NURS 5051 Week 4 Barcode Medication Administration and Electronic Records in Schools
Medication errors are a persistent issue in healthcare worldwide. Barcode Medication Administration (BMA) has emerged as an effective approach to reduce medication administration errors (MAE). BMA ensures adherence to the five rights of medication administration, leading to a decrease in MAEs (Macias et al., 2018). Implementing a BMA system in the school setting can significantly reduce medication errors and enhance the utilization of electronic health records.
Barcode Medication Administration
In schools, medication administration is not solely the responsibility of the nurse. Trained school staff may administer medications due to various reasons such as the absence of a designated school nurse, the nurse’s illness or absence, or during field trips. However, non-nursing staff are prone to making mistakes. As a school nurse, I have encountered medication errors upon returning from leave. With a BMA system in place, staff would be prompted regarding medication administration, ensuring adherence to the five rights and improving patient outcomes by minimizing errors.
NURS 5051 Week 4 Barcode Medication Administration and Electronic Records in Schools Electronic Records
While my current school system has an electronic record system called PowerSchool, it does not fully meet the requirements of a comprehensive electronic record. The system lacks accessibility to care plans, physician notes, and other crucial information. By implementing a program that integrates all student information, including health records, into a unified electronic platform, communication and access to information among county personnel can be expedited. This eliminates the challenges posed by paper-based record-keeping, such as misplacement and time-consuming searches. Access to specific information can be regulated through secure access codes, preventing unauthorized disclosure. An electronic record system ensures data transfer and retrieval efficiency among healthcare professionals, educators, and support staff.
Stakeholders
Implementing the proposed electronic record and BMA system involves several stakeholders, including school board personnel, administrators, teachers, principals, secretaries, counselors, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, students, and parents. Electronic records would facilitate seamless collaboration among these disciplines, enabling real-time data entry, error reduction, elimination of redundant work, and flexibility in data input locations (Hultman, 2017).
NURS 5051 Week 4 Barcode Medication Administration and Electronic Records in Schools Technology
To implement the electronic record system, specific technology equipment and devices are required, including laptops, document scanners, barcode scanners, and internet connectivity. Given that teachers already have access to computers at school, the cost can be minimized. A few laptops and barcode scanners would be sufficient for field trips, and limited document scanners can be assigned to personnel who require them. As for internet access, the school already has the infrastructure in place, including mobile hotspots.
Project Team
The project team responsible for implementing the electronic record system and BMA comprises key individuals such as the head nurse, nurse informaticist, superintendent, school principals, head teachers, hospital pharmacist, and IT department head. Each team member has a specific role, ranging from training staff and coordinating implementation to developing the appropriate barcode system and analyzing data for improvement (Laureate Education, 2018).
NURS 5051 Week 4 Barcode Medication Administration and Electronic Records in Schools Conclusion
The adoption of electronic health records and a barcode administration system holds immense potential for enhancing patient outcomes among students by reducing medication errors and streamlining access to student information. By leveraging technology tools, redundant work can be minimized, and instant communication can be fostered among various disciplines. The nurse informaticist plays a crucial role in utilizing collected data to improve processes and patient outcomes.
References
Hultman, J. A. (2017). Regain the Opportunity Missed When You Implemented Your EMR. Podiatry Management, 36(6), 58–59. Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Health Informatics and Population Health: Trends in Population Health [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Macias, M., Bernabeu-Andreu, F. A., Arribas, I., Navarro, F., & Baldominos, G. (2018). Impact of a Barcode Medication Administration System on Patient Safety. Oncology Nursing Forum, 45(1), E1–E13.
https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1188/18.ONF.E1-E13.
