NUR 674 Graphic Project Timeline

NUR 674 Graphic Project Timeline

A project timeline is essential to understand the stages of implementing a suggested evidence-based project in clinical settings. Graphic project timelines give a visual representation of a proposed project or intervention in a practicum site and show the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders, activities, and expected implementation deadline or timeframe (Yoder-Wise et al., 2023). The proposed project is to enhance communication among providers like nurses aimed at reducing medication administration errors, particularly during shift handover. Based on my discussion with the preceptor, we agreed to develop and implement communication interventions leveraging health technologies like barcode scanning of medications to reduce medication errors. As such, the following is a proposed project timeline using a graphic organizer on the implementation of the intervention.

Project Timeline Graphic Organizer

i). Project Approval

Based on evidence on the effects of medication errors and upon a needs assessment conducted in the organization, the evidence-based team in collaboration with the preceptor realized the importance of implementing an effective communication protocol, including integration of technologies like bar code medication administration (BCMA) tool, to reduce and prevent medication errors (Boehme et al., 2022). Effective communication at the shift handover and integrating tools like BCMA are critical in lowering miscommunication and misunderstanding that can occur among nurses and physicians and reduce the possibility of medication errors. Given that this is the first stage of the project, organizing thoughts and ideas based on the facility’s goals and the stakeholders involved would require an estimated two-week time frame. The two weeks will be from September 16^th to 30^th 20224. The core stakeholders at this stage will include the project team comprising the manager, my preceptor, the nurse manager and leader, the information and technology (IT) manager, and the quality assurance manager. The manager will be in charge of the project and provider deliverables while the preceptor will guide the process. The nurse manager and leader will collect project requirements and have input on the proposed communication model based on the unit’s and nurses’ needs to meet patients’ concerns, needs, and preferences. The IT manager and the quality assurance manager will seek ways to align the proposed project with the organization’s health systems and compliance with regulatory and best practices in the industry.

ii). Education Development

The education development stage will focus on materials and content that the project team will create and prepare to disseminate to the different stakeholders based on their roles and responsibilities during and after the implementation. Consequently, the development phase will fall immediately after the approval and occur in the first two weeks of October, from 1^st to 15^th, 2024. The core content of the education development will be on areas of change management, the importance of the proposed interventions, understanding of the organizational culture, and all aspects of change implementation, especially encouraging and motivating nurses and all internal stakeholders. The development will also focus on developing strategies aimed at attaining the set project goals (Vitello-Cicciu et al., 2020). Stakeholders at this stage will include nurses who will have input on education areas, nurse managers who will collect the content and suggest learning areas during the implementation

iii). Stakeholder Education

Stakeholder education will be the third phase of the implementation and will entail having sessions with all stakeholders. The training sessions will be conducted within a week during the third week of October 2024 to ensure that all stakeholders understand the importance of the proposed project. The stakeholder education sessions will offer an opportunity to actively engage and enhance the participation of all people in the facility (Owens et al., 2020). The training sessions will also entail educating the stakeholders on their various roles and responsibilities in implementing the proposed project. All stakeholders will understand their roles, led by the nurse manager and nurse leader as well as the project manager.

iv). Implementation Date

The implementation of the communication changes will span four weeks, from October 14^th to November 15^th, 2024. The implementation will entail rolling out new communication procedures, policies, and technological interventions, including bar code medication administration (BCMA) in nursing units (Kennedy et al., 2023). All stakeholders will take charge of their responsibilities based on their areas as outlined during the planning or initial phase and approval stage. The project manager in collaboration with the nurse manager and nurse leaders will coordinate the activities, make changes where necessary, and report on a daily, and weekly basis on the attainment of each task and goal. The IT and quality assurance managers will compile all achievements, record feedback from nurses and patients, and determine gaps for changes to improve implementation.

v). Assessment of Initial Outcomes/Implementation

The assessment of initial outcomes will be during the first two weeks of the implementation, the first and second weeks. The project manager will compile a comprehensive report for presentation to the team and stakeholders based on daily and weekly feedback and observations from the implementation team, especially nurses (Smith et al., 2020). The assessment will also integrate patient satisfaction surveys in all areas, and ease of using the system by providers to determine areas for improvement and goals achieved by this period. The assessment will happen at the start of the first week of November 2024. The assessment will evaluate nurses’ engagement with the system. Preceptor engagement and program satisfaction will occur through surveys by nurse managers.

vi). Reassessment of Outcomes

The reassessment of the outcomes will be after the final week of the implementation in the third week of November 2024. The reassessment will take a week and determine if the project attained its goals, the challenges, and recommend if the facility makes it part of its culture to improve communication and reduce errors. The project manager will provide a report and make recommendations based on objective evaluation by an external evaluator who will be invited at the tail-end of the project.

References

Boehme, S., Wohlt, P., Valentine, J., & Ensign, R. (2022). Sustained barcode medication

administration rates less than 2 percent in a large healthcare system. Journal of Patient

Safety and Risk Management, 27(6): 268-274. https://doi.org/10.1177/25160435221137145

Kennedy, G. A., Pedram, S., & Sanzone, S. (2023). Improving safety outcomes through medical

error reduction via virtual reality-based clinical skills training. Safety Science, 165, 106200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106200

Owens, K., Palmore, M., Penoyer, D., & Viers, P. (2020). The effect of implementing bar-code

medication administration in an emergency department on medication administration errors and nursing satisfaction. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 46(6): 884-891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2020.07.004

Smith, C. M., & Johnson, C. S. (2020). Preparing nurse leaders in nursing professional

development: Theories applied to leadership in nursing professional development. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34(1), 38-40.

DOI: 10.1097/NND.0000000000000404

Vitello-Cicciu, J. M. (2020). Am I an authentic nursing leader for healthy workplace

environments? Nurse Leader, 17(3): 201-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2019.03.011

Yoder-Wise, P. S., & Sportsman, S. (2022). Leading and Managing in Nursing E-Book: Leading

and Managing in Nursing E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

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