Communication in the health care environment consists of an information-sharing experience whether through oral or written messages (Chard & Makary, 2015). As health care organizations and nurses strive to create a culture of safety and quality care, the importance of interprofessional collaboration, the development of tool kits, and the use of wikis become more relevant and vital. In addition to the dissemination of information and evidence-based findings and the development of tool kits, continuous support for and availability of such resources are critical. Among the most popular methods to promote ongoing dialogue and information sharing are blogs, wikis, websites, and social media. Nurses know how to support people in time of need or crisis and how to support one another in the workplace; wikis in particular enable nurses to continue that support beyond the work environment. Here they can be free to share their unique perspectives, educate others, and promote health care wellness at local and global levels (Kaminski, 2016).
You are encouraged to complete the Determining the Relevance and Usefulness of Resources activity prior to developing the repository. This activity will help you determine which resources or research will be most relevant to address a particular need. This may be useful as you consider how to explain the purpose and relevance of the resources you are assembling for your tool kit. The activity is for your own practice and self-assessment, and demonstrates course engagement.
Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
• Competency 1: Analyze the elements of a successful quality improvement initiative.
o Analyze usefulness of resources for role group responsible for implementing quality and safety improvements with medication administration.
• Competency 2: Analyze factors that lead to patient safety risks.
o Analyze the value of resources to reduce patient safety risk or improve quality with medication administration.
• Competency 3: Identify organizational interventions to promote patient safety.
o Identify necessary resources to support the implementation and sustainability of a safety improvement initiative focusing on medication administration.
• Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly, evidence-based strategies to communicate in a manner that supports safe and effective patient care.
o Present reasons and relevant situations for resource tool kit to be used by its target audience.
o Communicate resource tool kit in a clear, logically structured, and professional manner that applies current APA style and formatting.
Medication administration errors are a leading cause of patient harm in the healthcare setting. These errors can have serious consequences for patients, including injury, death, and prolonged hospital stays.
A resource repository can be a valuable tool for healthcare organizations and nurses who are working to improve medication administration safety. A resource repository can provide a centralized location for nurses to access evidence-based information and tools on medication administration safety. This can help nurses to stay up-to-date on the latest best practices and to reduce the risk of medication administration errors.
The following are some of the benefits of using a resource repository to improve medication administration safety:
Examples of Resources to Include in a Medication Administration Safety Repository
The following are some examples of resources that could be included in a medication administration safety repository:
Conclusion
A resource repository can be a valuable tool for healthcare organizations and nurses who are working to improve medication administration safety. A resource repository can provide nurses with access to evidence-based information and tools, support interprofessional collaboration, and provide continuous support and availability.
When developing a medication administration safety repository, it is important to consider the needs of the target audience. What type of information and tools would be most useful to nurses? How can the repository be made easy to use and accessible to nurses? By considering these factors, you can develop a resource repository that will be a valuable asset to your organization and to your patients.