Assessment 3: Improvement Plan In-Service Presentation

Unit / Course

NURS4035 / NURS-FPX4035: Improving Quality of Care and Patient Safety (BSN level)

Assessment Overview

In this assessment, you will design and deliver an improvement plan in-service presentation for nursing staff that focuses on a specific patient-safety issue previously analysed in earlier coursework or an instructor-approved issue from your practice setting. The purpose of the presentation is to translate your written quality and safety analysis into clear, practical education for colleagues. You will be assessed on how effectively you explain the safety problem, outline the improvement plan, define the audience’s role, and develop at least one learning resource or activity to support staff engagement and skill development.

Assessment Type, Level, Length, and Weighting

• Type: Individual improvement plan in-service presentation (slide deck with speaker notes)

• Level: RN–BSN core quality and safety subject

• Length: 8–14 content slides (excluding title and reference slides) with detailed speaker notes for each slide (approximately 50–150 words per slide)

• Weighting: Commonly 20–25% of the final grade for NURS4035 / NURS-FPX4035 (confirm in your subject outline)

Assessment Instructions

1. Topic and Safety Issue

Base your in-service presentation on the same quality and safety issue addressed in Assessment 1 and/or Assessment 2, or on a clearly defined, instructor-approved issue from your practice environment.

• Examples include medication administration errors, patient falls, sepsis recognition delays, and communication failures

• The issue should be narrow enough for a short in-service yet significant enough to justify a structured improvement plan

• Use findings from earlier analyses, including contributing factors, evidence-based strategies, and stakeholders, as the foundation for this presentation

2. Presentation Structure and Required Sections

Create an 8–14 slide presentation (excluding title and references) that includes the following components.

Part 1: Purpose and Goals of the In-Service

Include an introductory slide that clearly states:

• A concise, one-sentence purpose statement

• At least three specific goals beginning with action verbs, such as:

  • Describe the main causes of the safety issue on the unit

  • Explain why addressing the issue is critical for patient outcomes and costs

  • Identify strategies nurses can apply to reduce risk in daily practice

Part 2: Safety Issue and Improvement Plan

• Summarise the safety problem within your unit or organisation, including:

  • The nature and scope of the issue

  • Key contributing factors such as human factors, workflow design, environment, and organisational culture

• Provide a concise overview of the proposed improvement plan, including:

  • Core evidence-based interventions

  • Intended outcomes such as reduced errors, fewer adverse events, improved documentation, or cost savings

• Explain why addressing this issue is a priority for patient safety, staff wellbeing, and organisational performance

Part 3: Audience Role and Importance

• Clearly describe how nursing staff are expected to help implement and sustain the improvement plan

• Outline specific role expectations such as:

  • Using standardised tools or checklists

  • Participating in safety huddles

  • Reporting near misses

  • Following updated documentation or double-check procedures

• Explain why staff engagement is critical and how everyday nursing practice influences outcomes

• Link expectations to professional nursing standards and competencies where relevant

Part 4: Skill-Building Resource or Activity

Include at least one slide dedicated to a learning resource or interactive activity that supports skill development.

Examples include:

• A brief case study or clinical vignette for discussion

• A short quiz testing key safety concepts

• A checklist, flowchart, or bedside reference tool

• A role-play activity for practising SBAR communication or escalation

Ensure the activity is clearly linked to the improvement plan and realistic for use in your setting.

Part 5: Summary and Next Steps

Conclude with a summary slide that:

• Restates the safety issue and why it matters

• Reinforces the key elements of the improvement plan

• Highlights expectations for nursing staff following the in-service

• Explains how outcomes will be monitored and how staff can provide feedback or raise concerns

3. Speaker Notes and Scholarly Support

• Provide detailed speaker notes beneath each slide explaining what you would say to the audience

• Integrate current evidence when discussing causes, risks, and interventions

• Include in-text citations on slides where appropriate and a reference slide at the end

• Use at least 4–6 recent, credible sources published within the last 5–7 years

4. Visual and Professional Standards

• Use a clean, uncluttered slide design with readable fonts

• Organise content logically for both live and asynchronous viewing

• Maintain a professional, respectful tone focused on patient safety and system improvement rather than individual blame

Marking / Grading Criteria (Scoring Guide)

Criterion 1: Purpose and Goals of the In-Service Session (20%)

Assesses clarity, specificity, and alignment of the purpose and goals with the improvement plan.

Criterion 2: Explanation of the Safety Issue and Improvement Plan (25%)

Evaluates how effectively the safety problem and proposed improvement plan are explained using evidence.

Criterion 3: Audience Role and Importance (20%)

Assesses how clearly staff responsibilities and their importance to success are articulated.

Criterion 4: Resource or Activity for Skill Development (20%)

Evaluates the relevance, clarity, and practicality of the learning resource or activity.

Criterion 5: Professional and Scholarly Communication (15%)

Assesses slide quality, speaker notes, professional tone, and accuracy of citations and references.

Medication administration errors remain one of the most frequent and preventable sources of patient harm in acute care. Many incidents stem from interruptions, workflow design, and inconsistent use of safety checks rather than individual negligence. An improvement plan in-service that reinforces high-alert medication processes, standardised double-checks, and the effective use of barcode scanning provides nurses with concrete strategies to reduce bedside risk and improve patient outcomes.

Educational interventions are most effective when combined with system-level changes and active staff engagement. Research indicates that in-service education supported by practical tools, leadership reinforcement, and opportunities for staff feedback leads to greater adherence to safety practices and more sustained improvements in patient outcomes. Nurse-led education initiatives play a key role in translating evidence into everyday practice and strengthening safety culture across clinical settings (Pronovost et al., 2016).

References

1. Mueller, S. K., Sponsler, K. C., Kripalani, S., & Schnipper, J. L. (2018). Hospital-based medication reconciliation practices: A systematic review. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(14), 1057–1069. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2012.2246

2. Rodziewicz, T. L., Houseman, B., & Hipskind, J. E. (2024). Medical error reduction and prevention. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/

3. Joint Commission. (2023). Sentinel Event Data – Root Causes by Event Type. https://www.jointcommission.org/resources/patient-safety-topics/sentinel-event/

4. van der Velde, F., Zegers, M., de Graaf, J., & van der Schaaf, T. (2025). Experience of nurse-guided root cause analysis after a sentinel event. BMC Health Services Research, 25, Article 123. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-1180-9

5. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2020). Patient Safety Network: Patient Safety Primers. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primers

6. Pronovost, P. J., Goeschel, C. A., & Marsteller, J. A. (2016). Framework for patient safety improvement. Journal of Patient Safety, 12(4), 172–179. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000000258