Strategies to Improve Nurse Documentation Compliance and Confidence in the Delivery of Preprocedural Education

Strategies to Improve Nurse Documentation Compliance and Confidence in the Delivery of Preprocedural Education: Abstract Introduction:This project aimed to implement tools to improve preprocedural education compliance between nurses and patients in an interventional radiology department. The secondary aim was increasing staff confidence in providing education, reducing the potential for avoidable harm and adverse procedural-related outcomes. The project was implemented within an interventional radiology department of a healthcare system in the Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas. Methodology: The project utilized the Model for Improvement and followed the steps of the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle to implement change. Strategies included checklists, reminder tools, a resource binder, simulation, and coaching. Data collection occurred before, during, and after the project to monitor change. Questionnaires assessed confidence scores pre- and post-intervention. The project was limited to a single unit with 11 participants. Results: Within ninety days of implementation, compliance with the pre-procedural education charting exceeded the 77% goal, improving from 67% to 80%. Staff confidence in providing education improved from 85.5% to 96.4%. Results may have been influenced by unit fatigue, personal factors, staff loss, and natural disasters. Implications: Systematic implementation of reminder tools and resources increased documentation compliance and confidence rates in staff in providing education. These tools were easy to create, cost-effective, and adaptable to meet specific needs. Providing reminders and resources can potentially improve patient safety and outcomes and should be considered by other departments and institutions. Further improvement should focus on methods of education delivery and spot audits.