Change Theory Project RN-BSN Nursing Management-Preventable medication errors-Lewin’s Change Theory

CHANGE THEORY PROJECT RN-BSN NURSING MANAGEMENT-Preventable medication errors-Lewin’s Change Theory

Lewin’s Change Theory (1951) I chose topic #1: You have been appointed to chair a hospital-wide committee to develop and implement a plan to evaluate compliance with the new bar-coded medication administration system. Your Chief Nursing Officer has provided you a summary report indicating a steady increase in medication errors prior to the new system. You will need to identify the various resources available, establish a clear bench mark and design a specific plan of action for monitoring compliance. Your focus is to implement a plan to monitor and evaluate nurse compliance with the new bar-coded medication administration system. PROBLEM: Steady increase in medication errors. Proposed change and rationale: All patients and medications must be scanned using new bar-coded medication administration system prior to every medication administration. This will help to identify that the right medication is be administered to the right patient at the right time. This will decrease decrease medication errors which will in turn increase patient safety and patient satisfaction. CHANGE THEORY: Lewin’s Change Theory: Lewin (1951) proposes a force-field model. Lewin saw behavior as different types of forces pushing a certain behavior around a field. Some forces promoted change by pushing an idea into a desired direction while some forces promoted complacency by forcing idea back towards old concepts. Some forces promote change while others do the opposite. To plan change, one must analyze these forces and shift the balance in the direction of change through a three-step process: unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. Change occurs by adding a new force, changing the direction of a force, or changing the magnitude of any one force. (Sullivan, E. J. 2017, pp 62) GOAL: There will be 100% compliance in bar-coded medication administration system 3 months from new system launch. Medication administration errors will decrease by 80% in 3 months. Reference: Sullivan, E. J. (2017). Initiating and Managing Change, Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing: (Edition 9) (pp. 62) Pearson Education, Inc. SWOT ANALYSIS Stength: ◦ Technology makes task easy. ◦ Increases patient safety which increases hospital scores. ◦ New generation of nurses are ”tech savvy” and will have easier time transitioning to new system. ◦ Better system for data collection. Weakness: ◦ Staff likely to resist change. ◦ May be difficult for old generation of nurses to comply with technological advances. ◦ Expected that staff will resist change. SWOT ANALYSIS Opportunities: • Increase patient safety. • Less chance for medication errors. • Increase standard of care and efficiency. • Increase hospital satisfaction and quality scores. Threats: • Staff pushback and noncompliance. • Increase conflict from process of making something different. • Loss of staff due to refusal to comply with change.