Overview
Create a one-page patient education tool that explains usage of a medication and factors that can affect outcomes. Then, write 2-3 pages in which you explain how the tool promotes patient safety and quality outcomes, and adheres to the principles and practices of cultural competence.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
Competency 1: Apply practice guidelines and standards of evidence-based practice related to pharmacology for safe and effective nursing practice.
Explain the appropriate use of a medication.
Explain how a patient education tool promotes patient safety related to pharmacology.
Competency 2: Explain the relationship between quality patient outcomes, patient safety, and the appropriate use of pharmacology and psychopharmacology.
Identify specific factors that may affect the efficacy of a medication.
Describe possible chemical reactions, side effects, or other negative reactions a patient may experience from a medication.
Explain correct handling, storage, and disposal of a medication.
Competency 3: Apply the principles and practices of cultural competence with regard to pharmacological interventions.
Explain how a patient education tool adheres to the principles and practices of cultural competence.
Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with the expectations of a nursing professional.
Write content clearly and logically with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
Correctly format paper, citations, and references using current APA style.
Context
Do any of these sound familiar?
"I felt better right away, so I did not think I had to take the rest of the medicine."
"Every time I took it, I threw up, so I just did not take it anymore."
"I lost my health insurance a couple of months ago and cannot afford my medication all the time. I take it when I can afford to buy it.
This is better than nothing, right?"
In addition to administering medications, nurses are assigned the responsibility of educating patients about the proper use of the medications that have been prescribed for them. Not an easy task! With all the demands on a nurse's time, it is easy to fall into the habit of reciting instructions without taking the time to make sure those instructions have been understood. When considering patient education, you have to understand the differences between drug reactions, interactions, allergies, and individual variations in drug responses.
In order to promote better patient safety and quality outcomes, the instruction that nurses provide must be patient-centered and clearly understood. Proper education helps patients learn about their medications, how to take them correctly, avoid potentially harmful errors or drug interactions, and have the desired quality outcome.
Medication errors can occur at any point in the drug administration process. As the last person who touches a medication before the patient actually takes it, it is vital that nurses are familiar with the process of administration and be able to evaluate any discrepancies.
Questions to Consider
To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community.
How do the rights of patient medication affect the ability of a nurse to make sure a patient receives medication that is ordered in a safe, effective manner?
What types of communication tools, such as the Pyxis machine, facilitate effective communication and reduce or eliminate medication errors?
Suggested Resources
The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.
Library Resources
The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:
Anderson, P., & Townsend, T. (2015). Preventing high-alert medication errors in hospital patients. American Nurse Today, 10(5), 18-23.
Cadwell, S. M., & McDaniel Hohenhaus, S. (2011). Medication errors and secondary victims. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 37, 562-563.
Cleary-Holdforth, J., &Leufer, T. (2013). The strategic role of education in the prevention of medication errors in nursing: Part 2. Nurse Education in Practice, 13(3), 217-220.
Cohen, M. R. (2015). Medication errors. Nursing, 45(3), 72.
Leufer, T., & Cleary-Holdforth, J. (2013). Let's do no harm: Medication errors in nursing: Part 1. Nurse Education in Practice, 13(3), 213-216.
Sequeira, R. P. (2015). Patient safety in medical education: Medication safety perspectives. Indian Journal of Pharmacology, 47(2), 135-136.
Internet Resources
Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have either been granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.
The Joint Commission. (2015). 2015 National Patient Safety Goals. Retrieved from
http://www.jointcommission.org/standards_information/npsgs.aspx
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2015). MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.
Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/
Institute for Safe Medication Practices. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ismp.org/
Bookstore Resources
Burchum, J., & Rosenthal, L. (2016). Lehen's pharmacology for nursing care (9th ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.
Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 109.
Assessment Instructions
Imagine your supervisor has asked you to develop a patient education tool for new medication starts in your current area of practice. This tool needs to provide important information to the patient, yet be concise enough to require no more than one page.
Preparation
Review the suggested list of possible topics in Part 1 of the Requirements and then search the Capella library and the Internet for supporting resources. You will need to provide support for the information you choose to include in the patient education tool.
Requirements
Complete both Part 1 and Part 2 of this assessment. You may submit both parts in one document or submit them as separate documents. Be sure you complete both parts!
Submit a total of 4-5 pages. Write no more than one page for Part 1. Write 2-3 pages, plus a separate reference page, for Part 2.
Part 1: Patient Education Tool
Complete the following:
Choose one of the following topics as the basis for your patient education tool:
Antibiotics (Amoxil/Amoxicillin) for pediatric ear infections.
Statin therapy (Zocor/Simvastatin) for a newly diagnosed patient with hypercholesterolemia.
Antihypertensive (ACE inhibitors/Lisinopril/Zestril) for a patient who was discovered to have hypertension at a health screening at work.
Drugs for treating gastric acidity (Proton pump inhibitors/antacids/H2 blockers) for a patient complaining of chronic indigestion and heartburn.
Ear drops or eye drops (or both) for an elderly patient.
Any newly released medication for a patient in your area of practice. This might be a new drug for diabetes, hypertension, or arthritis or a new antibiotic.
Include the following in your patient education tool:
Explain appropriate use of the medication.
Identify specific factors (age, access, culture, and so on) that may affect the efficacy of the medication.
Describe possible chemical interactions, side effects, or other negative reactions patients need to be aware of.
Explain correct handling, storage, and disposal of the medication.
Include any other information you feel would be beneficial and promote patient safety and quality outcomes.
You may format Part 1, the patient education tool, any way you wish, but be sure it is logical and understandable by the typical patient who would use it. Feel free to include pictures or diagrams to reinforce the information.
Part 2: Evidence-Based Practice
Provide evidence for the information you included in the patient education tool:
Explain how the information in the patient education tool promotes patient safety and quality outcomes.
Explain how the patient education tool adheres to the principles and practices of cultural competence. In other words, is the tool appropriate for all cultures, genders, ages, et cetera; or could it be easily adapted for specific needs?
Format Part 2 according to APA guidelines. This is not a document you would provide to a patient but, for this assessment, it will provide faculty with the academic and professional principles necessary to evaluate your work.
Additional Requirements
At least 2 current scholarly or professional resources.
For Part 2 only:
Use Times New Roman font, 12 point, double-spaced font.