, all the medical professionals in the facility are affected directly or indirectly in one way or the other. Besides, administering the wrong medication to the patient can be severe to the extent that the entire facility is closed. In such a case, the functions of all the medical professionals within the facility, including nurses, may be terminated until an investigation is conducted to find out the professionals involved in the issue and the ones who could have avoided such an error to be made. This aspect can negatively affect nurses from performing their professional roles. Therefore, all means of minimizing medical errors need to be avoided; in which one of the ways to avoid such errors is by embracing the introduction of a newly developed barcode system to enhance patient safety.
References
Thompson, K. M., Swanson, K. M., Cox, D. L., Kirchner, R. B., Russell, J. J., Wermers, R. A., & Naessens, J. M. (2018). Implementation of bar-code medication administration to reduce patient harm. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes, 2(4), 342- 351.
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Question 
Assignment Content
Competency
Describe a culture of excellence in nursing.
Student Success Criteria
View the grading rubric for this deliverable by selecting the “This item is graded with a rubric” link, which is located in the Details & Information pane.
Strategies to Promote a Culture of Excellence in the Workplace
Scenario
You currently serve as a nursing member of a Practice Excellence Committee. The administration has proposed a new barcode system for medication retrieval by nurses at the bedside. The purpose of the new system is to decrease medication errors by providing nurses with an opportunity to retrieve medications at the bedside, where clients and family members can ask questions and receive immediate feedback. At the beginning of the shift, each nurse will check out a medication box based on assigned clients. Once medications are verified, scanned and removed, nurses can send text messages from the barcode scanner to the pharmacy should questions or concerns arise.
In the current medication retrieval system, the nurse must take a computer with client medication information to a central dispensing area and wait in line at the electronic medication dispensary for medications then return to the client’s bedside for administration. Hospital leaders are excited since the new beside bar code medication retrieval system is in response to a needs assessment of client and employee satisfaction survey data trended over three years and work by a consulting firm which identified the need after as six month observation period for employee behaviors related to medication administration.
Today is the launch of the new system. You presented the new, proposed innovation at a medical employee staff meeting attended by nurses, pharmacists, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical therapists, and respiratory therapists. Attendees received information including data summary supporting the change, a summary of the proposed change with equipment demonstration and proposed implementation plan including timeline and employee expectations for adoption.
During the implementation portion of the presentation, a few employees voiced concerns and disrupted the meeting. You lost focus and felt defeated after the presentation; you thought the entire interprofessional team would be excited about the innovative medication administration system. Unfortunately, many nurses left the meeting before the entire implementation plan had been discussed expressing emotional outbursts with outward negativity toward the proposed innovative change.
To facilitate this change and address concerns you scheduled another meeting one month later in a town hall format with only nursing staff invited to attend. Before this meeting, you plan to create a Facts and Questions (FAQ) document based on three priority areas of concerns you noted from the first meeting. You plan to disperse the FAQ document in an email to invited nursing staff one week before the town hall as a way to “break the ice.”
Instructions
Create a professional email with an attached FAQ document which provides a detailed and succinct response to each question below and promotes a culture of excellence.
Why do we need this change?
Include a relevant example as supporting rationale with support from credible resources.
Demonstrate how your response promotes a culture of excellence.
What we currently use works well, why change now?
Include a relevant example as supporting rationale with support from credible resources.
Demonstrate how your response promotes a culture of excellence.
Honestly, as a nurse, how will this new piece of equipment help me better perform my professional role?
Include a relevant example as supporting rationale with support from credible resources.
Demonstrate how your response promotes a culture of excellence.
Resources
For additional information on managing conflict between nurses, please visit Conflict Management: Managing Conflict Between Nurses.
For additional assistance on understanding what people bring to conflict, please read Workplace Conflict Resolution Essentials for Dummies (Chapter 2).
For additional assistance on writing effective emails, please visit Email Essentials: How to Write Effective Emails and Build Great Relationships One Message at a Time (Chapter 6).
For additional assistance on email etiquette, please visit What is email etiquette? What should I do or not do in an email?
For additional assistance on how to identify credible resources, please visit How do I know if a source is credible?