Education, Collaboration Key in Cook Children’s Bedside Medication Verification System Success

“A lot of IT departments tell you what you can have, and I think the lesson learned for me was that IT has to see us as their customers,” says Sanders, “and they need to ask what you need and deliver that.”

Placing the project as a patient safety initiative under direction, and with the input from the core team, cast the project in a different light, Sanders says, and members of the core team sought out feedback for how the project would change care delivery and what would be needed to make it work.

Sanders admits that big implementations like this are difficult, but acknowledged this project was well-run and rolled out. Part of its success was due to the leadership holding clinicians accountable, she says. IT ensured clinicians had the right technology, like engaging nurses to help select technology, like scanners, and made sure they worked. Also, nurses were encouraged to report wireless and computer issues immediately and were encouraged to log a reason when a band was not scanned.

“I think having that ‘just culture’ in place where people knew they were accountable for their behavioral choices [is important],” concludes Sanders. “But also they can report any system problems without impunity. I think that was huge for us.”