Workflow processes in your place of employment

The "5 Rights" of Medication Administration: The system acts as an electronic double-check for the right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, and right time.

Slide 4: Why BCMA is Needed: The Benefits

Patient Safety: Dramatically reduces the risk of medication errors, leading to fewer adverse drug events.

Improved Efficiency: Reduces the time nurses spend on documentation and verification, freeing them to spend more time on direct patient care.

Enhanced Documentation: Ensures accurate, real-time documentation directly in the EHR.

Data for Improvement: Provides valuable data on medication administration compliance, which can be used for quality improvement initiatives.

Slide 5: Who Does This Impact?

Nurses: The primary users of the system. Will require extensive training and a change in daily workflow.

Pharmacists: Will be responsible for ensuring all medications are barcoded correctly before leaving the pharmacy.

Physicians: Will benefit from more accurate and real-time documentation in the EHR.

IT Department: Will be responsible for system implementation, integration with the EHR, and ongoing technical support.

Patients: Will experience a safer hospital stay with a lower risk of medication-related harm.

Slide 6: Costs, Risks, and Benefits

Costs:

Initial: Software licensing, hardware (scanners, workstations), and initial training. (Estimated: $X million)

Ongoing: Annual software maintenance, hardware replacement, and technical support.

Risks:

Staff Resistance: Reluctance to change from a familiar workflow.

Technical Issues: System downtime or glitches that could disrupt care.

Initial Workflow Disruption: A temporary increase in time spent on medication administration during the learning curve.

Benefits:

Reduced Errors: A direct reduction in medication administration errors, saving lives and preventing harm.

Cost Savings: Avoiding costs associated with treating adverse drug events.

Improved Reputation: Positioning our hospital as a leader in patient safety.

Slide 7: The Waterfall Project Plan - Phase 1: Requirements & Design

Requirements: A dedicated team will interview nurses, pharmacists, and IT staff to define system requirements and current workflow pain points. This phase includes identifying necessary hardware and software specifications.

Design: Based on the gathered requirements, the team will design the new workflow. This includes creating a detailed process map and a plan for EHR integration.

Key Deliverable: A comprehensive project charter and workflow design document.

Slide 8: The Waterfall Project Plan - Phase 2: Implementation & Testing

Implementation: The IT department will install the BCMA software and hardware, and integrate the system with our existing EHR.

Training: A comprehensive training program will be developed and delivered to all nursing and pharmacy staff.

Testing: We will conduct extensive unit testing and user acceptance testing (UAT) in a simulated environment to identify and fix any issues before the system goes live.

Slide 9: The Waterfall Project Plan - Phase 3: Go-Live & Maintenance

Go-Live: The BCMA system will be rolled out in a phased approach, starting with a single unit and then expanding to others.

Maintenance & Support: A dedicated support team will be available 24/7 during the initial go-live period. Long-term, a maintenance plan will ensure the system remains up-to-date and functional.

Post-Implementation Review: The project team will conduct a formal review to assess the project’s success and gather feedback for future improvements.

Slide 10: How We Will Know it's Successful

Primary Metric: Reduction in the medication administration error rate.

Goal: A 75% reduction in observed errors.

Secondary Metrics:

Increase in nurse satisfaction scores related to medication administration safety and efficiency.

Reduction in the average time spent on medication administration tasks.

Positive feedback from patients and families.

Slide 11: Implementation Team & Responsibilities

Project Sponsor: Senior Leadership (provides funding and strategic vision)

Project Manager: Clinical Informatics Specialist (oversees the project from start to finish)

IT Team: Responsible for technical installation, configuration, and integration.

Clinical Super-Users: Select nurses from each unit who will become experts and help with training and on-the-ground support.

Training and Education Team: Develops and delivers all training materials.

Slide 12: Conclusion & Next Steps

Conclusion: The BCMA system is a necessary and proven technology that will significantly improve patient safety and clinical efficiency at our hospital.

Call to Action: We recommend approving this project to move forward with the Requirements and Design phase.

Sample Answer

Slide 1: Title Slide

[Project Title] Improving Patient Safety: A Workflow Redesign for Medication Administration

[Presenter] Clinical Informatics Department

[Date] October 2023

Slide 2: The Problem: The Current Workflow

The Problem: Our current medication administration process is primarily manual and paper-based, relying on the nurse's memory and cross-referencing paper charts. This process is time-consuming and prone to human error.

The Data: National studies show medication errors harm over 1.5 million people annually. In our hospital, we track an average of X errors per month, with high-risk drugs being a primary concern.

Why It Needs Improvement: Patient safety is our top priority. The current workflow is inefficient and introduces a preventable risk of medication errors.

Slide 3: Proposed Solution: The Technology

The Technology: Bedside Barcode Medication Administration (BCMA).

How it Works:

The nurse scans the patient's wristband.

The nurse scans the medication's barcode.

The system automatically cross-checks the medication order against the patient's electronic health record (EHR).