A Protocol to Reduce Falls Associated with Setting Bed Alarms: A quality Improvement Project

Inappropriate and noncompliance with setting bed alarms can lead to an increased risk of falls in a large urban teaching hospital. In return, this can lead to injury and an increased cost for patients if they must have a longer stay in the hospital due to potential injuries. The main problem is healthcare employees may not be compliant in ensuring bed alarms are set and in the appropriate zone which can stem from forgetfulness or that doing so is a nuisance. Another factor that plays a role in noncompliance is alarm fatigue. The constant beeping of bed alarms can be an annoyance for the patient as well as the health care provider taking care of that patient which can lead to not re-setting the bed alarm or patient refusal, but although it can be an annoyance it is important to set the bed alarm for patient safety.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2024/1023/thumbnail.jp

Encouraging Increased PPE Compliance: A Quality Improvement Project

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used to minimize infection transmission from patient to healthcare worker, or vice versa. During a clinical rotation in a large urban teaching hospital, it was noted that a number of nurses failed to adhere to proper PPE policies. A literature review focusing on thirty-two studies found that average nurse compliance to proper PPE is 34%. This review included an overall discussion of factors affecting compliance, as well as a more in-depth review of the effect of education on PPE compliance, how comfort and proper fitting affects compliance, and the general effectiveness of PPE when used properly. This literature review also indicated that major factors affecting compliance were perception of risk of infection, quality of education received, and the comfort/fit of PPE. These findings support the intervention of emphasizing the importance of PPE adherence through providing donning and doffing education for nurses.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2022/1020/thumbnail.jp

Opioid Administration and Safe Handling; A Quality Improvement Project

Since 1999, drug overdoses have taken the lives of over 1 million people. Of the 23.5 million Americans needing substance abuse treatment, only 11 % seek help. While attending clinics at a large, urban teaching hospital, opioids were inappropriately handled. Many nurses spend every shift administering more than 50 medications which accounts for 40% of their time on the unit.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2024/1020/thumbnail.jp

Bedside Reporting: A Quality Improvement Project

There have been many studies done on the positive outcomes and effects of bedside SBAR including improved patient satisfaction, improved staff satisfaction, and better patient outcomes. The implementation of bedside SBAR is not an impractical or an extremely time-consuming task, but with it being implemented, this urban hospital may better itself for the patients, staff, and future.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2024/1060/thumbnail.jp

Interprofessional Collaboration to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP)

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1138/thumbnail.jp

The Effects Of Nurse\u27s Mental Health On Quality Patient Outcomes: A Quality Improvement Study

Morale among nurses is declining rapidly, this could be due to the rising mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, stress, worry and post-traumatic stress disorder. Not to mention the rate of suicide in female nurses is 11.97/ 100,000 compared to non-nurse females having a rate of 7.58/ 100,000. Also, male nurses have an incidence of suicide at a rate of 39.8/ 100,000 compared to non-nurse males at 28.2/ 100,000. A thorough literature review was conducted and a total of 40 studies were reviewed. Common themes that emerged were A decrease in nursing staff retention related to low satisfaction, lack of resources, unfair compensation, and lack of communication,” the higher that staffing levels are, the better clinical outcomes and the better the patient\u27s experience is, frontline health care workers are at an increased risk for suffering from mental illness which directly affects work performance, patient care and outcomes, and life outside of work. An important conclusion showed that a nurse\u27s mental health status affects the quality of patient care and positive outcomes. As a result of this literature review an intervention was developed in the form of workshops for different coping strategies, stress and other information for support/ discussion groups that could be provided to nursing staff.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2021/1039/thumbnail.jp

Recommendations for Nursing Staff Education on the Use of Anticoagulants

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1128/thumbnail.jp

Use of Strategy List to Decrease Interruptions During Medication Administration

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1199/thumbnail.jp

A Protocol to Overcome the Negative Health Effects Associated with Urinary Catheters in the Hospital Setting; A Quality Improvement Project

There are estimated to be 449,334 CAUTI events per year (hospitalsafelygrade). As well, this costs the health care system to the United States Healthcare System which shows that it costs the country an extra 340-370 million every year (Gray et al., 2016). The purpose of this quality improvement project is to determine how to overcome the negative effects that patients experience when receiving catheters (indwelling or external) while in the hospital. Increased catheter rates and infections were noted at an urban teaching hospital which led to the creation of this new protocol guideline.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2021/1049/thumbnail.jp

Telehealth as a preventative and quality control measure for hospital readmissions and comprehensive health factors: A quality improvement project

Exploring Telehealth as a tool for reducing hospital readmission rates and improving client long-term health. Findings are to be shared with staff nurses to improve client outcomes.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2022/1028/thumbnail.jp