The nurse leader on the risk management committee notices an alarming increase in medication errors on a quarterly report.
Which is the first step in initiating a quality improvement project?
Go to the various nursing units and talk with the nurses on a daily basis.
Offer a two-hour educational program for staff about the costs of medication errors.
Collect monthly data at the nursing unit level to isolate specific patterns.
Recommend that the healthcare facility purchase a bar code scanner system.
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A rationale:
Going to various nursing units and talking with nurses on a daily basis is not the first step in initiating a quality improvement project when there is an increase in medication errors. While communication with nursing staff is essential, it should come after data collection and analysis to understand the specific patterns and causes of the errors.
Choice B rationale:
Offering a two-hour educational program about the costs of medication errors is a well-intentioned initiative but may not address the immediate need to understand and address the causes of the increase in errors. Education can be part of a broader quality improvement plan, but it should follow data collection and analysis.
Choice C rationale:
This is the correct answer. Collecting monthly data at the nursing unit level to isolate specific patterns is the first step in addressing the increase in medication errors. It allows the risk management committee to identify when and where errors are occurring, which is crucial for effective problem-solving and quality improvement.
Choice D rationale:
Recommending the purchase of a bar code scanner system is a solution that should be considered after identifying specific patterns and causes of medication errors. It may be a valuable intervention, but it should come later in the quality improvement process.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice B rationale:
A retrospective 30-day chart audit that identifies the frequency of narcotic administration to clients one day following surgery. Rationale: This research design may involve unethical practices, as it could potentially involve accessing and auditing patient records without proper consent and may compromise patient confidentiality. It also raises ethical concerns about privacy and data protection.
Choice A rationale:
A qualitative study comparing responses of African-American and Caucasian clients about the levels of pain they experienced on their first postoperative day. Rationale: This qualitative study does not inherently involve unethical practices. Ethical considerations would depend on how the study is conducted, including obtaining informed consent and ensuring participant confidentiality.
Choice C rationale:
A quantitative, experimental design study used to detect pain level differences of groups receiving IM or PCA narcotics and a control group receiving placebos. Rationale: This quantitative experimental design does not inherently involve unethical practices. Ethical considerations would depend on how the study is conducted, including obtaining informed consent and ensuring participant safety.
Choice D rationale:
A prospective study that compares female and male clients' responses about their expectations of postoperative pain. Rationale: This prospective study does not inherently involve unethical practices. Ethical considerations would depend on how the study is conducted, including obtaining informed consent and ensuring participant confidentiality.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A rationale: The statement in question does identify the variables being investigated. It mentions that the study aims to evaluate whether short-term, cultural immersion, clinical experiences could affect change in cultural sensitivity and cultural self-efficacy. Both cultural sensitivity and cultural self-efficacy are the variables of interest in this research.
Choice B rationale: While the statement does mention the independent variable (short-term, cultural immersion, clinical experiences), it also includes the dependent variables (cultural sensitivity and cultural self-efficacy). So, the independent variable is indeed identified in the statement.
Choice C rationale: The missing characteristic in the research statement is the population being studied. It does not specify who the participants or subjects of the study are. The population being studied is a crucial element in a research statement because it helps define the scope and applicability of the research findings.
Choice D rationale: The statement does imply the possibility of empirical testing by stating that "a study was conducted," indicating that there was likely data collection and analysis involved. Therefore, the possibility of empirical testing is not missing from the statement.
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