Date of Graduation

Spring 5-17-2018

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

First Advisor

Mary Seed PhD RN CNL

Abstract

Hazardous drug (HD) administration used to be contained in controlled-healthcare settings, however, the introduction of HDs for home administration has become a growing area of concern for home health agencies. The objectives of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) project aims to improve homecare nurses' knowledge of HDs and improve competency with personal protective equipment (PPE). The microsystem provides short-term homecare services for acute and chronically-ill patients. One team leader, two home infusion coordinators, and twelve registered infusion nurses participated in learning about exposure risks and PPE use with HD administration. Kotter's 8-step change theory was used to develop behavior change strategies necessary to create a connection between emotion and the need for change. Education materials and PPE kits were developed specifically to address the needs of home care nurses and their patients. Teaching aids were developed with a health literacy team that included reviews by nurses, patients, and education experts. A literature review in the CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and PubMed databases provided articles rich with content about safe-handling practices withHD administration and exposure protection strategies. Themes that emerged from the project for future consideration included tracking exposed workers through a national database and improving data collection via electronic health records (EHR) used by homecare nurses at the point of care. While the goal of the project was to improve and sustain nurses' knowledge and competency with PPE use to 95%, more education and hands-on practice will be required to achieve this worthy goal.

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