D157 HIP Project: Enhancing Pain Control in Healthcare Settings

D157 HIP Project: Enhancing Pain Control in Healthcare Settings

Student Name

Western Governors University

D157 Managing Resources in an Era of Disruption

Prof. Name:

Date

D157 HIP Project: Enhancing Pain Control in Healthcare Settings

Who were selected for the project team, and what were the criteria?
The project team members for this health improvement initiative were chosen based on their expertise, experience, and commitment to the project’s success. The team is composed of a project manager (myself, as the project initiator), the Med/Surg unit director, the nurse practitioner (NP) who frequently rounds on patients, the pharmacist, and the charge nurses on the floor. Each member was carefully selected for their deep knowledge of pain management and ability to contribute to the development and implementation of new education and policies.

What roles do each team member play in the project?

• Project Manager: I initiated this project and serve as the project manager, overseeing all phases from planning through implementation.

• Med/Surg Unit Director: She plays a crucial role by supervising the education and training of floor nurses about the updated pain medication administration policies. Her experience in policy development and staff education is invaluable during both the planning and implementation stages.

• Nurse Practitioner (NP): The NP is the frontline provider rounding on patients five days a week, making her an essential team member to ensure that all patients have appropriately ordered pain medications across pain levels. Although the hospitalist group that covers weekends is contracted and external, the NP’s continuous contact with patients positions her as the primary implementer who collaborates with the pharmacist.

• Pharmacist: The pharmacist oversees verifying prescribed medications and monitoring for adverse effects or inappropriate dosing. While involved in planning, his primary contributions occur during implementation, particularly through collaboration with the NP.

• Charge Nurses: Given the hospital’s small size, charge nurses usually maintain patient care duties in addition to their leadership roles. They assess pain and administer medications directly, making their feedback critical during implementation to ensure policies are practical and patient-centered.

Personnel Costs Table

Project Team Member Engagement and Management

How will the project team be managed and kept engaged?
Consistent and meaningful communication is key to managing this team effectively. Weekly meetings will be held throughout the planning and implementation phases to discuss progress, address barriers, and collaboratively solve any challenges. These meetings will foster respectful and open interactions, ensuring that every member feels heard and valued.

What responsibilities will team members have during these meetings?
During planning, team members will be assigned sections of the project, such as policy development or educational content creation. In implementation, meetings will focus on troubleshooting and adapting as necessary. As project manager, I will ensure fair treatment of all members and leverage each person’s unique skills to optimize project outcomes.

What is the nature of team dynamics at the hospital?
The hospital’s small size has fostered long-term professional relationships among staff, promoting teamwork and mutual respect. This environment enables efficient collaboration and professional handling of any coaching or redirection that may be necessary.

Support for Team Members

Why is supporting team members important?
Maintaining a healthy work environment and work-life balance is critical for healthcare professionals’ mental health and job retention. The ongoing national shortage of nurses makes it imperative to foster positive workplace conditions to prevent burnout and turnover (Fukuzaki et al., 2021).

What strategies will be used to support team members?

• Acknowledging individual contributions and emphasizing team collaboration to create a sense of value and belonging.

• Offering flexible scheduling for meetings to accommodate personal commitments, reducing stress about balancing work and home life.

• Encouraging open communication about workload and challenges to ensure team members feel supported (7 Ways to Create a Positive Work Environment for Nurses, 2024).

Why does a positive work environment matter?
Research highlights that healthy work environments improve nurse well-being, patient outcomes, and overall organizational performance (Mabona et al., 2022).

Financial Resource Management

What are the primary costs associated with the project?
This project mainly involves personnel hours, educational training, and policy implementation, which are relatively low-cost compared to projects requiring new equipment. This lowers the financial risk associated with the project.

How was the budget estimated?
The personnel cost was calculated by estimating each team member’s hourly rate multiplied by their expected hours devoted to the project. Non-personnel costs, including office supplies, educational materials, and software, were estimated based on discussions with the experienced Med/Surg unit director.

How will budget control be maintained?
Weekly meetings with the entire team will review budgeting issues and resource needs. While all members will contribute to budget discussions, final approval and resource requisition will be the responsibility of the project manager and Med/Surg unit director.

Budget Variances

What risks exist regarding budget variances?
Variations are most likely to occur during the planning phase due to personnel availability. Conflicting schedules, illness, or workload demands may limit meeting attendance or project hours, particularly for charge nurses with direct patient care responsibilities.

Are salary estimates precise?
Salaries were approximated based on team input and may differ slightly from actual figures, which could affect the final personnel cost.

Healthcare Improvement Project Charter

Justification

What problem is the project addressing?
The project addresses inadequate pain medication administration in the inpatient unit, identified during a recent Joint Commission survey. Instances were noted where patients received pain medications inappropriate for their reported pain levels, such as a patient reporting a pain level of 9 receiving medication meant for levels 4–6.

What is the planned intervention?
Providers and pharmacists will collaborate weekly to ensure every patient has an appropriate pain medication ordered for each pain level. Nurses will be trained to verify medication orders and administer medications correctly.

Purpose

What is the project’s objective?
The goal is to enhance patient pain management by ensuring accurate prescribing and administration of pain medications. Improved pain control is expected to promote faster healing, increase patient satisfaction, and improve overall outcomes.

Significant Risks

What challenges may arise?
Noncompliance by providers in ordering or nurses in administering medications may occur. Resistance to change is common in hospital settings, and adequate training and support will be necessary.

Project Budget

The total project cost is $17,455, including $8,455 for personnel and $9,000 for non-personnel expenses such as supplies and software.

Project Timeline

The project commenced on June 13, 2024, with completion anticipated by September 30, 2024. Data collection and analysis will be ongoing, with final evaluation after all data is gathered.

References

7 Ways to create a positive work environment for Nurses. (2024, February 15). ANA. https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/workplace/positive-workenvironment/

Fukuzaki, T., Iwata, N., Ooba, S., Takeda, S., & Inoue, M. (2021). The effect of nurses’ work-life balance on work engagement: The adjustment effect of affective commitment. Yonago Acta Medica, 64(3), 269–281. https://doi.org/10.33160/yam.2021.08.005

Mabona, J. F., Van Rooyen, D., & Ham-Baloyi, W. T. (2022). Best practice recommendations for healthy work environments for nurses: An integrative literature review. Health SA Gesondheid, 27. https://doi.org/10.4102/hsag.v27i0.1788