Nursing Commons^™

Communication Assessment Tools For Emergency Department Nurses Who Interact With Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Holly Hunt

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Abstract/Executive Summary

Problem Statement: Communication is an essential part of every nurse-patient interaction. During the best of times the patient and nurse can clearly understand each other and engage in successful interaction with positive patient outcomes. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often use nontraditional ways of communicating that can complicate the ideal nurse-patient interaction. When a patient presents with a different method of communicating, the nurse must possess tools available to facilitate a successful interaction. Identifying such a tool or if one cannot be found building a sample tool is vital for positive patient outcomes for individuals with …

A Bedside Handoff Tool To Enhance Fall Safety Measures In The Emergency Department, Isha Adora Godbold

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Problem Statement: The Emergency Department (ED) is a fast-paced environment where the risk of communication failure enhances due to the variation in patient acuity, variety of shift options, and constant interruptions (White- Trevino & Dearmon, 2018). Ineffective communication can lead to increased adverse events, medical errors, and poorer patient health outcomes (Campbell & Dontje, 2019). Additionally, medical errors, such as falls, are more likely to occur during handoff when nurses change shifts (Campbell & Dontje, 2019). The most reoccurring medical error in the ED is patient falls.

Purpose: This quality improvement project aims to introduce a structured handoff rounding

tool, …

Using Safety Checklists Outside Of The Operating Room, Annabelle Gerhardt

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Abstract

The use of a Time Out checklist for patient safety in non-operating room procedural areas is equally important for positive patient outcomes as in the operating room (OR). In this busy southwestern United States hospital, the procedural teams in the non-operating room areas were reported to not be fully engaged during the performance of the Time Out pre-procedural pause prior to gastroenterological (GI) procedures. This study was conducted to improve compliance with the scripted Time Out checklist and promote full engagement of the GI procedural team during the Time Out thus reducing risks of wrong site surgery. Literature has …