Small Nursing Informatics Project: Scope and Charter Paper

Small Nursing Informatics Project: Scope and Charter Paper

Healthcare organizations face multiple constraints and challenges that prompt healthcare professionals to collaborate in implementing quality improvement projects and initiatives. Although the significant aims of enacting quality improvement initiatives are to enhance care quality, guarantee organizational survival, and address issues that compromise patient safety and well-being, interprofessional teams should apply appropriate project management. Sipes (2020) defines a project as “a planned set of interrelated tasks that need to be completed within a specific timeline” (p. 10). Based on this definition, it is valid to contend that successful project implementation relies massively upon planning and organizational preparedness to enact, evaluate, and sustain new approaches.

One of the initial stages of project planning is developing the project’s scope and charter that define various elements of the proposed intervention plan, including the project’s name, institutional priority, project mission, measurable objectives, justification, background information, estimated timelines, measures of success, underlying assumptions, and constraints. According to Sipes (2020), a project charter defines costs, lists tasks in the form of a schedule, and contains the deliverables. On the other hand, a scope document encompasses the general description of the project, includes the user acceptance criteria, lists constraints, and identifies the anticipated challenges that can compromise the project implementation and sustenance. The two documents are vital in seeking approval from the top organizational leadership helm and obtaining their buy-in and support.

The proposed project entails designing and implementing an education program for nurses in the emergency department as a strategy for preventing medication errors. It is vital to note that healthcare professionals in the emergency department face various challenges that compromise their ability to comply with medication management protocols and guidelines, increasing the risk of perpetrating medication errors. According to Di Simone et al. (2018), a high number of patients needing emergency care, increased prevalence of chronic diseases, unfavorable nurse-patient ratios, nurses’ lack of experience, time pressure, and burnout are primary risk factors for medication errors in the emergency department. Therefore, involving them in an education program can enhance their medication administration knowledge, awareness, and skills.

The project’s mission is “to enhance patient safety and experiences at the emergency department by preventing medication errors and averting the subsequent adverse ramifications.” According to Hanson & Haddad (2021), nurses play a unique role and responsibility in medication administration, especially by adhering to the five traditional rights of medication administration (right patient, drug, route, time, and dose). Equally, they are responsible for using advanced technologies, such as barcode medication administration (BCMA) and clinical decision support systems (CDSSs), to prevent the administration of wrong medication, incorrect orders, wrong dosage, and other forms of errors. Therefore, educating them can enhance their ability to utilize technologies and comply with the five rights of medication administration.

An education program should involve learning materials, demonstrations, facilities for evidence-based practice, and simulation modalities for diversifying knowledge acquisition. Abukhader & Abukhader (2020) argue that the education booklet should include thematic areas like the international patient safety goals, the rights of medication administration, organizational policies and procedure guidelines for medication management, calculations of IV adult medication errors, medication sensitivity, classification of medication errors, risk factors, and management interventions. These priority areas are consistent with the determination to improve nurses’ knowledge, awareness, and skills for ensuring safer medication administration practices in the emergency department. Consequently, appendices (A and B) represent the project’s scope document and charter.

References

Abukhader, I., & Abukhader, K. (2020). Effect of medication safety education program on intensive care nurses’ knowledge regarding medication errors. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 08(06), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.4236/jbm.2020.86013

Di Simone, E., Giannetta, N., Auddino, F., Cicotto, A., Grilli, D., & Di Muzio, M. (2018). Medication errors in the emergency department: Knowledge, attitude, behavior, and training needs of nurses. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, 22(5), 346–352. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijccm.ijccm_63_18

Hanson, A., & Haddad, L. M. (2021, September 12). Nursing rights of medication administration. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560654/

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Sipes, C. (2020). Project management for the advanced practice nurse (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Appendix A: Scope Statement

Organization’s name:
Project’s name: An Education Program for Nurses in the Emergency Department (ED)
Scope document: The proposed intervention plan is a departmental quality improvement initiative aimed at preventing medication errors. An interprofessional team consisting of nurses, physicians, nurse leaders, and nurse informaticists is responsible for initiating, implementing, evaluating, and facilitating the assimilation of the acquired approaches into the organizational culture.
Project manager:	Priority level: Low, Medium, High	High
Sponsors:
Mission statement: “to enhance patient safety and experiences at the emergency department by preventing medication errors and averting the subsequent adverse ramifications.”
Measurable project objectives: 1. Reduce the prevalence of medication errors in the emergency department 2. Prevent errors of commission and omission emanating from nurses’ inexperience and insufficient knowledge of safe medication management processes. 3. Enhance nurses’ knowledge and awareness of the rights of medication administration and strategies for safeguarding patient safety.
Justification: A high prevalence of medication errors in the emergency department results in detrimental consequences, including increased mortalities, life-threatening conditions, high care costs, and patient dissatisfaction. Equally, they lead to negative legal and ethical implications for organizations and professionals. Therefore, educating nurses on safer medication administration strategies can avert these ramifications and improve patient satisfaction.
Implementation strategy: ·         Creating a sense of urgency by communicating the project’s mission and objectives to interprofessional team members ·         Researching educational materials and resources to facilitate the project ·         Introducing nurses to education sessions ·         Obtaining and leveraging nurses’ feedback on the education interventions ·         Addressing baseline variations ·         Evaluating the project and sustaining education sessions.
Project resources: ·         Learning materials like booklets and written procedure guidelines ·         Simulators ·         Personnel expenses like remunerating educators
Completion date: December 2022
Measures of success/critical success factors: ·         Decrease in prevalence of medication errors during and after education sessions ·         Improved nurses’ knowledge and ability to adhere to all rights of medication administration even when constrained by workplace challenges like time pressure. ·         Nurses’ improved competence in using advanced technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs), e-prescribing modalities, and barcoding medication administration.
Assumptions: All nurses will understand the safer medication management processes, workplace guidelines, and steps for using advanced technologies after participating in the education sessions.
Constraints: ·         Non-adherence to education sessions schedules due to increased workload and time pressure ·         The mismatch between the proposed intervention plan and the desired outcomes due to delays in addressing the department’s status quo. ·         Resource constraints exacerbated by baseline variations.
	Stakeholder/Leadership Approvals
Manager and sponsor:	Signatures:	Date:
Project manager approval:
Owner approval:

 Appendix B: Practicum Project Charter

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PROJECT CHARTER
Title of project:  An Education Program for Nurses in the Emergency Department (ED)
The objectives of the project: 1. Reduce the prevalence of medication errors in the emergency department 2. Prevent errors of commission and omission emanating from nurses’ inexperience and insufficient knowledge of safe medication management processes. 3. Enhance nurses’ knowledge and awareness of the rights of medication administration and strategies for safeguarding patient safety.
Background/justification: A high prevalence of medication errors in the emergency department results in detrimental consequences, including increased mortalities, life-threatening conditions, high care costs, and patient dissatisfaction. Equally, they lead to negative legal and ethical implications for organizations and professionals. Nurses in emergency departments frequently commit medication mistakes due to a lack of knowledge in procedure guidelines, time pressure, inexperience, burnout, inability to use medication administration technologies, and increased workload. Therefore, educating nurses on safer medication administration strategies can avert these ramifications and improve patient satisfaction.
Scope statement summary: The proposed intervention plan is a departmental quality improvement initiative aimed at preventing medication errors. An interprofessional team consisting of nurses, physicians, nurse leaders, and nurse informaticists is responsible for initiating, implementing, evaluating, and facilitating the assimilation of acquired knowledge into the organizational culture.
Project participants: Physicians, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), Clinical Nurse Educators, Registered Nurses (RNs), Nurse Assistants (CNAs), nurse leaders, and nurse informaticists.
Executive Steering Team (EST)
Name	Title	Department
	Nurse manager	Executive
	Nurse Manager	Executive
	Nurse educator	Emergency Department
Roles and responsibilities: Provide support, direction, and approval for multiple aspects of the project Overseeing the alignment of the project with organizational mission, vision, and core values Collaborating with the finance and human resource management departments to oversee the proper allocation of financial and human resources consistent with the project’s needs.
Time requirement: throughout the project lifecycle (3 months)
Total estimated hours per member: 30 hours
Project Steering Team (PST)
Name	Title	Department
	Physician	Emergency Department
	Nurse manager	Executive
	Advanced Practice Registered Nurse	Emergency Department
Roles and responsibilities: ·         Developing schedules for education sessions ·         Simplifying procedure guidelines to facilitate nurses’ knowledge acquisition ·         Assessing the project
Time requirement: 3 months
Total estimated hours per member: 30 hours
Project Work Team
Name	Title	Department
	Nurse manager	Executive
	Physician	Emergency Department
	Advanced Practice Registered Nurse	Emergency Department
	Nurse Informaticists	Emergency Department
	Clinical Nurse Educator	Human Resource Management
Project governance: Nurse managers will provide executive directions for the project.
Roles and responsibilities: ·         Governing the project ·         Setting and communicating the project’s mission, vision, and desired outcomes ·         Developing schedules for education sessions ·         Developing learning materials, including procedure guidelines ·         Implementing, assessing, and evaluating the project
Time requirement: 3 months
Total estimated hours per member: 30 hours
Other resources: (vendors; administrative, clinical, technical resources that will be required) ·         Upgrading the existing technological systems ·         Setting up venues for education sessions ·         Assessment and evaluation questionnaires
Activities: (will be listed in the project plan) ·         Setting and communicating the project’s mission and objectives ·         Budgeting and planning ·         Developing partnerships, schedules, and timeframes ·         Project implementation ·         Frequent monitoring and assessments ·         Winding up
·         Deliverables: (to support scope document) ·         Project strategy report ·         The scope document and charter ·         Budgeting and progress report ·         Outcome report
Time frame: 3 months
Special considerations: (assumptions, constraints, directives from management) Assumptions: ·         All nurses will understand the safer medication management processes, workplace guidelines, and steps for using advanced technologies after participating in the education sessions. Constraints: ·         Non-adherence to education sessions schedules due to increased workload and time pressure ·         The mismatch between the proposed intervention plan and the desired outcomes due to delays in addressing the department’s status quo. ·         Resource constraints exarcebated by baseline variations.
Approval and sign-off: (project sponsor agrees with the scope of activities and deliverables)
Name	Title	Department

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Week 6 Instructions
Assignment: Developing a Small Nursing Informatics Project for Your Organization, Part 2: Implementation (Continued)
In these next 2 weeks—Weeks 6 and 7—you might implement your small nursing informatics project or propose how you might implement your small nursing informatics project for your healthcare organization or nursing practice. Specifically, you will examine how to apply the 10 tracking documents developed in Part 1. Remember, the goal of this project is to demonstrate, through the project, your understanding of nursing informatics. Track your project to make sure the implementation is going as planned. Activities to track with application of tools:

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• Is the project staying within scope? (Scope)
• Were all of the gaps identified? (Gap Analysis)
• Is the project following the timeline? (Project timeline)
• If you had a budget, is it on track?
• Were all of the work activities correctly assigned? (WBS)
• Are team members responsible? (RACI)
• Did the project start on time, inline to meet due date? (Gantt)
• Are you holding weekly status meetings and documented all activities? Are all team members in attendance and communicated with? (Communication Plan)
• Are all changes approved and documented? (Change Management Plan)
• Are all risks identified, prioritized, and assigned an owner and mitigation plan developed? (Risk Management Plan)
Using these activities, begin to develop and compile the final paper, discussing the plan for implementation and tracking project progress with your manager who will provide oversight for your project. If you do not have time to fully implement your project due to constraints discussed with your manager and Instructor, continue to write it up and submit it as if you were implementing. Be sure to document and justify why you could not actually implement your project and discuss the constraints.
Part 2 is due by Day 7 of Week 9.
You are not required to submit this assignment this week.