When creating staffing schedules, a nurse manager must compute paid nonproductive hours. In this calculation, the nurse manager takes into account:

Choice A Reason:

Introducing substitute staff with fresh perspectives can harm the unit’s culture. While introducing substitute staff can bring fresh perspectives, it can also disrupt the established team dynamics and culture. Frequent changes in staff can lead to inconsistencies in patient care and communication issues among team members. However, this is not the primary consequence of absenteeism.

Choice B Reason:

Unacceptable patient care may result. The most significant consequence of absenteeism in a nursing unit is the potential for unacceptable patient care. When nurses are absent, the remaining staff may be overworked, leading to fatigue and burnout. This can result in errors, missed care, and overall lower quality of patient care. Ensuring adequate staffing levels is crucial to maintaining high standards of care and patient safety.

Choice C Reason:

Lower personnel numbers lead to reduced salary expenses, creating a positive variance. While it is true that fewer staff members can reduce salary expenses, this is not a positive outcome in the context of healthcare. Reduced staffing can compromise patient care quality and increase the workload for the remaining staff, leading to burnout and higher turnover rates. Therefore, this is not a desirable consequence of absenteeism.

Choice D Reason:

It may encourage other team members to engage in absenteeism. Absenteeism can indeed create a negative work environment where other team members may feel justified in also being absent. This can lead to a cycle of absenteeism, further exacerbating staffing issues and negatively impacting patient care. However, this is a secondary consequence compared to the direct impact on patient care quality.

Choice A Reason:

Organizing a mandatory training to reorient nurses to the drug administration policy is an important step in addressing medication administration errors. However, it should not be the first step. Without understanding the underlying causes of the errors, training may not effectively address the specific issues that led to the sentinel event. Training should be tailored based on the findings of a root cause analysis to ensure it targets the actual problems.

Choice B Reason:

Requiring staff nurses to demonstrate competency by passing a medication administration examination is a useful strategy to ensure that nurses have the necessary knowledge and skills. However, similar to mandatory training, this step should follow a thorough investigation of the errors. Conducting a root cause analysis first will help identify whether competency issues are a factor and what specific areas need to be addressed.

Choice C Reason:

Conducting a root cause analysis is the appropriate first step. This process involves systematically identifying the underlying causes of the medication administration errors. By understanding the root causes, the committee can develop targeted interventions to prevent future errors. Root cause analysis helps ensure that the solutions are based on evidence and address the actual problems rather than just the symptoms.

Choice D Reason:

Developing a quality improvement program for nurses involved in medication administration errors is a valuable strategy for long-term improvement. However, this should be based on the findings of the root cause analysis. The quality improvement program should be designed to address the specific issues identified during the analysis, ensuring that it effectively reduces the risk of future errors.