In a composition of no more than 750 words, describe the nature of your proposed project topic. Include the following in your discussion:

Introduction:

The proposed capstone project topic is an evidence-based practice proposal aimed at addressing the problem of medication errors in the hospital setting. The project will focus on implementing a bar-code medication administration (BCMA) system to reduce medication errors, improve patient safety, and increase staff efficiency. The project will be implemented in the medical-surgical unit of a community hospital located in a rural area. The hospital serves a diverse population, including adults and elderly patients from various ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The proposed project aligns with the Healthy People 2020 goals of improving patient safety, reducing healthcare-associated infections, and reducing medication errors.

Setting and Context:

Medication errors are a significant problem in healthcare and can lead to adverse patient outcomes, increased hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. The medical-surgical unit of the community hospital is selected as the setting for this project because this unit sees a high volume of patients who require medication administration. The staff is diverse, and there is a need for standardization of medication administration practices to improve patient safety and reduce errors. The proposed BCMA system will help the staff to verify the right patient, right medication, right dose, right route, and right time, reducing medication errors and improving patient safety.

Description of the Problem:

Medication errors are a prevalent problem in healthcare and can result in adverse patient outcomes, increased healthcare costs, and legal liability for healthcare organizations. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that medication errors cause more than 7,000 deaths each year and contribute to more than 1.5 million injuries in the United States. The most common causes of medication errors include miscommunication, human error, and system failures. A BCMA system can help to address these causes of medication errors by providing a standardized process for medication administration and reducing reliance on manual processes, which are prone to error.

Impact of the Problem:

Medication errors have a significant impact on the quality of care provided by staff and patient outcomes. Medication errors can lead to adverse drug events (ADEs), which can cause harm to patients, increase hospital stays, and result in readmissions. ADEs are estimated to cost more than $3.5 billion each year in the United States. In addition to the cost of ADEs, medication errors can also result in legal liability for healthcare organizations, which can damage the reputation and financial stability of the organization.

Significance of the Problem:

Medication errors are a significant problem in healthcare that can result in adverse patient outcomes, increased healthcare costs, and legal liability for healthcare organizations. The proposed BCMA system can help to address this problem by providing a standardized process for medication administration, reducing reliance on manual processes, and improving patient safety. The project aligns with the Healthy People 2020 goals of improving patient safety, reducing healthcare-associated infections, and reducing medication errors. The proposed project has implications for nursing practice, as nurses are responsible for medication administration and have a key role in ensuring patient safety. The proposed project can help to improve patient outcomes, increase staff efficiency, and reduce healthcare costs.

Conclusion:

The proposed capstone project topic is an evidence-based practice proposal aimed at addressing the problem of medication errors in the hospital setting. The project will focus on implementing a BCMA system to reduce medication errors, improve patient safety, and increase staff efficiency. The project will be implemented in the medical-surgical unit of a community hospital located in a rural area. The proposed project aligns with the Healthy People 2020 goals of improving patient safety, reducing healthcare-associated infections, and reducing medication errors. The project has implications for nursing practice, as nurses are responsible for medication administration and have a key role in ensuring patient safety.