The nurse educator of the pediatric unit determines that vital signs a

QUESTION

The nurse educator of the pediatric unit determines that vital signs are frequently not being documented when children return from surgery.

According to quality improvement (QI), to correct the problem, the educator, in consultation with the patient care manager, would initially do which of the following?

a. Talk to the staff individually to determine why this is occurring.
b. Call a meeting of all staff to discuss this issue.
c. Have a group of staff nurses review the established standards of care for postoperative patients.
d. Document which staff members are not recording vital signs, and write them up.

ANSWER:

ANS: B
Leadership must identify safety shortcomings and must locate resources at patient care levels to identify and reduce risks. One method of doing this is to invite all staff into a discussion related to solutions to an identified concern. This approach encourages teamwork.