Archive for the ‘Teacher Guides’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

135 – If It Was Your Mom Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

135

Instructor’s Guide – If It Was Your Mom


Overview:
This story is about the impacts of medication errors. Distractions and interruptions can cause human error that may not be caught by other team members. Patients and/or family members are witnesses to their care and can provide cross-monitoring to prevent errors from occurring.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Examine and describe team practices to promote cross-monitoring of high risk procedures including medication administration.
  • Summarize policies and practices that can limit distractions and multi-tasking during critical care practices.
  • Describe processes for including patients and family members before each important procedure or medication administration, informing them of processes and risks, and listening to any concerns.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Safety: Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
  • Patient-Centered Care: Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs.

 

 

QSEN Teamwork & Collaboration Enrichment

TeamSTEPPS Best Practice: Cross-Monitoring

Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is an evidence-based set of teamwork tools, aimed at optimizing patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among health care professionals. 


Cross Monitoring – Cross Monitoring is used by fellow team members to help maintain situation awareness and prevent errors. Commonly referred to as “watching each other’s back,” it is the action of monitoring the behavior of other team members by providing feedback and keeping track of fellow team members’ behaviors to ensure that procedures are being followed appropriately. It allows team members to self-correct their actions if necessary. Cross monitoring is not a way to “spy” on other team members, rather it is a way to provide a safety net or error-prevention mechanism for the team, ensuring that mistakes or oversights are caught early. When all members of the team trust the intentions of their fellow team members, a strong sense of team orientation and a high degree of psychological safety result.

 

Reflection Questions:
Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. Why is cross-monitoring an important practice? How was it illustrated in this story?
    A: Cross-monitoring is one way to check the accuracy of another nurse. This should be done every time a “high alter” medication is given. It includes not only checking the doctor’s order, but also ensuring it is the correct dosage.
  2. How can we make sure our cross-monitoring of important procedures or medication administrations is not compromised by multitasking or staff changes?
    A: One way is to ensure staff are not interrupted when administering medication. At some hospitals this is done by wearing a vest that indicates medications are about to be administered and that all side conversations must be stopped.
  3. How can we include the patients and families as members of the clinical care team and ensure that they have the opportunity to ask questions and express concerns before important procedures or medication administrations?
    A: The patient and family members should feel encouraged to be a part of the team. They often have knowledge and experience the healthcare member may benefit from knowing.

 

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: That no one double checked the dosage or strength of the medication. It is not enough to only check the doctors order, but the dosage as well.
  2. What might have happened if Lucy had not advocated for her patient, or if Cynthia had not been there to advocate for her mother?
    A: The patient would have received an extremely high and potentially lethal dose of the medication.
  3. What if Inez was your mom? How does that change your perspective on the story?
    A: Each of us want the best care to be given to our parents. This is a great example to keep in mind when patients or family members want to know more about medication or procedures their loved ones are receiving.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting. 

  • Read “The Human Factor: The critical importance of effective teamwork and communication in providing safe care” and create a presentation on the importance of cross monitoring and other preventative actions that can help increase patient safety during high risk procedures.
  • Work with a partner to generate a list of policies and practices that can limit distractions and multi-tasking during critical care procedures. Create a poster of your top ten reminders for limiting distractions and focusing on patient safety.
  • Create a checklist to assist medical staff in working with patients and their families in critical care situations. What can they do on a regular basis to include patients and families as full partners in their care?

 

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Examine and describe team practices to promote cross-monitoring of high risk procedures including medication administration.  Student struggles to examine and describe team practices to promote cross-monitoring of high risk procedures including medication administration. Student can examine and describe some team practices to promote cross-monitoring of high risk procedures including medication administration, but needs further practice. Student can examine and describe team practices to promote cross-monitoring of high risk procedures including medication administration.
Summarize policies and practices that can limit distractions and multitasking during critical care practices.  Student struggles to summarize policies and practices that can limit distractions and multitasking during critical care practices. Student can summarize some policies and practices that can limit distractions and multitasking during critical care practices, but needs further practice. Student can accurately summarize policies and practices that can limit distractions and multitasking during critical care practices.
Describe processes for including patients and family members before each important procedure or medication administration, informing them of processes and risks, and listening to any concerns.  Student struggles to describe processes for including patients and family members before each important procedure or medication administration, informing them of processes and risks, and listening to any concerns. Student can describe some processes for including patients and family members before each important procedure or medication administration, informing them of processes and risks, and listening to any concerns, but needs further practice. Student can describe processes for including patients and family members before each important procedure or medication administration, informing them of processes and risks, and listening to any concerns.
Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication. Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • Call Out
  • Advocacy and Assertion
  • Check Backs
  • Bedside Handoffs
  • Collaboration
  • “Speak Up”
  • Cross Monitoring
  • STEP
  • CUS
  • AskMe3
  • Handoff
  • 3Ws – Who I am, What I am Doing, Why I Care
  • Two-Challenge Rule
  • Handoff

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

134 – In Whose Time? Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

134

Instructor’s Guide – In Whose Time?


Overview:
This story is about an expectant mother and the timing of a scheduled C-section delivery. The physician’s schedule, not the gestation age of the fetus, becomes the primary scheduling concern. Reducing or eliminating early elective deliveries has been shown to be safer for newborns.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Describe evidence-based safety protocols across the team to reduce planned deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication.
  • Adopt and apply an assertive statement to be used by team members to voice concerns over scheduled elective deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication.
  • Explain the increased risks to the newborn to the patient and their family with deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Evidence-Based Practice (EBP): Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.
  • Safety: Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
  • Patient-Centered Care: Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs.

 

 

QSEN Teamwork & Collaboration Enrichment

TeamSTEPPS Best Practice: CUS

Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is an evidence-based set of teamwork tools, aimed at optimizing patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among healthcare professionals

  • The CUS technique provides a framework for conflict resolution, advocacy, and mutual support. Signal words, such as “danger,” “warning,” and “caution” are common in the medical arena. They catch the reader’s attention. “CUS” and several other signal phrases have a similar effect in verbal communication. When they are spoken, all team members will understand clearly not only the issue, but also the magnitude of the issue.

 

  • CUS Technique:
    1. First, state your Concern.
    2. Then state why you are Uncomfortable.
    3. If the conflict is not resolved, state that there is a Safety issue.

 

Reflection Questions:
Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. Explain why it is important to follow evidence-based practices to ensure patient safety, regardless of inconveniences it might cause.
    A: Care based on evidence based practice ensures patient safety. There are often several reasons why evidence based practice should be used. It is based on facts and research and not a healthcare professionals opinion or convenience.
  2. How might Beverly’s use of the CUS technique prevented the issues in this story? Why do you think she didn’t speak up?
    A: Beverly didn’t want to say anything because she wanted her OBGYN to deliver here baby and not another doctor. Many times patients don’t feel comfortable standing up to a doctor or disagreeing with their decision.
  3. How is this story a non-example of patient-centered care? What would you change to make it an example of patient-centered care?
    A: This example is not patient-centered care because the baby was delivered according to the doctor’s schedule and not the schedule that should have been used. There was not a medical reason to deliver the baby early, except that it was convenient for the doctor.

 

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: That potential harm occurred because evidence based practice was not followed.
  2. What is one thing you could do to ensure that elective deliveries less than 39 weeks are decreased in your workplace?
    A: One way is to provide the obgyn’s with research and evidence that supports elective deliveries over 39 weeks gestational age.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting.  

  • Write an addendum to this story where Beverly intercedes to advocate for Rachel and Andy using the CUS technique. Decide whether she confronts Dr. Burdy in the room or out, and the possible reaction of the doctor.
  • Research other possible consequences of an early C-section (that is not medically necessary). Create a presentation with your findings.

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Describe evidence-based safety protocols across the team to reduce planned deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication.  Student struggles to describe evidence-based safety protocols across the team to reduce planned deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication. Student can describe some evidence-based safety protocols across the team to reduce planned deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication, but needs further instruction. Student can accurately describe evidence-based safety protocols across the team to reduce planned deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication.
Adopt and apply an assertive statement to be used by team members to voice concerns over scheduled elective deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication.  Student struggles to adopt and apply an assertive statement to be used by team members to voice concerns over scheduled elective deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication. Student can adopt and apply an assertive statement to be used by team members to voice concerns over scheduled elective deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication, but needs further instruction or practice. Student can adopt and apply an assertive statement to be used by team members to voice concerns over scheduled elective deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication.
Explain the increased risks to the newborn to the patient and their family with deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication.  Student struggles to explain the increased risks to the newborn to the patient and their family with deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication. Student can explain some of the increased risks to the newborn to the patient and their family with deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication, but needs further instruction and practice. Student can accurately explain the increased risks to the newborn to the patient and their family with deliveries less than 39 weeks without medical indication.
Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication. Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • Advocacy and Assertion
  • Collaboration
  • Cross Monitoring
  • Debriefs
  • Two Challenge Rule
  • AskMe3
  • Feedback
  • CUS
  • Handoff
  • Huddles
  • SBAR

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

133 – They Come and Go Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

133

Instructor’s Guide – They Come and Go


Overview:
This story is about the patient experience as seen through the eyes of the patient. Patients view their care as competent, yet disjointed, especially at shift changes. Bedside handoffs are one technique to make the transitions of care both satisfying and safer for the patient.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Evaluate and explain team opportunities to consistently involve patients and family members during transitions of care, especially at shift changes.
  • Describe the importance of integrating bedside handoffs into daily practice to promote safer care and improve patient experience.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Patient-Centered Care: Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs.
  • Teamwork and Collaboration: Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.

 

 

QSEN Teamwork & Collaboration Enrichment

TeamSTEPPS Best Practice: Bedside Handoffs

Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is an evidence-based set of teamwork tools, aimed at optimizing patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among healthcare professionals.

 

Bedside Handoffs – Change of shift report occurring at the patient’s bedside with these essential components:

  • A standardized nursing report handoff tool.
  • Bedside shift-to-shift report.
  • Inclusion of the patient and family in the discussion of plans and goals of care, including introductions.
  • Two-person medical record check.

 

Reflection Questions:
Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. How did the team’s inability to consistently involve Daryl and Ed during transitions of care affect their experiences?
    A: Both Daryl and Ed had a negative attitude regarding their care after the first two days on the floor. They did not feel involved in their own care once they had been there for a few shift changes.
  2. What does this story illustrate about the importance of bedside handoffs?
    A: Not only is bedside handoff important, but it is also important to let the patient know that bedside handoff will be occurring in the near future. It works well when the patient is informed prior to the shift change.

 

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: That patient feels more in control of their own care when they are informed of the regular activities on the floor and what to expect. Although the care of the patient may not change, the patient feels more in control of the situation.
  2. What is one thing you can do to make sure the patient is confident and comfortable with the transition to the next care provider?
    A: One way is to inform them when change of shift will be occurring and who their next nurse will be. Another way is to create more communication between the day shift and night shift nurses so that the patient feels they are the center of care.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting. 

  • Using the criteria provided for bedside handoffs, create a dialogue that should have happened during a bedside handoff between Madeline and the night nurse.

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Evaluate and explain team opportunities to consistently involve patients and family members during transitions of care, especially at shift changes.  Student struggles to evaluate and explain team opportunities to consistently involve patients and family members during transitions of care, especially at shift changes. Student can evaluate and explain some team opportunities to consistently involve patients and family members during transitions of care, especially at shift changes, but needs further practice. Student can accurately evaluate and explain team opportunities to consistently involve patients and family members during transitions of care, especially at shift changes.
Describe the importance of integrating bedside handoffs into daily practice to promote safer care and improve patient experience. Student struggles to describe the importance of integrating bedside handoffs into daily practice to promote safer care and improve patient experience. Student can describe some of the importance of integrating bedside handoffs into daily practice to promote safer care and improve patient experience, but needs further practice. Student can accurately describe the importance of integrating bedside handoffs into daily practice to promote safer care and improve patient experience.

Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication. Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • Briefs
  • Collaboration
  • Cross Monitoring
  • Feedback
  • Handoff
  • Huddles
  • I PASS the BATON
  • SBAR
  • 3Ws – Who I am, What I am Doing, and Why I Care
  • Bedside Handoffs
  • Check-Backs

 

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

132 – Debrief or Perish Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

132

Instructor’s Guide – Debrief or Perish


Overview:
This story is about the importance of team debriefs. Teams often fail to learn as much as they can from critical incidents by not taking adequate time to report, discuss, and examine errors in patient care. Teams are destined to repeat the same mistakes if they fail to debrief.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Describe the importance of integrating team debriefs into regular practice to promote team learning, error management, continuous improvement, and self-correction.
  • Explain the importance of integrating family members as a critical source of patient information and medical history, especially if the patient is incapacitated or impaired.
  • Generate and summarize strategies for recording and sharing lessons learns from debriefs with other team members and across the organization.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Teamwork and Collaboration: Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
  • Evidence-Based Practice (EBP): Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.
  • Patient-Centered Care: Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs.
  • Quality Improvement (QI): Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.

 

 

QSEN Teamwork & Collaboration Enrichment

TeamSTEPPS Best Practice:

Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is an evidence-based set of teamwork tools, aimed at optimizing patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among healthcare professionals.

 

Debriefs: To conduct a debrief:

  • Facilitate the discussion as a leader by asking questions related to team performance. What did we do well?
  • Recap the situation, background, and key events that occurred.
  • As a team, assess how the following played a role in the performance of the team:
    • Team Leadership
    • Situation Awareness
    • Mutual Support
    • Communication
  • Then summarize lessons learned and set goals for improvement.
  • This checklist can be used by the team during a debriefing to ensure that all information is discussed.

 

Reflection Questions:
Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. How does this story illustrate the importance of integrating team debriefs into regular practice to promote team learning, error management, continuous improvement, and self-correction?
    A: Debriefs are evidence based tools used to improved the effectiveness of teamwork. Clearly, the collective understanding of ACLS protocol was lossed in the hierarchy of the Code Team. In a debrief, questions related to the order of care in these events could be questioned and discussed, therefore there opportunity for collective learning and accountability could have been achieved.
  2. Why is it important to actively seek out family members to participate as a full partner in a patient’s care?
    A: In circumstances where the patient is unable to provide a comprehensive history, it is essential to identify other sources of information that can provide lifesaving guidance on the patient’s needed treatment strategy.
  3. What are some ways this team could record and share lessons learned from debriefs with other team members and across the organization, considering their time constraints?
    A: Summarizing “lessons learned” and developing action steps related to gaps in knowledge or process are opportunities to share what each debrief illuminates. Each unit should have a designee that owns the debrief process and communicates findings in a meaningful way.

    4.  

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: Time will always be a challenge, particularly in high throughput healthcare environments like the Emergency Department. Establishing policy that requires debriefs before the end of shift, would set the expectation that the process be honored. This will require a well-communicated institutional commitment to clinical excellence that emphasized the benefits of such debriefs. Again, lessons learned should be shared to maximize the positive influence of the process.
  2. What can we do to consistently engage the family as a potential source of key patient information?
    A: Often times checklists are the best mechanism to systematize processes. As part of the admission, transfer or rapid response team mechanism, consideration of family as a resource should be included.
  3. How can we make debriefs a constant team practice for learning and improvement?
    A: Inbedding debriefs in the orientation process, or any time a new skill or learning exercise is deployed would teach the effectiveness and establish debriefs as part of the culture of the unit or institution.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting. 

  • Using the debriefing steps above, conduct a debrief of the errors in this story. Explain how your debrief might have prevented some of the errors that occurred, and/or would help prevent future errors.
  • Work with a partner to develop a list of ways to share information obtained in debriefs across the team and organization. Share your list with the class for further discussion.

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Describe the importance of integrating team debriefs into regular practice to promote team learning, error management, continuous improvement, and self-correction.  Student struggles to describe the importance of integrating team debriefs into regular practice to promote team learning, error management, continuous improvement, and self-correction. Student can describe some of the importance of integrating team debriefs into regular practice to promote team learning, error management, continuous improvement, and self-correction, but needs more practice. Student can accurately describe the importance of integrating team debriefs into regular practice to promote team learning, error management, continuous improvement, and self-correction.
Generate and summarize strategies for recording and sharing lessons learned from debriefs with other team members and across the organization.  Student struggles to generate and summarize strategies for recording and sharing lessons learned from debriefs with other team members and across the organization Student can generate and summarize some strategies for recording and sharing lessons learned from debriefs with other team members and across the organization, but needs further practice. Student can accurately generate and summarize strategies for recording and sharing lessons learned from debriefs with other team members and across the organization
Explain the importance of integrating family members as a critical source of patient information and medical history, especially if the patient is incapacitated or impaired.  Student struggles to explain the importance of integrating family members as a critical source of patient information and medical history, especially if the patient is incapacitated or impaired. Student can explain some of the importance of integrating family members as a critical source of patient information and medical history, especially if the patient is incapacitated or impaired, but needs further practice. Student can accurately explain the importance of integrating family members as a critical source of patient information and medical history, especially if the patient is incapacitated or impaired.

Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication (Details and definitions can be found in the Best Practices section of the website). Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • Call Out
  • Check-Backs
  • Cross Monitoring
  • Debriefs
  • Feedback
  • Task Assistance
  • STEP
  • 3Ws – Who I am, What I am Doing, and Why I Care

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

131 – Between the Cracks Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

131

Instructor’s Guide – Between the Cracks


Overview:
This story demonstrates the importance of improving team communication, developing effective cues, re-engineering processes, and promoting coordination between units to reduce Emergency Department length of stay (LOS) to improve patient safety, efficiency, and satisfaction.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Identify and describe strategies and methods to improve team monitoring of patient flow status related to discharge or admitting.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Teamwork and Collaboration: Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
  • Quality Improvement (QI): Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.

 

 

Reflection Questions:

Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. Who do you believe is most at fault for the breakdown in Mrs. Harris’ care in the story? Explain your reasoning.
    A: Each unit has its own established processes of care. In any unit there should be clear delineation of “ownership” of various tasks, including the monitoring and communication of admission and transfer status. Although a unit coordinator may assume responsibility for order entry, Ginny, as Mrs. Harris’ nurse is ultimately responsible to advocate for her needs and communicate on her behalf.
  2. What strategies and methods for monitoring patient flow could this team use to achieve better quality patient care?
    A: Emergency departments are very busy units, requiring systems that support enhanced communication. It sounds, from the story, that attempts at providing “communication boards” are in place. The challenge is to maximize their utilization. The opportunities include: establish an “on stage” area for patient care rooms. Ginny’s team member Linda was clearly available to assist with Mrs. Harris’ transfer as she had 15 minutes for chatting. Additionally, there should be someone responsible for monitoring updates to the board, and communicating these updates to the nurses impacted by changes. Potentially this role could be fulfilled by the Charge Nurse. In her role as Charge, she could better assess everyone’s work load and encourage team support when the balance of responsibilities is skewed.

 

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: Technology is helpful but not fullproof and requires intentional use. Establishing monitoring processes and communication expectations cannot be assumed.
  2. What will the events of this story likely do to Estelle’s perception of the hospital? Why is this an important consideration for all members of the medical team?
    A: Estelle’s perception of the hospital will be negatively impacted by the lack of teamwork. Clearly, the way healthcare professional work together and communicate in the care environment can either support a patient centered focus or reflect a self importance message.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting. 

  • Read through the story again and make a flow chart that shows everyone who was involved (or supposed to be involved) in Mrs. Harris’ transfer to her new room. How do you think this system could be improved? Where is the breakdown most likely to occur? Discuss your chart and solutions with the class.

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Identify and describe strategies and methods to improve team monitoring of patient flow status related to discharge or admitting. Student struggles to identify and describe strategies and methods to improve team monitoring of patient flow status related to discharge or admitting. Student can identify and describe some strategies and methods to improve team monitoring of patient flow status related to discharge or admitting. Student can accurately identify and describe strategies and methods to improve team monitoring of patient flow status related to discharge or admitting.

 

Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication. Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • Call-Out
  • Check Backs
  • Collaboration
  • Cross Monitoring
  • Handoff
  • SBAR
  • STEP
  • Patient Rounding
  • “Speak Up”

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

130 – Sound the Alarm Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

130

Instructor’s Guide – Sound the Alarm


Overview:
This story is about how staff response to safety alarms and patient call lights is essential to ensure patient safety. Preventing patient harm due to falls requires effective strategies and protocols in addition to team vigilance.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Explain the factors that affect team response to bed alarms or call signals.
  • Describe team strategies to reduce patient falls through improved response to alarms or call signals.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Safety: Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.

 

 

Reflection Questions:

Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What are some reasons that no one responded to Cecil’s alarm? Explain those in the story, as well as others you might infer from the story and your experience.
    A: People often do not respond to alarms because they assume “someone else” is going to respond. Healthcare professionals often do not want to be interrupted from their work, to answer an alarm.
  2. Describe strategies that the team on this floor might be able to use to reduce patient falls and improve their response to alarms and call signals. Identify your top three priorities for improvement based on what you learned in the story.
    A: Patients who are at risk for falls can be placed closer to the nurse’s station or closer together, so they are easier to watch. Also, all staff should be informed of the importance of responding to alarms. It is not just the job of the nurse, but every health care professional is responsible.

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: That we should not assume that someone else is responding to an alarm. Every healthcare professional is responsible to help deter a patient from falling.
  2. What can you do to influence others on your team to better respond to patient needs?
    A: One way is to acknowledge when other nurses help with your own patients. If healthcare professionals work as a team and keep the patient the focus of care then the responsibility does not fall on only one person.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting. 

  • Create a poster for the staff areas on this floor that reminds the entire medical team of the importance of working together to prevent patient falls and improve their response to alarms and calls.
  • Research other reasons that nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals fail to respond to alarms and calls, and the consequences of their inaction. Share your findings with the class.

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Explain the factors that affect team response to bed alarms or call signals. Student struggles to explain the factors that affect team response to bed alarms or call signals. Student can explain some factors that affect team response to bed alarms or call signals, but needs more practice. Student can explain some factors that affect team response to bed alarms or call signals, but needs more practice.
Describe team strategies to reduce patient falls through improved response to alarms or call signals.  Student struggles to describe team strategies to reduce patient falls through improved response to alarms or call signals. Student can describe some team strategies to reduce patient falls through improved response to alarms or call signals, but needs more instruction. Student can accurately describe team strategies to reduce patient falls through improved response to alarms or call signals.


Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication. Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • Huddles
  • STEP
  • Cross Monitoring
  • Collaboration
  • Call-Out
  • Task Assistance
  • Patient Rounding

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

129 – The Floor’s Open Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

129

Instructor’s Guide – The Floor’s Open


Overview:
This story is about the importance of patience, flexibility, adaptability, and prior planning during the ‘learning curve’ to manage the changes related to team processes, workflows, and practices when any new technology or information system is introduced.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Analyze the impact of new technology on established team processes, practices, and workflows.
  • Describe team strategies to balance workload and prioritize the use of technology or automation against established safe care practices.
  • Explain the importance of demonstrating civility among team members to manage conflict, build trust, and establish open channels of team communication.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Quality Improvement (QI): Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.
  • Teamwork and Collaboration: Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.

 

 

QSEN Teamwork & Collaboration Enrichment

TeamSTEPPS Best Practice: PEARLA

Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is an evidence-based set of teamwork tools, aimed at optimizing patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among health care professionals.

    • PEARLA is a technique used for connecting strongly with someone in order to establish their trust when delivering suggestions for correcting unprofessional or disruptive behavior. The letters stand for:

 

    • P (Presence) – Look and see if you are fully present for the discussion or if you are distracted by other concerns or are overly emotional about the situation.
    • E (Empathy) – Use empathic listening skills to actively express your understanding.
    • A (Acknowledge) – Acknowledge the importance to them and to everyone concerned of finding a solution to the problem.
    • R (Reflect/Reframe) – The goal is to reflect back what may be important to the person who is making the statement and provide an alternative way to view the situation that captures what matters most to that person.
    • L (Listen Openly) – Listening openly requires that you listen to the facts, listen to the emotions, notice the body language, and listen for the meaning behind words.
    • A (Ask Clarifying Questions) – Ask open-ended questions to more fully understand the situation from the other’s point of view.

 

Reflection Questions:

Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. Why is it important to consider the impact of new technology on established team processes and practices? Use examples from the story to support your answer.
    A: Workflow and processes should be mapped out to allow for evaluation of how new documentation systems can be integrated.
    A: New technology should be beta tested in the environment before deploying in a live patient scenario, to identify unforeseen challenges and evaluated added time needed during the “learning curve”.
    A: Patterns of practice may need alternation when new technologies are introduced. Preemptively expressing that reality, while engaging all the stakeholders, will help to diffuse the early frustrations seen with any change management situation.
  2. Describe how Cindy used PEARLA to address Nancy’s concerns. What else do you think she could have done?
    A: Cindy called Nancy and asked her to meet her in person. This allowed for her to be fully present, but an in person discussion allowed for the opportunity of assessing non-verbal communication.
    A: Pre-emptively, having an opportunity for OR champions of the change with advanced training and beta testing the system deployment, may have helped to thwart the early failure and engage the staff in a more positive, yet difficulty implementation process.
  3. Why is civility in the workplace so important, especially during high stress situations? What consequences could have resulted from Dr. Kaymer’s anger?
    A: Professionalism in the workplace, particularly in the healthcare environment is paramount. High stress situations, such as new technology deployment, needs to well thought out, tested and have identified local champions that have advanced training before the “go live” first case.
    A: The patient’s care and ultimately the procedure itself could have been negatively impacted as well the team morale.
    A: The OR staff stability could have been negatively and permanently impacted had the situation not been quickly diffused.

 

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: Implementation of a new process requires thoughtful and intentional planning.
    A: Organizational leadership is required for effective implementation of change, to ensure that adequate resources are deployed for the new program or technology.
    A: Relationship management requires thoughtful attention.
  2. What one thing could you do to show other team members that you support them, respect them, and understand their challenges?
    A: The PEARLA technique can be used in professional interactions that are challenging.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting. 

  • Think about some ways you could help team members adjust to the implementation of new technology in your department. What are your strengths and weaknesses in facilitating the implementation of new technology?
  • Describe another scenario in which PEARLA could be useful. Explain how you would use this technique to better communicate with a colleague.
  • Develop a plan for Cindy to implement the next time a new technology or procedure is implemented to better prepare her team.

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Describe the impact of new technology on established team processes, practices, and workflows. Student struggles to describe the impact of new technology on established team processes, practices, and workflows. Student can describe some impacts of new technology on established team processes, practices, and workflows. Student can accurately describe the impact of new technology on established team processes, practices, and workflows.
Describe team strategies to balance workload and prioritize the use of technology or automation against established safe care practices. Student struggles to describe team strategies to balance workload and prioritize the use of technology or automation against established safe care practices. Student can describe some team strategies to balance workload and prioritize the use of technology or automation against established safe care practices. Student can accurately describe team strategies to balance workload and prioritize the use of technology or automation against established safe care practices.
Explain the importance of demonstrating civility among team members to manage conflict, build trust, and establish open channels of team communication.  Student struggles to explain the importance of demonstrating civility among team members to manage conflict, build trust, and establish open channels of team communication. Student can explain some of the importance of demonstrating civility among team members to manage conflict, build trust, and establish open channels of team communication. Student can explain the importance of demonstrating civility among team members to manage conflict, build trust, and establish open channels of team communication.

 


Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication. Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • PEARLA

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

128 – Welcome to the Team Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

128

Instructor’s Guide – Welcome to the Team


Overview:
This story is about how bullying, hazing, and lateral violence are frequently part of a healthcare professional’s indoctrination. These practices cause both unnecessary stress and premature abandonment of the field, and often compromise both the satisfaction and safety of patients.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Explain and evaluate on-boarding practices to ensure proper supervision for safe, competent, and quality patient care.
  • Describe the importance of adopting “no bullying, no hazing” policies and protocols.
  • Clarify and explain the responsibility of team members in creating a climate of respect and professionalism for new team members.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Teamwork and Collaboration: Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
  • Safety: Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.

 

 

Reflection Questions:

Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What does this story illustrate about the importance of shared on-boarding practices?
    A: Susie was not put in a position to succeed. This not only put her in danger, but also the hospital and Trey.
  2. Explain how Karen and Alice failed to create a climate of respect and professionalism in this story.
    A: Karen and Alice spoke negatively about having nursing students on the floor and that attitude continued to Susie. She was not included in the report or welcomed to the department.
  3. How did Karen and Alice, and the procedures in place at the hospital, fail to minimize the risk of harm to Susie and Trey in this story? What should have been done instead?
    A: Alice should have learned more about Susie’s clinical skills, strengths and weaknesses. Alice is responsible for the care that Susie provides to each of the patients and needs to know the scope of Alice’s training.
    A: It is not sufficient for a preceptor to ask if a trainee knows something, she needs to also assess that skill.

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: That bullying and hazing can come in different forms and does not always look the same. Alice might not think she is being a bully, but she needs to know her behavior is not acceptable.
  2. What one thing can you do to ensure all team members are treated with respect, regardless of rank, position, or role?
    A: One way is to “talk up” a colleague. Karen could have discussed how nice it is to have a new member to their team. Susie may be able to contribute in ways Karen and Alice did not realize.
  3. Have you witnessed or been a victim of hazing or bullying from other colleagues, classmates, or staff members? How did it make you feel?
    A: It becomes a negative environment when nurses speak negatively about each other. Lateral violence, bullying, and hazing are all too common in the healthcare field. One way to stop this is to use open communication and learn to collaborate with all healthcare team members.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting. 

  • Continue this story from Susie’s perspective. How do you think Karen and Alice’s actions and words in this story might affect her future in the profession?
  • Create a presentation to educate others on the effects of bullying and hazing in the medical profession. Use the Professional Conduct Survey to learn more about issues in the medical workplace, and do other research on your own.

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Explain and evaluate on-boarding practices to ensure proper supervision for safe, competent, and quality patient care.  Student struggles to explain and evaluate on-boarding practices to ensure proper supervision for safe, competent, and quality patient care. Student can explain and evaluate some on-boarding practices to ensure proper supervision for safe, competent, and quality patient care, but needs more practice. Student can accurately explain and evaluate on-boarding practices to ensure proper supervision for safe, competent, and quality patient care.
Describe the importance of adopting “no bullying, no hazing” policies and protocols. 
 Student struggles to describe the importance of adopting “no bullying, no hazing” policies and protocols. Student can describe some of the importance of adopting “no bullying, no hazing” policies and protocols, but needs further instruction. Student can accurately describe the importance of adopting “no bullying, no hazing” policies and protocols.
Clarify and explain the responsibility of team members in creating a climate of respect and professionalism for new team members.  Student struggles to clarify and explain the responsibility of team members in creating a climate of respect and professionalism for new team members. Student can clarify and explain some of the responsibility of team members in creating a climate of respect and professionalism for new team members, but needs further practice. Student can accurately clarify and explain the responsibility of team members in creating a climate of respect and professionalism for new team members.

 
 

Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 

 

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication. Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • CUS
  • STEP
  • I’M SAFE
  • Feedback
  • DESC Script
  • Collaboration
  • Task Assistance
  • 3Ws – Who I Am, What I am Doing, and Why I Care
  • “Speak Up”
  • 4 Step Process
  • PEARLA

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

127 – Caution for CAUTI Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

127

Instructor’s Guide – These Things Happen


Overview:
This story describes the importance of following best practice protocols, such as the IHI bundle, to prevent urinary catheter associated infections. Use of a daily checklist ensures appropriate practices and guidelines are followed to decrease potential for infection.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Describe and apply safe guidelines for placement, care, and removal of urinary tract catheters.
  • Generate strategies to ensure urinary tract catheter safe practices are strictly followed.
  • Explain and adopt methods for challenging team members when safety protocols are not followed for any reason.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Evidence-Based Practice (EBP): Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.
  • Safety: Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.

 

 

Reflection Questions:

Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. Describe commonly accepted safe guidelines for the placement, care, and removal of urinary tract catheters. How were these Evidence-Based Practices not utilized in this story?
    A: This facility did not have protocol or evidence based practice standards regarding the use and removal of urinary tract catheters. Many facilities have protocol and standing orders to guide the healthcare team on urinary tract catheter removal times.
  2. What strategies could be used in this hospital to ensure that preventable CAUTIs do not continue to occur?
    A: One way is to established guidelines and standing orders so that nurses can follow the protocol and are not reliant on their own personal judgement. This also allows doctors to use their time to do other things and will not be called as often to answer questions about urinary catheter removal.
  3. How does this story demonstrate the importance of teamwork and communication that is focused on patient safety?
    A: The hospital staff did not acknowledge Sue Ella’s concerns regarding the urinary tract infection. They could have communicated with her in a more empathetic and informative way.

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: The nurses could have asked the doctor, within the first day after surgery, to remove the catheter, but they did not.
    A: We have also learned the importance of having a catheter checklist or protocol.
  2. What is one thing you could do to prevent CAUTIs with your patients?
    A: Be proactive and remove the catheter as soon as medically possible. The patient should not suffer more because a checklist is not currently in place.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting. 

  • Develop a safe catheter practices checklist for this hospital to use to avoid a situation like this one in the future.
  • Brainstorm a list of strategies to ensure that preventable CAUTIs are avoided at this hospital. Share your list with a classmate, and develop a top ten list of reminders for medical professionals to prevent CAUTIs.
  • Describe the possible consequences for both the patient and the hospital when situations like the one in this story occur. Why is it important for all team members to understand the consequences of their action or inaction for both patients, themselves, and the hospital?

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Describe and apply safe guidelines for placement, care, and removal of urinary tract catheters. Student struggles to describe and apply safe guidelines for placement, care, and removal of urinary tract catheters. Student can describe and apply some safe guidelines for placement, care, and removal of urinary tract catheters, but needs more practice. Student can accurately describe and apply safe guidelines for placement, care, and removal of urinary tract catheters.
Generate strategies to ensure urinary tract catheter safe practices are strictly followed. Student struggles to generate strategies to ensure urinary tract catheter safe practices are strictly followed. Student can generate some strategies to ensure urinary tract catheter safe practices are strictly followed, but needs more practice. Student can generate strategies to ensure urinary tract catheter safe practices are strictly followed.
Explain and adopt methods for challenging team members when safety protocols are not followed for any reason. Student struggles to explain and adopt methods for challenging team members when safety protocols are not followed for any reason. Student can explain and adopt some methods for challenging team members when safety protocols are not followed for any reason, but needs more practice. Student can explain and adopts methods for challenging team members when safety protocols are not followed for any reason.
Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication. Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • CUS
  • Huddles
  • Cross Monitoring
  • Collaboration
  • Two-Challenge Rule
  • Advocacy and Assertion
  • “Speak Up”
  • STEP

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

125 – These Things Happen Instructor’s Guide

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

125

Instructor’s Guide – These Things Happen


Overview:
This story is about how human error is common during ‘workload spikes’ due to monitoring failures, multitasking, distractions, deviations, or interruptions. Cross monitoring and team ‘backup behaviors’ are essential safety practices for managing such workload threats.

 


Primary Learning Outcomes

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to:

  • Describe safe practices and processes related to accurate lab specimen labeling.
  • Identify and explain potential risks associated with mislabeled lab specimens including high workload periods.
  • Describe team-based strategies and systems to ensure accurate labeling of lab specimens.

 

 

QSEN Pre-Licensure Competencies

The following QSEN competencies are addressed in this lesson:

  • Evidence-Based Practice (EBP): Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.
  • Safety: Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
  • Teamwork and Collaboration: Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.

 


QSEN Teamwork & Collaboration Enrichment

TeamSTEPPS® Best Practice: Check-Backs

Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is an evidence-based set of teamwork tools, aimed at optimizing patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among health care professionals.

  • A check-back is a closed-loop communication strategy used to verify and validate information exchanged. The strategy involves the sender initiating a message, the receiver accepting the message and confirming what was communicated, and the sender verifying that the message was received. Typically, information is called out anticipating a response on any order which must be checked.

 

Reflection Questions:

Students will answer reflection questions upon completing the story. These questions are aligned with the QSEN competencies and are designed to help the student reflect on both the content of the story and the QSEN competencies addressed by the story.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. Describe safe practices and processes related to accurate lab specimen labeling that you have previously encountered.
    A: It is imperative that accurate lab specimen labeling occurs every time a lab is drawn. This is why it is important to have the labels ready when someone draws the labs.
  2. What safety errors occurred in this story? Describe each and their causes.
    A: Here are a few errors that occurred during this story: Check-Backs, Cross Monitoring, and SBAR.
    A: Safety errors occurred in this story because the nurse was cutting corners when she felt overwhelmed by the number of patients she was taking care of.
  3. How could the use of check-backs helped to avert the errors in this story?
    A: Check-backs are used to prevent error because they are a closed-loop communication system. At no time was closed-loop communication used in this story.

Discussion Questions:

Use discussion questions for face to face or online discussion boards to get students to further reflect on the content of the story together.
*Following each question are some potential answers

  1. What can we learn from this story?
    A: By slowing down and using appropriate safety measures patient care and safety will not be jeopardized.
  2. What is one thing you could do to improve the accuracy of labeling, especially during high workload periods?
    A: One way is to keep the labs in your hand until they are labeled. Another way is to print the labels ahead of time and have them ready to apply to the specimens once they are collected.

 

Suggested Classroom Mastery Activities:

These activities can be tailored for individuals or groups in a face to face or online setting. 

  • Make a poster to help remind your colleagues of safe procedures for accurately labeling lab specimens, and the consequences for not doing so.
  • Make a checklist for submitting lab specimens that helps to remind medical professionals to walk through all safety procedures before administering treatments.
  • Write a short dialogue of a check-back that could have been used in this story.

 



Measuring Student Mastery: 

Learning Outcome Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Describe safe practices and processes related to accurate lab specimen labeling.  Student struggles to describe safe practices and processes related to accurate lab specimen labeling. Student can describe some safe practices and processes related to accurate lab specimen labeling, but needs more practice. Student can accurately describe safe practices and processes related to accurate lab specimen labeling.
Identify and explain potential risks associated with mislabeled lab specimens including high workload periods. Student struggles to identify and explain potential risks associated with mislabeled lab specimens including high workload periods. Student can identify and explain some potential risks associated with mislabeled lab specimens including high workload periods. Student can accurately identify and explain potential risks associated with mislabeled lab specimens including high workload periods.
Describe team-based strategies and systems to ensure accurate labeling of lab specimens.  Student struggles to describe team-based strategies and systems to ensure accurate labeling of lab specimens. Student can describe some team-based strategies and systems to ensure accurate labeling of lab specimens, but needs more practice with the skill. Student can accurately describe team-based strategies and systems to ensure accurate labeling of lab specimens.

Additional Story-Specific Resources:

For additional information on improving team communication, please consult the following articles and resources in Further Reading:

 

 


Story-Specific Best Practices and Proven Tools:

In addition to the ideas generated by students and mentioned in the activities, there are established best practices that may be appropriate to introduce or reference during this lesson to support communication. Some best practices to consider for improving team communication include:

  • Check-Backs
  • Cross Monitoring
  • SBAR
  • Call-Out
  • Handoff

 

Posted in Pro ED Guides, Teacher Guides | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »