Description of the Project
In the course of this project, I taught the personnel of the maternal child unit how to use the triage acuity system. Much attention was paid to the principles that could help medical workers assess patients’ state and determine whether an urgent intervention had to be made. Furthermore, I focused on the methods that could assist healthcare providers in improving their time management. After the training, I tested participants’ knowledge and understanding of the learning material.
Target Audience
This project was intended for nurses, midwives, and physicians working in the maternal child unit. These medical workers performed different functions in the organization; however, each of them was responsible for assessing patients’ state and identifying potential risks. Thus, these people had to be skilled in the application of triage acuity systems. The participants were highly competent professionals who recognized the importance of continuous education. This is why they agreed to do training in the use of the triage acuity system.
The Need for the Project
This initiative was motivated by the necessity to make the work of the unit more effective. It should be mentioned that triage acuity systems are supposed to ensure that healthcare providers can appropriately identify and assess the risk to which patients may be exposed (Kayden, Anderson, Freitas, & Platz, 2014). More importantly, these techniques help practitioners determine which patients require the most urgent interventions (Kayden et al., 2014). They ensure that people, who are in the greatest need of medical help, receive this assistance in time. Sometimes, the failure to use triage acuity systems can lead to serious complications. The head of the maternal child unit believed that additional training in the application of triage acuity systems could improve the performance of healthcare providers.
Objectives of the Project
This project was supposed to achieve several objectives relevant to the daily work of the maternal child unit. Firstly, it was aimed at ensuring that medical workers know about the most recent and evidence-based approaches to triage acuity systems. This activity was also supposed to help employees incorporate these principles in their clinical decision-making. The ultimate goal was to increase their readiness for the situations in which the urgent needs of several patients have to be satisfied almost at the same time.
Management Strategies
While developing and implementing this plan, I had to adopt several management strategies that were useful in gaining the commitment of the participants and avoiding potential disruptions. Firstly, it was critical to demonstrate the need to be skilled in the use of triage acuity systems. Much attention was given to the cases in which the inability to identify and assess risks resulted in adverse outcomes like the failure to offer medical assistance in time.
To some degree, this approach was borrowed from change management practices used by various organizations. Researchers argue that it is vital to illustrate the necessity for new methods and techniques in the workplace (Osborne & Brown, 2013). In their opinion, this step is critical for overcoming people’s resistance to change (Osborne & Brown, 2013). I did not intend to cause any significant organizational changes. Nevertheless, this project was aimed at introducing new approaches to triage. Thus, it was necessary to show why these techniques had to be applied. By describing the problems caused by ineffective triage, I tried to convince medical workers that the new knowledge could benefit them.
Additionally, I intended to focus on the empowerment of the participants who agreed to do training. In particular, it was essential for me to work out the schedule that could adequately meet the needs of medical workers. This is why I consulted with these people on a regular basis. In this way, I attempted to let healthcare providers exercise greater control over the implementation of the project. Such a strategy is helpful in making people more willing to perform a task (Schneider & Barbera, 2014). The focus on employees’ concerns helped me gain their support and avoid disruptions.
Moreover, I asked the participants to express their opinions about the course and outcomes of the project. My goal was to look at my performance as a project leader from the perspective of medical workers. Due to this reason, I interviewed some nurses and physicians who evaluated the positive and negative sides of the project. This approach often assists managers in identifying the areas needing improvements. The responses of these people will enable to design better educational projects for healthcare providers.
Representative Materials
Several documents were drafted before the implementation of this plan; in particular, one should speak about the staffing plan and budget. The staffing plan can be presented in the form of the following table:
Table 1. Staffing Plan.
This project necessitated certain expenses required for conducting training and administering tests. The budget included the following items:
- Learning materials distributed among the employees – $ 500;
- Printed multiple-choice tests that the participants had to take – $ 75;
- The screen required for making presentations – $ 555;
- The weekly wage of the assistant – $ 355;
- Total: $1570.
Furthermore, the questionnaire was designed to learn more about the opinions of the staff. The following questions were included in the questionnaire:
- Can this training improve your workplace performance? Please explain your answer?
- Did this training help learn anything new and useful about triage acuity systems?
- What kind of challenges did you encounter during your learning activities?
- In what ways could these educational activities be improved?
- Will you recommend this course to other medical workers?
- How will the new knowledge change your everyday practices?
Evaluation Methods
Several assessment methods were used to determine the outcomes of the project. Firstly, healthcare workers were asked to complete a multiple-choice test aimed to measure the knowledge of the triage acuity system. In particular, the participants were required to consider several hypothetical situations in which a medical worker had to prioritize the needs of several patients. Moreover, they had to choose the best course of action among several variants.
The results of the test were important for determining if medical workers could apply the new knowledge in clinical settings. Furthermore, I interviewed some participants who had time to discuss and evaluate this project. My intention was to identify the difficulties that healthcare providers could face during their learning activities. Their answers will help me become more effective in designing training programs for medical workers. Overall, test scores and participants’ responses convinced me that this project could improve the work of the maternal child unit.
References
Kayden, S., Anderson, P., Freitas, R., & Platz, E. (Eds.). (2014). Emergency department leadership and management. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Osborne, S., & Brown, L. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of innovation in public services. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Schneider, B., & Barbera, K. (Eds.). (2014). The Oxford handbook of organizational climate and culture. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.