Publication Date
2-20-2024
Degree Awarded Date
December 13, 2024
Abstract
Background and Review of Literature: Anesthetic medications should be secured consistently to prevent adverse outcomes such as medication errors, drug diversion, and financial loss. Standardized practice for medication stewardship is not established by Washington University Department of Anesthesiology (WUDA). Anesthesia providers’ imprudent medication stewardship practices are a continuous challenge due to the controlled and time-sensitive drugs they provide. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to decrease the number of medications left behind unsecured in anesthetizing areas, describe the most frequently encountered barriers and category of medications left behind unsecured, and improve knowledge and utilization of the clean-sweep principle.
Methods: Implementation of a clean-sweep visual/cognitive checklist aid supplemented with educational in-services and emails was proposed to prevent unsecured medications from being left behind unsecured in anesthetizing areas. The independent variable was a visual/cognitive checklist aid with educational in-services and emails for providers; the dependent variables were the number and most frequent categories of medications left behind unsecured, the most frequently encountered barriers, and providers’ knowledge and utilization of the clean-sweep principle.
Implementation Plan/Procedure: The implementation plan consisted of pre-intervention, intervention, and post-intervention stages. Pre- and post-intervention data collection included pre- and post-surgical case audits in Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH) Pod 3 operating rooms (OR) and the cardiac catheterization lab (cath lab) to be conducted for three weeks to quantify the magnitude of the problem of medications left behind unsecured and to determine post-intervention case medication practices. A pre- and post-intervention survey was sent to all anesthesia providers to assess perceived barriers to and knowledge of best practices for medication stewardship. Education for the clean-sweep intervention was conducted through educational handouts, disseminated by mass distribution email and in-person education in-services. During the intervention period, visual/cognitive checklist aids emphasizing the clean-sweep were posted in all ORs in Pod 3 and the cath lab.
Implications/Conclusion: The outcome of the clean-sweep intervention aimed to promote medication safety and institutional sustainability by reducing medications left behind unsecured after surgical cases, identifying perceived barriers, and improving providers’ knowledge of medication stewardship practices.
Language
English (en)
Document Type
Other
Advisor
Perez, Sarah DNP, CRNA (Chair) Barnes Jewish College, Goldfarb School of Nursing
Associated Committee
Spencer, Julie DNP, RN, CDCES (Committee member) Barnes Jewish College, Goldfarb School of Nursing
Wolfe, Rachel PharmD, MHA, BCCCP (Committee member) Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Recommended Citation
Bergesch, Christine and Manuel, Kate, "Reducing Unsecured Medications in Anesthetizing Area" (2024). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Student Projects. Paper 19.
Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/dnp_golfarb/19
